Habitat Selection by Feral Horses in the Alberta Foothills

Abstract

Populations of feral horses have been increasing in the Alberta foothills and pose a concern to the conservation of native grasslands. Sustainable management of feral horses requires information on their habitat use. I utilized spatial data from radio-collared mares to assess seasonal habitat selection for two years beginning November of 2008. Field data were gathered to compare localized habitat use by feral horses, cattle and wild ungulates during summer. Grasslands were consistently selected while conifer forests avoided. Cutblocks were selected only in winter. Feral horse use of vegetation increased within open habitats and decreased with increased human disturbance (i.e. roads, trails and cutlines). Based on pellet surveys, horses use increased with disturbance, was positively related with cattle use, and more likely to occur in open habitat, but decreased with increasingly rugged terrain and greater wild ungulate use. Information provided by this study may necessitate changes to regional range management plans.