Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus) require consistent surface water to sustain healthy herds throughout the arid and semi-arid regions of western North America. Understanding the influence of horses on riparian habitats and associated wildlife populations is critical for establishing appropriate horse and riparian habitat management strategies. The purpose of this study is to quantify the spatial distribution of free-roaming horses across a sagebrush ecosystem, and to characterize the interaction between horses and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) within limited riparian areas. This study was conducted at the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, located in northwest Nevada. Twelve mares were collared representing 10 bands using Lotek 3300 GPS collars and tracked between 3-24 months. Coordinate data acquired from each collar was used to determine the amount of time horses spent at water sources in relation to time spent traveling within band home-ranges. The behavioral response of pronghorn when horses were present was compared to pronghorn behavior when horses were absent. A behavioral ethogram for pronghorn was created consisting of 166 observation sessions, 492 hours of observation, and 12,186 instances of pronghorn behavior. For every 1m increase in distance from horses, pronghorn foraging increased by 0.6%. Most (>70%) of horse-pronghorn interactions were negative. In areas with limited water availability, constructive horse management is critical for protecting riparian habitats and assessing potential pronghorn impacts.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.