Our study confirms that grazing by cattle and horses can negatively impact riparian ecosystems if not properly managed. Population levels and grazing patterns of wild free-roaming horses limit management options, potentially leading to rangeland and riparian degradation. Grazing by wild free-roaming horses and cattle in riparian areas caused streambank disturbance and reductions in stubble height and herbaceous biomass. Both wild free-roaming horses and cattle affected riparian attributes while wildlife had little effect. Horses had a greater negative impact than did cattle when examined on an individual animal basis. Managers and ranchers in areas with wild free-roaming horses will need to consider potential impacts of unmanaged wild free-roaming horses in combination with livestock to mitigate the cumulative effects of multiple species of grazers on riparian condition. The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information.
Practical, non-technical peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol 1, 1979 up to 3 years from the current year. More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.