Fiamengo said there also appear to be fewer horses grazing in places they would be expected this spring. “They’re just not there,” she said. “There are not as many horses on the range as we think there should be.”

Henderson acknowledges there appears to be “a little discrepancy” in the number of mustangs counted between last summer and the year before but thinks most of the approximately 200 animals are still on the range.

“We think they’re up there. We just haven’t been able to locate them,” Henderson said. “The department is not concerned at this point.”

Plans for a count over the winter, when horses are much more easily spotted from the air due to snow cover, were abandoned due to a dry season, Henderson said. Another count is planned Monday, and both Henderson and Fiamengo hope it will shed more light on the possible drop in the number of horses.

Counts of mustangs

• Fall 1997: 413
• Spring 1998: 568
• April 1999: 820
• June 1999: 900-plus
• August 2000: 686
  Source: Nevada Department of Agriculture.