Vast stretches of harsh desert near Rock Springs are among the few places in the world where mustangs with curly coats can be found, but the Bureau of Land Management plans to round them up, which has horse advocates upset.
“It makes zeroing out the Salt Wells Creek herd all the more tragic,” mustang advocate Carol Walker told Cowboy State Daily.
The Salt Wells Creek herd is only one of two in Wyoming known to have horses with distinctive curly manes, tails and winter coats.
The other is the nearby White Mountain mustang herd.
And those two Wyoming herds are likely among only a handful of mustang herds in the world with “curlies,” she added.
The entire Salt Wells Creek mustang herd, thought to include several hundred horses, is set to be rounded up next summer.
The horses will be taken to BLM holding facilities in Rock Springs and Wheatland, where many of them will be put up for adoption, BLM spokesman Micky Fisher told Cowboy State Daily.
Roughly 500 of the White Mountain mustangs were rounded up this past summer. That reduced the herd to roughly 300 horses, and drew protestors to Rock Springs.
Horse advocates have filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to halt the planned Salt Wells Creek mustang roundup.
Why The Curls?
Nobody seems to know for certain why these two remote Wyoming mustang herds include curly-haired horses, Walker said.
There are some domestic horse breeds in Europe that have that feature. But a genetic link between the European horses and the Wyoming mustangs remains disputed, she said.
“One group of researchers say they have proven that they are connected, and another group says they’ve proven that they aren’t connected,” Walker said.
Even within the Wyoming herds, curly hair is an unusual feature, she said.
About 100 of the Salt Wells Creek mustangs are curly, Walker said. Sometimes curly-haired mustangs have curly offspring, and sometimes they don’t.
While the horses retain the curls in their manes and tails year-round, their coats are seasonal, she said.
The mustangs’ coats are thick and curly during the winter, which helps protect them from the cold. The curls sluff off during the spring, leaving the horses with smooth summer coats, she said.
‘You Could Feel The Ground Shake’
Curly mustangs also tend to be larger than other horses, Walker said.
One huge black stallion named Bubba was a fan favorite among the Salt Wells Creek herd.
“When he ran, you could feel the ground shake,” she said.
Bubba suffered a leg injury and was put down by the BLM about two years ago.
Two of a herd of horses with curly coats and manes. (Mark J. Barrett via Alamy) 
The Salt Wells Creek mustang herd near Rock Springs is only one of two herds in Wyoming known to have horses with curly coats. (Courtesy Buller) 
Bubba was a legendary curly-maned stallion that was part of the Salt Wells Creek herd near Rock Springs. (Courtesy Carol Walker) 
A mustang called Julian, part of the Salt Wells Creek herd near Rock Springs, grows a rare curly coat during the winter. (Courtesy Carol Walker) 
A Stallion named Ike is one of Wyoming rare mustangs with curly manes. He’s part of the Salt Wells Creek herd near Rock Springs. (Courtesy Carol Walker) 
A mustang called Julian, part of the Salt Wells Creek herd near Rock Springs, has a coat like that of other horses during the summer. (Courtesy Carol Walker) 
A rare horse with a curly coat and mane. (Getty Images)
Drawing Down The Mustang Population
Across the vast desert region near Rock Springs, there are thought to be about 4,800 mustangs running free, Fisher said.
The BLM plans to whittle the herds down through roundups over the next three years, he said. There’s concern over the mustangs becoming overpopulated and degrading the desert habitat.
Particular herds, such as the Salt Wells Creek mustangs, will be zeroed out — or entirely rounded up — because they inhabit “checkerboard” areas, he said.
Those are areas where square BLM parcels are intermixed in a checkerboard pattern with private parcels, he said. There’s concern about the mustangs spending too much time on private land.
High Demand For Curly Mustangs
BLM encourages horse adoptions, Fisher said. The agency doesn’t like keeping horses cooped up in its holding facilities indefinitely.
If curly mustangs go up for adoption, their odds of finding new homes are good, Walker said.
In addition to their remarkable size, they have a reputation for being gentle and “good with humans,” she said.
“Whenever they go up for adoption, they’re in high demand,” Walker said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
