Sheep in Onaqui HMA – Wild Horses in Utah

Herd of sheep grazing on BLM range in Utah’s west desert.

This is a photograph I took of a herd of sheep in April 2017.  The Onaqui herd of wild horses are frequently seen in this spot and in the hills just above the sheep.  I still did not capture all of the sheep that were in this valley.  Two huge white sheepdogs were at my car door and I was unable to get out of the car to photograph all of the sheep.  By comparison, I would guess the total number of horses in the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) is less than 180 right now.

If you click on the photograph it will take you to a larger panoramic video to get a better appreciation of how many sheep are in the photograph.

 

Sheep At Watering Hole – Onaqui HMA – BLM Controversy

I have been photographing the Onaqui herd of wild horses for 7 years now.  There is a lot of debate about this herd and others in Utah, Nevada, and elsewhere.  The debate centers around the idea the herds are growing too big and eating up all of the feed and water.  This rhetoric comes from those that use the same land to graze their sheep and cattle.

Here is a photograph I took last year.  This is taken at a small watering hole that is used regularly by the Onaqui herd of approximately 100 horses.  Now, ask yourself, are the horses the problem or the sheep/cattle?  Pretty powerful photograph.  I wish you could see it in full resolution.  There are sheep EVERYWHERE!  By clicking on the first image you will be looking at a panoramic of pasted images of the scene at the watering hole.  The other images are five magnifications of this image, showing you exactly how many sheep were watering at this hole on this day.  I am in favor of limiting the number of horses in this herd.  I am not in favor of roundups.  I have seen the effects of roundups on the social structure of the herd.  The BLM is faced with a huge problem.  I hope we can find a workable solution for the benefit of the herd and future generations.