Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range

The first of its kind, the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range was created in 1968 to protect what has been called America's spirit of the West, the wild mustang. Located south of Billings, Montana, on the western side of the Bighorn Canyon, the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is home to 120 wild mustangs.

How the Pryor mustangs ended up in this remote region of Montana remains a mystery. Some speculate that the Crow Indians traded them from other Native American tribes. Other theories hold that these horses escaped or were stolen from the Lewis and Clark expedition. What is known, is that these American mustangs are descendants of the horses brought over by the Spanish Conquistadors 500 years ago. Dr. Gus Cothran of the University of Kentucky took blood samples of 75 wild horses and found that they were indeed derived from the Spanish Colonial Horse.

The wild mustangs come in a variety of colors, a unique feature that is exhibited by Spanish horses. Dun, blue roan, grulla, and sabino are some of the intense colors displayed by Pryors. Dramatic and primitive markings are also distinctive of Pryors: golden duns are creased by a dark dorsal stripe, zebra-like stripes are found on the legs and shoulders of some, while others have brightly contrasting primitive markings.

Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is an extremely remote area. The north portion is high in elevation and is covered with pine and fir. The southern portion is made up by a dry, high desert environment with colorful geologic formations. The elevation is of the range is 8,700 feet. The mountain tops typically get 20 inches of a rain per year while the lower elevations get 5-6 inches per year. During the summers, the Pryors stay high in the hills. In the winters they are forced by the snow to come down to the lowlands. The rough terrain that the Pryors have lived in for generations has molded them into a tough and hardy species. It has also kept their size down to about an average of 14 hands so that they do not require a lot of fuel. Horses raised in captivity grow to much larger sizes.

Pryor herds usually consist of up to 15 heads with one stallion, his colts, and his harem of mares. Mares usually drop their foals in May. The stallions are constantly fighting for dominance and control over their harems.

To keep the herds at a size conducive to survival in the rugged Pryor Mountains, The Bureau of Land Management rounds up 40-50 horses a year and put them up for adoption. Those who have adopted or purchased Pryors bred in captivity, find that they are extremely intelligent animals. Pryors learn quickly and make good trail-riding horses because they know how to walk on uneven terrain. Pryors also exhibit a natural "Paso-like" gait, a trait many horses in captivity are trained to have.

To get to the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, drive south from Laurel on US Highway 310 to Lovell, Wyoming. Then travel 14 miles north of Lovell on Highway 37. The road is open all year. If you have 4-wheel drive, you might want to drive into the interior of the range and possibly take a hike. Whatever you choose, you won't want to forget your binoculars.

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