OklahomaHorses Magazine January 2021

January/February 2021 • OklahomaHorses 19 PROTECTING Wild BEAUTY A Conversation With Crystal Cowan of the Bureau of Land Management’s Pauls Valley Off-Range Corral Wild Horse and Burro Program STORY AND PHOTOS BY: Jennifer Cocoma Hustis (Art of Horsemanship LLC) I magine galloping on horseback in the wide- open Oklahoma countryside, feeling free, knowing your equine partner is a piece of American history. If that sparks your curiosity, I would like to introduce you to Crystal Cowan, Wild Horse and Burro Program specialist. I met Crystal while conducting research for a museum art exhibit to educate the public about mustangs. Since then, I have visited the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Pauls Valley Off-Range Corral multiple times for educational opportunities and sometimes just to hang out and photograph the mustangs while soaking in all their wild beauty. Crystal has always been a loyal advocate of the mustang as she educates the public about the Bureau of Land Management’s programs. The following Q&A with Crystal demystifies ideas about BLM and offers important facts. She may even inspire you to help a wild mustang. What drew you to mustangs and wild burros? I first read about the program when I saw an announcement for an internship on hir- eosugrads.com. The internship sounded fun, and the program was interesting. Before seeing the job announcement, I had never heard of the Wild Horse and Burro Program. How did you begin working for the BLM in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and what do you do there? I applied for the intern- ship and was selected. From day one, I enjoyed going to the Pauls Valley Off-Range Corral and helping wherever I could.  How does the Oklahoma facility help mustangs and wild burros? The Pauls Valley Off-Range Corral holds monthly wild horse and burro adoptions, ships animals to satellite events in our jurisdiction—Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico—and sends animals to satellite events in the east. Before any animal is presented at an adoption, their feet are trimmed (in a tilt chute, like cattle); they are given vaccinations, de-wormed, have a negative Coggins test and a health certificate (if leaving Oklahoma). What would you like to demystify about the mustangs and the BLM? Wild horses are trainable; it takes time and someone who has patience and is willing to spend time with the animal. A little time each day is better than five hours on Saturday. Once gentled, it’s just another horse. What public outreach does the BLM do to support the mustangs? BLM promotes each satellite event and monthly adoptions through websites, social media, newspapers, radio and television commercials, and they advertise on smartphone applications. BLM also advertises and attends horse fairs and expos across the nation to raise awareness of the program. How many mustangs are living on public land, holding facilities and private lands? Currently, the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program’s herd management areas, which are located in the ten western states, are extremely overpop- ulated. We have 88,000 animals and room for 26,000. As of February 2020, 12,448 animals in Off-Range Corrals are available for adoption and the adoption incentive; 35,677 horses are in Off-Range Pastures, and most of these animals are older (usually 10 years-plus); 1,148 animals are in Public Off-Range Pastures, including the Coalgate Public Off-Range Pasture in Coalgate, Oklahoma, which is open to the public and a beautiful place! That’s a total of 49,273 animals in off-range facilities. (Data can be found at blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/about- the-program/program-data.) What does the BLM currently do to help remedy the problem of overpop- ulation of mustangs? BLM uses a variety of methods to manage the wild horse and burro population numbers. If BLM did nothing, the herd numbers would double every four years and triple every six years. Some mares are gathered and given a contraceptive in a catch, treat and release. If the mare is pregnant, the foal is not harmed; the contraceptive may keep the mare from getting pregnant for one to two