Feral horse populations exist across multiple continents, managed through a range of interventions including lethal control and contraception. Each approach has different welfare implications for individual animals.
Feral horse management involves difficult welfare trade-offs. Lethal control through shooting causes acute death but is opposed by many on welfare and cultural grounds - the welfare of ecological damage to other species must also be considered. Helicopter mustering to capture horses causes extreme panic responses, separation of family bands, and sometimes injuries during pursuit and capture. Long-term holding in corrals provides poor welfare for animals adapted to ranging freely over large areas. Fertility control programs avoid lethal outcomes and preserve social structure, but require access to individual mares and ongoing application. The welfare framework for evaluating these interventions must consider both the individual horses affected and the broader ecological consequences for other animals in shared habitats.