The Wild Horse Sanctuary is a 5000 acre piece of land with hundreds of wild horses. In the wild, mares tend to reproduce every year for an average of 20 years. In order to keep the wild horses in their natural habitat, their population must be controlled. A contraceptive for horses has existed for over 20 years. However, it required rounding up the horses, sorting the mares from the rest, and injecting each mare with the contraceptive. Then, after all that work, the contraceptive only lasted for one breeding season. Today, the University of California at Davis and Terramar Environmental Research, a private company, have developed what they hope is a contraceptive that will last 4-6 years. This film follows the horses at the Wild Horse Sanctuary from a hoof pounding round up to the claustrophobic chutes where each mare is injected with one of four different variations of the experimental contraceptive. At the same time, the foals are separated from their mothers because the sanctuary must give them up for adoption since their land simply cannot feed any more horses. The conclusion of this experiment will not be known for several more years. Four different contraceptives were tested. Only time will tell which one works best. This film is a means to educate the public about the state of the nation's wild horses and that an option exists beyond adoption or destruction.

Forms: Documentary, Experimental, Short, Television
Genres: Educational, Western, Nature, Wildlife, Environmental, Science, Action/Adventure, Reality, Culture
Niches: Native American