ENNIS, Mont. -- About 500 wild horses have arrived so far at the Spanish Q Ranch in western Montana as Bureau of Land Management officials work to reassure neighboring landowners about the long-term holding facility.
The Montana Standard reports the horses, all geldings, began arriving Feb. 27.
Officials say about 700 horses will eventually be held at the 15,456-acre ranch with the remaining 200 arriving by Friday.
The Spanish Q near Ennis has a 10-year contract with the BLM to house the horses at a cost of $1.36 per animal per day, much less than the average $5.50 cost at short-term facilities in Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Oklahoma.
The ranch will hold horses that have been captured to control population levels on public land and have not been adopted.
