Penticton

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Wild horses by the highway near Penticton

The appearance of wild horses by Highway 97, just north of Penticton, Monday morning, may have startled some drivers.

But it is not a rarity, according to the RCMP.

It is a year-round problem, that gets worse in the spring and fall, according to Sgt. Rick Dellebuur, with the Penticton RCMP.

"They run amok, and it is one of those situations that residents, police and the Penticton Indian Band deal with the best we can," he said.

The sightings of the horses that  belong to members of the PIB increase in those two seasons, because they come down to lower areas for grazing purposes.

If the animals are in a place where they and others are at risk,RCMP members  will go out and shoo them away. Nine out of ten times, they move on just like the deer, said Dellebuur.

Because they are such large animals, drivers are advised to be aware.