Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 14 southward into Bighorn Basin and into the Wind River Mountains beyond. Somewhere surrounded by lupine and Rocky Mountain juniper, amidst the endemic blades of the Shoshone carrot found nowhere else on earth, you'll find the Pryor horses, perhaps as distinct as the habitat they call home. HOOVES SUNK IN LIMESTONE SOIL Many of the Pryor wild horses wear their story on their backs. Most are colors known as dun, grullo, black, or bay; and dorsal stripes on the backs and zebra stripes on the legs are common. Many exhibit unique con- formational features as short-statured horses with wide foreheads that taper to a Roman nose. In 2013 geneticist Gus Cothran of Texas A&M University conducted a genetic analysis of the Pryor herd in order to help the Bureau of Land Management develop localized man- agement strategies. Cothran, who's tested virtually every BLM-managed herd in North America, found through comparative analysis that, while the Pryor horses do show a mixed lineage, they appear to have direct Colonial Spanish ancestry. "In terms of current free-living wild horses, the Pryor herd is one of a very, very small number that actually do show strong indication of old Spanish ancestry," Cothran said. "ere's just a handful." It is this unique heritage that draws many to the Pryor horses, including Christine Reed, professor of public administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. "For the most part, wild horses are escaped ranch horse stock or cavalry stock, but the Pryor horses have a unique Spanish lineage," Reed said, describing what interested her about the Pryor herd before writing her 2015 book, Saving the Pryor Mountain Mustang: A Legacy of Local and Federal Cooperation. A small shipment of domesticated horses accompanied Christopher Columbus and his men as they set out for the ports of the West Indies on their second voyage in 1493. Within 200 years, feral horses munched the grasses from Argentina to Canada. "People aren't exactly sure how the horses got from the New Mexico/ Texas area up into Montana, but they think it was probably a trade route used by Native American horse traders," Reed said. It is likely around the seventeenth century that feral horses rolled in the grass of East Pryor Mountain, sunk hoof in the limestone soil, and drank from the waters of Bighorn River. EVER AS BEFORE e next chapter in the story starts in the 1960s during a national debate over the definition and management of lands and land use. Wild horses were rounded up for permanent removal as a species threatening live- stock, wildlife, and plant ecosystems. Advocates sought protection for wild horses across the country. THE PRYOR MOUNTAIN WILD HORSE RANGE dips into Wyo- ming as well as Montana, and is the only wild horse range in Montana. To access the horse range go to Lovell, Wyoming, and take Highway 37 north. Visitors are encouraged to stop at the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center to learn more about the horses and the range. Helt Rd Helt Rd Crooked Cr Rd Crooked Cr Rd Gyp Springs Rd Gyp Springs Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Rail Bed (Pryor Gap) Rd Rail Bed (Pryor Gap) Rd Gypsum Creek Rd Gypsum Creek Rd Sage Creek Rd Sage Creek Rd Helt Rd Helt Rd Crooked Cr Rd Crooked Cr Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Wilderness in the Pryor Mountains MWA, Nov 2016 MWA, Nov 2016 1 Miles Proposed Wilderness WSA or LWC or Rec.Wild. CGNF NPS BLM State Tribal (Crow) Private Non-motorized Trail Major road Other motorized route WYOMIING MONTANA 310 37 "Proposed Wilderness" = CGNF Wilderness proposed by MWA and the Pryors Coalition Current federal agency wildland designations: WSA = Wilderness Study Area (CGNF & BLM) LWC = Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (BLM) Rec.Wild. = Recommended Wilderness (NPS) CGNF = Custer-Gallatin National Forest 1,003 acres 1,003 acres Crooked Creek-Lost Water 14,393 acres Crooked Creek-Lost Water 14,393 acres Bear Canyon 10,843 acres Bear Canyon 10,843 acres Big Pryor 12,452 acres Big Pryor 12,452 acres Punch Bowl 8,667 acres Punch Bowl 8,667 acres Pryor Mtn Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Pryor Mtn Rd Pryor Mtn Rd 1,778 acres 1,778 acres Layers of sandstone, mudstone, and limestone contain fossils and other deposits, reveals important chapters in the history of the Pryors. Like most babies, the newborn foal spends most of its time sleeping. CONNIE MODZELEWSKI JESSIANNE WRIGHT Close-up of beautiful Pryor horses: www.distinctlymontana.com/pryor173 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

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