Aerial Insights: Counting Alberta’s Mountain Horses
Author: Not credited | Date: February 16, 2026 | Website: https://albertamountainhorse.com/2026/02/16/wild-horse-country-the-alberta-foothills-are-changing/
Written by a participant who joined HAWS on an aerial survey, this piece describes a multi-day helicopter count across the Sundre and Clearwater equine zones. The author reflects that after three days in the air, it became clear the Alberta foothills landscape is changing rapidly. Flying grid patterns south-to-north under excellent winter conditions — solid snow cover, clear visibility and mild temperatures — the survey team believed few horses were missed, since even animals partly hidden by trees stood out clearly against the snow. Though technically a “minimum count,” the tight, low-altitude flight pattern was designed to maximize accuracy. The post offers an on-the-ground (or in-the-air) account of how HAWS conducts its independent counts, which underpin the organization's public challenges to provincial survey figures. It reinforces HAWS's central argument: that years of firsthand aerial documentation give it a more accurate picture of herd dynamics than periodic government surveys.