Wild horse advocates worry about Alberta’s plans to thin herds [Video]

Alberta’s wild horses are once again being targeted by the province and once again, it’s spurring concern.

“What is the problem? Why are the horses such a burr under their saddle?” said Darrell Glover, who has run the Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS) since 2014.

A decade ago, the province counted 880 wild horses.

In 2024, it says there are 1,478.

Back then, a cull was halted after stiff opposition.

Now, the province has new plans to manage the population.

Alberta’s wild horses are once again being targeted by the province and once again it’s spurring concern. (Image courtesy Darrell Glover)

“There’s no cull going on,” said Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen.

This time, the province says no horses will be killed – instead, some will be given birth control and others will be adopted.

Glover has rescued some abandoned foals but says not all wild horses are adoptable and reducing the population could lead to its demise.

“By removing their bloodlines, it’s essentially a cull anyway,” Glover said.

The province says wild horses …