Last Sunday, we brought you a story about wild horse advocates in Stagecoach. The group Least Resistance Training Concepts gentles wild horses which are then adopted.
But there are also folks who say wild horses continue damaging properties, and they want them out of the neighborhoods.
We stopped and talked to some Damonte Ranch homeowners, who say many folks aren't happy about having the horses as neighbors.
"They become a hazard in the neighborhood and several people, some people are concerned they cause property damage and so forth," says Doug Roix.
Doug and his wife support the protection of wild horses. But like a lot of homeowners, he doesn't like seeing them standing in his back yard.
"I do everything I can to mend the fences, keep them where they belong," he says.
Doug says he is constantly fixing these fences. That's because the horses go right through them. He says homeowners can't keep these wild horses out of their yards by themselves.
"We need to have some help from the state," he says. "The state needs, these are state horses, and they need to do something about it."
Whether or not you support the idea of wild horse roundups, Doug says they don't belong in this area.
"You've seen this hillside, how devastated it is," he says. "There's no feed, there's no water. And that's why they're in the neighborhoods."
And he's had some close encounters.
"One morning I came out here, I come out about 6 o'clock every morning to get the newspaper," he says. "So I open up this door and standing right here is a small colt. And that little colt just jumped in the air and so did I. I don't know who was more frightened."
Behind that colt were 30 more wild horses standing in his front yard and in the street.
"I think it's just another morning on Cavalry Circle (the name of his street)," he says. "The name is very appropriate. This is Cavalry Circle. Well, we have the cavalry right here."
Doug understands both sides of the issue. He's donated money to wild horse advocate groups. But he also says keeping the horses here isn't fair to them or the homeowners.
"And they're in your back yard, on your front lawn, then you realize the horses are an issue and most of the people in Reno don't realize that," he says.
Doug says a few homeowners in Damonte Ranch deserve some of the blame. He says some people feed the horses and leave apples on the side of neighborhood streets, which only draws them in closer.
Written by Adam Rasmussen
