Glossary

AML - Appropriate Management Level. The number the BLM considers to be the best population level for wild horses. Now, there are about 39,000 wild horse; the AML is 23,000. The BLM hopes to reach this level by about 2005.

Bay - A horse of a reddish brown color with a black mane and tail.

BLM - Bureau of Land Management, a division of the U.S. Department of Interior. The agency charged with managing national lands and the resources, including wild horses.

Chestnut - A horse of a brown or reddish brown color with main and tail of about the same color.

Dorsal stripe - A dark stripe down the spine of the horse.

Foal - A young horse, usually of less than a year.

Gelding - A neutered male horse.

Grullo - A horse of a dun color that looks like a mix of gray/blue and brown with darker legs and often with a dorsal stripe down the back.

Hand - A measurement of 4 inches, once based on the width of your hand. Horses are measured to the top of the shoulder, which is usually just a little higher than the back height.

Mare - A female horse that has given birth.

Mustang - Wild horse that roams free. The government defines the animals it protects as unbranded and unclaimed horses on public lands of the United States.

Sanctuary - A place of refuge and protection.

Sorrel - A horse of a brown or reddish brown color with a much lighter mane and tail.

Stallion - A male horse.

Zebra stripes - Horizontal stripes marking the legs. Considered to be a sign a horse is closer genetically to the original wild horses of Spanish (Sorraia or Barbary) descent. A high percentage of horses in several government-managed herds exhibit these characteristics, including those in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Refuge in Montana.