While I’ve mentioned details about the wild horses in years past, those posts are buried under stacks and stacks of Charlie posts, Kitty photos, and Lord knows whatever else. I don’t expect anyone to dig very far to find the answers. There are photos of snakes in my archives, and they might bite you.
The wild horses on our ranch are part of a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) program to reduce the size of large mustang herds to what they consider manageable levels. The horses come from wild horse herds that roam government land in many of the western states—Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming. In an effort to manage the size of the horse herds in those states, the BLM contracts with and pays private landowners to take care of the (otherwise unadoptable) horses. To participate in this contract, BLM conducts a competitive bidding process wherein they determine the best and most cost effective locations to send the horses. An important part of the BLM’s decision is whether or not the prospective land can support the wild horses and allow them to thrive. Because of the climate and quality of the grazing land in our region, many ranches in this area (ours included) currently run wild horses.
As I mentioned yesterday, we only have mares on our ranch. There is no breeding (read: hanky panky) among wild horses once they arrive here. Occasionally, we receive a new load of horses from the BLM and some of those mares are already bred (read: knocked up) when they arrive. When that is the case, we wean the colts before they get big enough to start breeding and send them back to the BLM for placement elsewhere.
As with anything involving government spending and national (and natural) resources, this is a highly politicized issue. One matter of debate is whether the horses should be rounded up in the first place or simply be left to fend for themselves in the west, when the numbers would be too great for the amount of land available. (This would be hard on both the horses and the land itself.)
Along those lines, another question for debate is whether the government should continue to lease BLM land to ranchers in those western states for their cattle operations (many have been leasing it for generations), or allow more of said land to be used to house the burgeoning wild horse population.
And finally, and probably the most controversial, is the question of whether unadoptable horses should be slaughtered…or taken to ranches like ours, where they can live out the rest of their lives.
“Say WHAT?”
Sorry.
Just a little wild horse humor there.
On a personal note, there’s a small handful of issues that I have identified as being very, very important to me. In my own (usually quiet) way, there are issues I will fight for.
The wild horse issue is not one of them. I tend to understand the argument that the government paying landowners for the care of thousands and thousands of wild horses doesn’t seem to be the wisest use of taxpayer dollars. On the other hand, the mustangs are beautiful, majestic animals. They’ve thrived in the years they’ve been on our ranch. We generally leave them alone to roam free during the spring and summer, then feed them throughout the winter to make sure they’re adequately nourished. They’re happy. And shiny. And pretty.
And wild.
Still, there are just too many sides to the story.
So I’ll just do what I do every day when I see them outside the windows of our house: Enjoy them. Admire them. Feel privileged to be able to take care of them.
Amen.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
