2025 Muddy Creek Wild Horse Gather

Wild horses and burros have occupied the San Rafael Swell area since the beginning of the Old Spanish Trail in the early 1800s. Early travelers would lose animals or have them run off by Indians or rustlers. Many of these animals were headed for California to be traded and sold and were of good stock. The herd was also augmented through the release of domestic horses from local ranches. The dominant colors of the horses within the herd area are bay, brown, buckskin, grulla and black with an increasing likelihood of pintos, gray and roan in that order, the horses on the HMA are average in size ranging from 700 to 1000 pounds.

Location

The Muddy Creek Herd Management Area is located 15 miles south of Emery, UT. It extends 5 miles north and 10 miles south of I-70 from the Dutchman Arch to Fremont Junction. Horses can be found throughout the San Rafael Swell.

Size and AML

The HMA is consists of approximately 283,400 acres of public, state, and private lands.

Topography/Vegetation

The vegetation on the HMA is dominated by pinyon juniper/sagebrush/shadscale/bunchgrass communities.

Wildlife

A variety of wildlife call the HMA home. They include antelope, bighorn sheep, kit fox and many other wildlife species can be found within the HMA. A few desert animals are primarily active during the day, including rock squirrels, antelope squirrels, chipmunks, lizards, snakes, hawks, and eagles.