Controversial Policy Thins Western Wild Horse Herds

Growing populations of wild horses in the American West are creating headaches for federal land managers. Wild and feral horse herds overrun tribal lands in the region too.

Tribal range managers have one option that U.S. federal agencies don't, which is to send unwanted horses to foreign slaughterhouses. That's helping several Pacific Northwest tribes make headway to reduce populations of free-roaming horses — but not without creating some dismay.

Tom Banse of Northwest Public Radio visited the Warm Springs reservation in central Oregon to find out more.