Page 50 - 2008 DT 12 issues

America’s Wild Horses and Thoroughbred stallions into these wild horse. The dwindling number of
herds, as well, sweetening the mix. horses and burros forced the creation
by Barbara Wolin
Nevada is home to more than half of the Nevada Wild Horse Range in
the wild horses in North America, 1962 within the 394,000 acre Nellis
“They are not brethren, they are not but many of the herds were removed Air Force Base.
underlings; they are other nations, by the federal government. Ranchers In 1965, Johnston founded the
caught with ourselves in the net of are especially hostile to the herds that Wild Horse Organizational Assistance
life and time, fellow prisoners of the claim the federal grasslands for which (WHOA). Other groups sprouted. An
splendor and travail of the earth.”— they pay a mere pittance to graze their outpouring of letters from outraged cit-
Henry Beston, nature writer, 1888-1968
sheep and cattle. The federal govern- izens and scores of school children to
ment proactively managed the lands the U.S. Congress over the continuing
for the benefit of these ranchers, issu- carnage was reported by the media. In
he story of the horse begins in ing permits to companies in the 1950’s 1968, on the border of Wyoming and
our own backyard at least 65 and 60’s to gather and dispose of the Montana, a round-up was imminent.
Tmillion years ago when the first horses. Over 100,000 wild horses were The Humane Society of the United
“horses” evolved on the North Ameri- captured in Nevada alone, most ending States brought suit and a preliminary
can continent, not that you would up sold to slaughter houses. injunction was granted. Again, thou-
recognize the dog-sized equus we see It wasn’t until 1950, when Velma sands of letters decided the outcome.
in fossil remains as a horse. But the Johnston, aka, “Wild Horse Annie,” The result of the public outcry finally
animal we know and love as the wild exposed the plight of these horses culminated in the 1971 Free Roaming
horse that eventually migrated to Asia Wild Horse and Burro Pro-
and Europe disappeared from tection Act. The Bureau of
the North American scene, Land Management (BLM)
hunted to extinction about was mandated to enforce the
8,000 to 10,000 years ago. law, preventing unfriendly
It was the Spanish ex- ranching interests from ille-
plorers who are credited with gally harassing or killing the
incidentally restoring the animals, or invading desig-
horse to its American home- nated wild horse ranges.
land, carrying their mounts in Even with the Act in
the ships that discovered and place, horses were not safe.
conquered the new world. Senator Conrad Burns,
Many horses eventually R-Montana, attached an
escaped or were left here amendment to the 2005 Ap-
when the ships returned, but propriations Bill removing
it was the spread of Spanish the no-kill restrictions. In
missions that made the horse Little mare with sore feet an effort to stop the action,
succeed. The herds grew. Congressman Nick Rahall, D-West
They became havens for escaped and crammed into the backs of trucks drip- Va., and Congressman Edward Whit-
abandoned horses that interbred with ping blood on their way to slaughter, field, R-Kentucky sponsored bill HR
feral animals through the years. Thus that the public began to take notice. It 297 to prohibit the sale of wild horses
the Mesteño (Mustang) was born, was estimated then that about 20,000 for slaughter. The Senate followed with
thousands of them, roaming the open horses remained in nine western states, its own bill. Finally in 2007, the three
ranges in vast herds. During the Civil the number steadily dropping. In 1959, U.S. slaughter houses closed down,
War and World War 1 eras, the U.S. Congress passed the Wild Horse Pro- ending the legal and illegal slaughter
Cavalry released Morgan, Arabian tection Act, making it illegal to kill a of all horses in these facilities on U.S.

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