On June 27, 2008, the local BLM office received a call from a county resident advising them of a wild horse near the gravel pit on Old Highway 6 & 50 about 30 miles west of Delta. The BLM, having been advised that the horse was in “really bad shape” took Dr. Ekins with them to investigate. They were able to capture the horse and determined the horse was not a wild horse but a domesticated horse. After some care by the veterinarian at the site and back at his office, the horse was turned over to BLM. The brand inspector confirmed the horse was a domestic horse but no ownership could be determined. With that information the BLM office called the Sheriff’s Office to advise and turn the case over.

The Millard County Sheriff’s Office is asking help in identifying the horse and to solicit help in reporting if anyone is seen taking animals to an area to “drop off.”

New laws that no longer allow horse meat to be included in dog food have dropped the market on older horses. The price of hay is such that folks can no longer afford to care for and feed some that may have been kept in the past. The fear at the Sheriff’‘s Office is more incidents like these. People may think the horses will be adopted into the wild herds that roam the west desert but this just is not so. They will attack the horse and drive it away. The horse will not know how to fend for itself and is on the way to a slow and agonizing death.

If you can identify the horse or see incidents that need to be reported, please call the Millard County Sheriff’s Office at 435-743-5302 or 435-864-2882.