The wild horses' lives are in the hands of a Federal Court judge who will hand down his decision after a 17-month legal battle between the Australian Brumby Alliance and Parks Victoria.

In December 2019 the alliance filed an injunction against the state body over their Feral Horse Strategic Action Plan which called for the eradication of all wild horses in the alpine region, starting with the Bogong High Plains.

ABA president Jill Pickering said they "aren't asking for much" and while confident in their case, won't be "getting their hopes up".

"We think the judge has listened fairly to both sides of this and we just hope we come out on top," she told The Border Mail.

"If we win, we're not completely out of the dark yet, but it will be a big step in the right direction towards maintaining sustainable numbers of brumbies in Victoria's alpine region.

"It is critical that we retain sustainable brumby populations so that future generations can have the unique experience of seeing living history, and manage these populations by fertility control, supplemented by humane trapping.

"If we lose, it will be a sad day for Australia's iconic brumby, and allow Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government to exterminate all brumbies in the Victorian Eastern Alps, starting with the Bogong High Plains population."

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley hoped the court decision, which is before Justice Michael O'Bryan via phone conference from 9.30am, will go the way of ABA.

"I believe we should maintain a sustainable mob of brumbies in the high country," he said.

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"Like it or not, these wild horses are part of Australian folklore.

"Whether it's Banjo Paterson's poem or their use in World War I these horses are woven into the fabric of our collective history.

"Yet my fear is that this decision will condemn the remaining 50 or so brumbies near Falls Creek to their own history."

Mr Tilley said his "greatest disappointment" is that the decision to eradicate the horses is "based on flawed studies and public misconceptions".

"Brumbies have been blamed for damage done by the explosion of feral deer in the high country," he said.

"As I have said in parliament, it is not the brumbies wallowing in the moss beds nor is it the brumbies chewing and rubbing against the snow gums."

Ms Pickering said if the court decision supports ABA's position "it will be an exciting day for all Australians".

"We look forward to working together with Parks Victoria on this vital research going forward," she said.