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For several years, NMACO lobbied Mesa Verde National Park (the “Park”) to leave horses in the Park wild and to manage the population. The Park determined that its mandate to protect the antiquities and archaeological sites was incompatible with wild horses living in the Park. The Park determined that it would remove the horses.

When the Park’s decision was made, NMACO offered the Park a humane and detailed plan for capturing the horses and to take title to the horses directly from the Park. Since 2019, NMACO has been working with the Park to aid in humane horse removal.

In 2019, Tim McGaffic (The Nature of Natural) evaluated the Park’s terrain, accessibility, and range conditions to prepare a detailed plan for capturing the horses without helicopter or horseback chases. His plan incorporated methodical habituation principles and bait trapping with water and food. Tim brought in Whit Hibbard to assist with the use of low-stress livestock gathering techniques to safely move and load horses in capture.  Both NMACO volunteers and Park personnel were trained in the habituation and trapping process as well as low-stress stockmanship.  NMACO volunteers were highly involved in the early gathering efforts. Following the 2022 gathering season, with over a year’s experience under Tim’s and Whit’s guidance, the Park took over the baiting and trapping process. From the Park, NMACO took custody of horses as follows: one horse in 2021, 19 horses in 2022, and 18 horses in 2023. The Park’s goal is to capture and remove up to 40 horses in 2024.   

In the interest of finding the best possible outcome for the horses and under the agreement with the Park, when NMACO takes ownership of the horses that are gathered, NMACO rehomes the horses. Horses will find their new home in sanctuaries where they can live out their days in a wild setting, or they will be prepared for domestication and adoption.  Any horses to be matched with qualified adopters are tamed and habituated to live with humans. They are then non-aversively trained to be touched, groomed, haltered, led, and loaded into a trailer. Since the first horse was brought off of Mesa Verde, NMACO’s approach to humane capture and management has led to positive outcomes for both horses and humans.   

Horses in NMACO’s custody require veterinary care, feed, boarding, training, transportation, brand inspections, Coggins testing, as well as fostering and time to provide care to pregnant mares and to wean foals. To date, NMACO has taken ownership of 38 horses from Mesa Verde National Park. NMACO is standing by to rehome the estimated 40 horses that remain in the Park.