Seven Troughs HMA

Horses within the HMA are descendants of ranch horses that either escaped or were released into the area. The majority of horses exhibit a bay, brown or sorrel coat color, however there are also quite a few buckskin and dun horses found in the area. Burros within the HMA are the descendants of pack animals used by miners and sheep ranchers. The majority of the burros exhibit a gray color pattern, however pinto burros are also found in the area.

Location: The Seven Troughs Herd Management Area (HMA) is located in western Pershing County, approximately 75 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada. 

Size: The area consists of 131,413 acres of BLM land and 17,471 acres of a mix of private and other public lands for a total of 148,884 acres.

Topography/Vegetation: The terrain in the area consists of north-south trending mountains separated by broad valleys. Elevations within the HMA range from 4,100 feet along the valley floor to 7,782. Climate is characterized by warm dry days, cool nights and low yearly precipitation that ranges from 4 to 6 inches at lower elevations to approximately 10 inches at higher elevations. 
Vegetation varies from salt desert shrub communities at lower elevations to big sagebrush/grass communities at upper elevations. Typical species in the salt desert shrub community includes shadscale, budsage, winterfat, black greasewood, indian rice grass, squirrel tail and desert needlegrass. Species typical of the sagebrush/grass communities include low sage, Wyoming sagebrush, desert peach, rabbit brush, needlegrasses, basin wild rye, squirrel tail, indian paintbrush and phlox.

Wildlife: The area is also utilized by domestic livestock (cattle and sheep) and numerous wildlife species. Typical wildlife species found in the area include mule deer, pronghorn antelope, chukar partridge, coyote, and various rodents.

AML:  94-156 wild horses and 28-46 wild burros