Jason Meduna moved to western Nebraska over 2 years ago to establish his Three Strikes Ranch, where he would tame Bureau of Land Management wild horses, then adopt them out to new homes.

Ivan Rush, University of Nebraska Professor Emeritus says the land management costs that faced the embattled Three Strikes Ranch owner J Meduna had to be staggering. Rush says pasturing 300 plus horses on 1,980 acres would be unsustainable. Rush says he assumes it would be natural to see the horses out in the pastures year around, but year long there wouldn't be near enough grass to support 200 - 300 horses. Rush says 200 wound be the maximum. In year long grazing it's even more questionable.

Western Nebraska continues to face drought conditions, so if the natural resources couldn't support this many horses it would be expensive to properly care for a horse, Rush estimates it would cost minimum $2 a day per horse for hay and grain. With some simple math.... to feed 300 horses at the Three Strikes Ranch would be $600 a day and $219,000 a year, but that's not all the expenses. Rush says that's not getting into hoof care, vet medicine in general, the treatment costs and with all those horses you would always have horses in the sick pen. That doesn't include labor, property taxes, electricity, or facility maintenance among numerous expenses.

Meduna is facing animal cruelty charges and efforts are being made to move the horses and burros to the Morrill County Fairgrounds in Bridgeport for additional care.

The horses and burros will NOT be adopted for at least a couple days until they are all removed from the Three Strikes Ranch and their health is stabilized.

Box Butte County Sheriff Tammy Mowry is urging those with cowboy experience or horse trailers to contact her at 762-6464 to find out where they need to go in assisting with the move of animals from the 3-Strikes Ranch to the Morrill County Fairgrounds.

Mowry says authorities are hoping to get all of the horses transported today or Friday at the latest.