Sitting on top of a mountain peak watching a herd of yellow horses move about, a promise was made; a promise to not only that herd but to all of the other herds of the feral horses of Appalachia…

HOW THESE HORSES CAME TO BE:

In this mountainous region, flat ground can be hard to find. During the strip mining process, vast areas of flat land were created. When the mining was done, the land would go into a reclamation process where vegetation was planted in an attempt to return the land to nature.

As many people in the area did not have access to much flat land, these newly created areas presented themselves as a solution to this problem. Free grazing of animals on old mining operation sites has been an Appalachian tradition for some time.

During the economic hardships of the 2000’s, these areas of free grazing turned into sites to dump horses that people could no longer, or no longer wanted to, care for. Since then, many stallions had arrived and breeding was left unchecked, allowing the herds to grow exponentially.

While some of these horses have owners and caretakers, many were completely abandoned and left to fend for themselves and over the years have produced many generations of feral born offspring.

From horses that were once handled and used to people, came large numbers of generationally feral born horses…generation after generation after generation.

WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

As a result of the strip mining process, the sites where these horses live are often barren, devoid of the vital minerals and nutrition that they require to thrive. The sites do undergo reclamation, but they are varying stages with varying degrees of effort by the corporations. The lack of their usual natural nutritional sources has been detrimental to the health of these horses.

The old mining sites are often laden with old barb wire, broken high tensile wire and are usually difficult to navigate. Besides the hazards of the land, horses in some areas are also terrorized by two legged inhabitants; being chased by motorized vehicles, shot or shot at for fun, and attempted to be caught by people for profit.

Herds will be picked up and shipped directly for slaughter or babies torn from their mothers and ran through auction for people to make a quick dollar. Although it sounds majestic to be free and feral, it often leads to traumatic and gruesome ends for many of these horses. 

Please check out our “In the Field Sustainability” section for more.

ABOUT APPALACHIAN LEGACY INITIATIVE (ALI):

Appalachian Legacy Initiative (ALI) was started in the Spring of 2022 and was formally incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit as of July 2022. However the founder of ALI has been working with these feral herds since 2021. In this time, ALI has documented over 7,500 individual head of horses on over 300 mine sites in West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and the panhandle of Virginia.

The goal of ALI is not to remove and get rid of all of the herds residing in Appalachia. It is our belief that we are far past a time when there will not be horses on mine sites in these regions, which is why it is important to get a program established while there is still the potential for successful management.

The goal is to provide in the field management to create sustainability for these herds. These horses have a huge place in the hearts of many locals; they are part of their history and tradition.

The areas surrounding many of these sites are generally severely impoverished. Although many people want to help them, there is often not the financial ability or equine knowledge to do so properly. ALI works with local communities to help with education and resources. 

A primary objective of ALI is to set a new national standard for the way feral and wild herds are managed in the field, both on and off range. 

The mission of ALI follows the promise made all those years ago on that mountain top watching that herd…to ensure not only their safety but the safety and wellbeing of all the horses like them wandering on the old mining sites of Appalachia, to ensure a brighter future for the horses of coal country.