Louisiana
Louisiana’s wild horses may have roamed Kisatchie Forest for centuries, but is this the end?
In Vernon Parish, a herd of wild horses has roamed the Kisatchie National Forest for years.
Some people speculate that the horses have been there for centuries.
And as far as the horses were concerned, the 48,000-acre forest in which they roamed was their habitat. After all, the Vernon Parish location was historically known as Louisiana’s “No Man’s Land.” Today, the land belongs to the U.S. Army.
The parcel in question is a part of the 90,000 acres of Kisatchie National Forest land that Fort Johnson, formerly Fort Polk, now uses for training. The base stands outside of Leesville, and the horses were breaching it.
The Army’s official term for the equines is “trespass horses,” and it wants them off its land, saying they have been a safety risk in training areas.
Horses at Fort Polk, now Fort Johnson, from a photo published by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) on Sept. 20, 2014.
So, in 2015, the Army announced that it would start removing them. A group of local people answered that move that same year by forming an organization called the Pegasus Equine Guardian Association to save the horses.
But this isn’t the chapter of the story that sparked James Minton’s curiosity about the wild herd.
“I understand there is a sizable wild horse herd on or around Fort Polk, now Fort Johnson,” the Denham Springs resident wrote. “What’s the story about these horses?”
Minton, a former reporter for The Advocate, said he had no knowledge of the herd when he was in the Army.
“I took basic training on Polk’s South Fort and a leadership course and advanced infantry training at North Fort, called Tigerland, in 1969,” Minton said. “Although we were warned about harming wildlife such as deer and snakes, we were never told about wild horses. I saw something on Facebook recently about a wild horse herd, and I wondered about its origin.”
A herd of wild horses thought to have been introduced to Louisiana by the Spanish and bred by the Choctaw Indians drink from a water hole in the Kisatchie Forest’s Vernon Unit.
As for the herd’s origin, the main consensus is that the horses are descendants of those brought to the New World in 1590 by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto and his crew, then bred by the Choctaw Indians.
“These horses have been here for generations,” said Amy Hanchey, president of the DeRidder-based Pegasus Equine Guardian Association.
Through historical analysis and study of these horses’ genetics, Hanchey says that there is data that indicates that the horses have been in the Louisiana forest since before the Spanish came to America.
“We’re talking centuries before, so because of the science behind it, it’s always evolving,” Hanchey said.
Still, the science shows that the horses born into this herd possess a unique gene traced to Spain and Portugal.
It’s said that the herd of wild horses that congregates in the Kisatchie Forest’s Vernon Unit that Fort Johnson uses for training has the Iberian gene in its DNA.
“It’s called the Iberian gene,” Hanchey said. “We found it through the process of obtaining these horses and genetic analysis by Dr. Gus Cothran at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Phillip Sponenberg at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.”
The Associated Press reported in 2018 that Sponenberg is an expert in Choctaw horses. The news agency included Sponenberg’s written statement on the issue:
“Photographs of some Fort Polk horses ‘show physical traits typical of the old Colonial Spanish type, which is rare among other horses in the United States,’” Sponenberg wrote, noting that horses with those traits generally turn out to have DNA that proves their heritage.
If these are colonial Spanish horses, he wrote, “this population would be a high priority for conservation as a genetic resource that is otherwise rare in North America.”
So, what is the Iberian gene? Well, it’s connected to an ancestry of horses that originated in the Iberian Peninsula shared by Spain and Portugal.
A herd of wild horses in the Kisatchie Forest’s Vernon Unit at Fort Johnson is said to have been living in the area for centuries.
Horse breeds sharing this gene include Andalusian, Lusitano, Carthusian, Marismeño and Sorraia. Now the horses roaming Kisatchie’s Vernon Unit can be included among those elite breeds.
“The Iberian gene is a federally protected gene,” Hanchey said. “So, we are trying to get some federal and state recognition.”
According to the association’s website, pegasusequine.wordpress.com, many of the Kisatchie-based horses are descended from those of “Native American tribes, heritage families, settlers and farmers in the area that had been used for many purposes as they toiled to carve out a rugged existence in the early years, long before Louisiana became a state in 1812.”
The Army wanted them off its base, partly because the animals weren’t afraid of humans, which made the horses a potential hazard to the training area. Photos in the July 2018 edition of Army Times newspaper show the horses grazing on the backdrop of the Army base, along with another of a horse lying in the middle of a base road, blocking a convoy.
The nonprofit Pegasus Equine Guardian Association, represented by the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, filed suit in the Louisiana District Court against the U.S. Army and Fort Polk, charging that the Army’s plan to eliminate herds of horses violates the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
A herd of wild horses graze in an open field near Fort Johnson. The U.S. Army has been removing the horses from the area since 2015, saying they are a safety hazard to soldiers training in the area.
As reported by The Associated Press in 2018, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Foote accepted a magistrate judge’s findings that Pegasus Equine Guardian Association has not proved that people whose families lost land when the Army base was created in 1941 would suffer irreparable harm if more horses are sent away.
Hanchey said the area where the horses mingled and grazed was the Drop Zone.
“It’s the airstrip field,” she said. “It’s a cleared area that’s like a meadow with a whole lot of grass, and the horses have been cleared out, but there are some that still congregate there. The other area they still congregate in is Peason Ridge.”
This 74,309-acre tract of land has been renamed Johnson Wildlife Management Area and is used by the Army as a military training facility while also working cooperatively with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for management of habitat for wildlife resources and public outdoor recreational activities.
A herd of wild horses graze in an open field near Fort Johnson. The U.S. Army has been removing the horses from the area since 2015, saying they are a safety hazard to soldiers training in the area.
The military began removing horses from the fort in 1993 and tried sterilizing them in 2010. Though the nonprofit did not win its case, it was able to save 100 horses and place them in a sanctuary, while the Army cleared out some 360 horses.
“They rounded the horses up, and they were required to offer them to nonprofit organizations,” Hanchey said. “We were the third or fourth nonprofit on the list.”
The association has separated male horses from the females in its sanctuary. While this arrangement prevents the animals from breeding, it also disrupts the horses’ herd family groups.
“Within the herd, there are little family herds, where you have eight or 10 horses with a lead stallion and a bunch of mares,” Hanchey said. “You may have a bachelor or young male horse with the group, who will eventually be driven out. Once we took them in, you still see the mares hanging out with their little family group.”
The association established its no breeding policy for ethical reasons.
“It just wouldn’t be right,” Hanchey said. “One hundred horses are a lot of horses, and we are doing what we can to take care of that many.”
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing
3-9-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing
4-1-1-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing
0-5-2-9-5
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.
The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.
New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.
During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.
According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.
“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.
While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.
“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.
Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.
“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.
Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.
63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.
Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.
“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”
Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.
“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.
Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.
Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.
“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.
The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.
The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.
Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.
“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.
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