ASSATEAGUE — The recently-completed May census of the wild horse population on the Maryland side of Assateague revealed the number now stands at 76 after one foal’s birth and an aging mare was euthanized.
In early May, a new chestnut foal was birthed by the popular mare Gokey GoGo Bones and joined a ban known to frequent the highly developed areas and campgrounds.
That good news was tempered somewhat last week when the May census report revealed a 31-year-old mare known only by her alpha-numeric name N6BM sustained a broken hind leg during a fight with another horse. Decades ago, the National Park Service began assigning alpha-numeric names to the wild horses on Assateague to better track their lineage as well as identify to which sub-herd they belong and the areas of the island they tend to frequent.
According to the National Park Service May census report, N6BM had been in a fight with another horse and suffered a broken hind leg. A visitor observed the fight, which occurred about six miles south into the Over-Sand Vehicle Zone (OSV) and reported the incident, which allowed for N6BM to be humanely euthanized without delay.
With the birth of the new foal and the loss of the injured mare, the population of wild horses on the Maryland side now includes 21 stallions and 55 mares. At 76, the current population is now under the ideal range of 80 to 100. However, at least two more mares are believed to be pregnant and are expected to birth foals in the coming months, bringing the number closer to the front edge of the ideal range.
The National Park Service completes a full census of the horse population on the Maryland side of the barrier island six times per year in February, March, May, July, September and November. Managed as a wildlife population, the Assateague horses are free to roam over the roughly 27 miles of the barrier island and are difficult to findat times.
During each census, the horses are identified by their distinguishing characteristics, mapped and counted. Individual horses that are not observed over multiple census periods are presumed dead. The purpose of the census is to monitor the population dynamics of the horse herd in support of the long-term fertility control program that was initiated in 1994.
