By Associated Press

State officials say the wild horse population is too large to be sustained by the rangeland on which the horses live.

The Elko Daily Free Press reports that at a public hearing with the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, state veterinarian JJ Goicoechea said the horse population is in a state of emergency today and headed toward disaster in the future.

Goicoechea says both fertility control and the removal of excess horses is necessary.

The Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is considering treating some horses with contraceptives in order to shrink the herd southeast of Carson City.

Other supporters of shrinking the herd say the horses are taking too many resources, such as water, from the rangeland to the detriment of ranchers.