tHE rED DESERT COMPLEX
The Red Desert Complex is a group of 5 HMAs in the heart of the Red Desert Region, totaling over 750,000 acres, offering the opportunity for diverse genetic influence and a wide territory for the horses to roam.
Public acreage is just over 700,000, and private acres are just under 50,000. The topography includes forested mountains, grasslands, and high desert sagebrush valleys and slopes. The terrain is quite rocky, and offers abundant minerals.
Horses are descendants of those used by Indigenous cultures, settlers, ranchers and cavalry units.
Diverse genetics provide for a wide array of color in this complex! Pinto, appaloosa, dun, roan, grulla, bay, black, sorrel, gray, palomino, buckskin, and combinations of the above call this complex home.
Life for the horses includes winter months grazing in the lower grassy flatlands of each HMA where family bands often form larger herds for protection from the elements and predators. In the spring, as the snows recede, they move into the valleys and hills, to give the mares privacy for foaling. Antelope, deer, and elk share the same grounds, and it is fun to see all of the new life. Water is abundant in many places, and the family bands begin to separate from the larger herds. Summer finds them seeking higher elevations, to enjoy the shorter and newer grasses as they emerge, and the breezy to hurricane force winds keep the bugs at bay. Fall finds them heading lower and lower, but with the hunting of pronghorn, deer and elk they spend time hiding in draws and eluding signs of humans more.
Please enjoy the slideshows following the description of each HMA!
Public acreage is just over 700,000, and private acres are just under 50,000. The topography includes forested mountains, grasslands, and high desert sagebrush valleys and slopes. The terrain is quite rocky, and offers abundant minerals.
Horses are descendants of those used by Indigenous cultures, settlers, ranchers and cavalry units.
Diverse genetics provide for a wide array of color in this complex! Pinto, appaloosa, dun, roan, grulla, bay, black, sorrel, gray, palomino, buckskin, and combinations of the above call this complex home.
Life for the horses includes winter months grazing in the lower grassy flatlands of each HMA where family bands often form larger herds for protection from the elements and predators. In the spring, as the snows recede, they move into the valleys and hills, to give the mares privacy for foaling. Antelope, deer, and elk share the same grounds, and it is fun to see all of the new life. Water is abundant in many places, and the family bands begin to separate from the larger herds. Summer finds them seeking higher elevations, to enjoy the shorter and newer grasses as they emerge, and the breezy to hurricane force winds keep the bugs at bay. Fall finds them heading lower and lower, but with the hunting of pronghorn, deer and elk they spend time hiding in draws and eluding signs of humans more.
Please enjoy the slideshows following the description of each HMA!
Stewart creek hma
Stewart Creek HMA is 168,000 acres of mostly public lands and is the only completely contained (fenced) HMA in the complex. There are state and private sections in Stewart Creek, and livestock grazing leases. The AML is 125-175. The terrain is sandy, clay in places, and quite rocky.
Green mountain hma
Green Mountain HMA contains 75,000 acres of public lands within a total of 117,000 acres. With 42,000 acres of private land, a partnership between BLM and the landowners must exist and benefit both, for the horses to be welcome and able to take advantage of the resources they need. The HMA has abundant recreation opportunities, grazing leases, diverse mineral extraction operations including surface mining and drilling. AML is 170-300. The terrain contains forested mountain, foothills, and sagebrush draws, with grassy flatlands on the lower ends.
crooks Mountain hma
Crooks Mountain HMA contains very little private lands, and is comprised of a total of 58,000 acres. This HMA is relatively unexplored by our contributors but we look forward to learning more and sharing what we learn! AML is 65-85. This is a low number for many HMAs, and one that often concerns advocates because it limits the genetic diversity opportunities for thriving and healthy herds. However, because this area is managed as a complex, and the non-HMA areas contain horses who are allowed to cross them, diversity is not a concern for this HMA. In fact, pictures shown in our slideshow for this HMA contain horses who were not within the actual borders but were close or are suspected to either have originated from or reside within the borders seasonally. Terrain is forested mountains, deep draws, steep hillsides, and grassy and sagebrush slopes, all with very rocky and sandy, or clay soils.
antelope hills hma
Antelope Hills HMA is the furthest west of all of the Red Desert Complex HMAs, but not the furthest west in the Red Desert Region, which should not be confused. There are 159,000 acres of mostly public lands. AML is 65-85. Many of the horses in Antelope Hills are zebra dun, meaning they are darker dun, lacking the frosted base of the mane and tail, and often have leg bar stripes like zebras. We do not have many good photos of the terrain or the horses yet, but we will!
Lost Creek HMA
Lost Creek HMA is the furthest south in the Complex. The largest HMA in the Complex with 235,000 acres of public lands within a total of 251,000 acres. It has a very low AML of 60-82 horses, however, much of this HMA is very deserty, with little preferred forage and grazing for horses. It is borderd on the west by the Divide Basin HMA, which is part of the Rock Springs District office, and not included in the Red Desert Complex, although it is suspected that horses from these other HMAs to the west do venture east into Lost Creek and Antelope Hills, creating additional opportunity for genetic diversity. Minimum viable population for genetic diversity is typically 80 or more horses. Much of the western half of the HMA is either sandy or clay soils riddled with alkali. Mineral extraction is heavy in the Lost Creek HMA, for uranium, oil, and gas. Much of Lost Creek is also leased for grazing livestock, and is a winter range for sheep. Sheep and cattle rarely overlap with the horses on their grazing preferences.