By reading the daily logs kept by the first explorers to reach the Americas we know that with each new group of explorers and settlers numerous horses were either set free or lost en-route to their destination. This is the first written mustang horse information available to us today. From it we can gather that herds of horses were formed from these escapees and the wild horse population was born.
As they became more common on the free range Native American tribes quickly integrated them into their life style. They became the main source of transportation for hunting, fighting or simply moving camp to winter lodgings. They were also used for trading between tribes and individuals in the tribes.
The Native Americans soon began breeding their horses to accent the strong points of their stock. This selective breeding was common among the Comanche, Shoshoni and the Nez Perce. The Appaloosa was first bred by Nez Pence tribes and is the first distinctly American breed of horses.
At the turn of the century these horses and burros numbered over two million strong. As a result they were hunted and killed by the thousands. The military saw them as resources to be taken for their use by the troops at war and at home. This was probably the most humane use they were put to during that period. At some point they became fair game to be hunted by air planes and run to ground by motor vehicles. Thousands were poisoned for use as pet food.
Some protection was allotted them in 1959 when the Wild Horse Annie Act was passed. This law prohibited the hunting of wild horses and burros from any motorized vehicle. In 1971 they received further protection with the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. This law expressly protected certain herds from hunting and harassment from humans.
This new law gave complete control of the animals to the Bureau of Land Management. They were to protect them and control the size of the herds on public lands. The largest herds can be found in Nevada high desert areas where they forage on plants that are not digestible to cattle. You will also find some herds in several North Western states that border Canada.
There is controversy over what these horses should be called. Some feel they should be designated as feral animals because they are descendants of domesticated animals that escaped their owners centuries ago. Most casual observers call them wild horses because that is what they are. Calling them feral opens them up to laws regarding exotic animals that threaten the resources of native animals. There is also a faction that says that because the bones of the first prehistoric horses were found in the Americas these animals should be considered native and wild.
The management of numbers of these horses is tasked to the Bureau of Land Management. It is their job to find ways of controlling the number of animals in specific areas designated public range lands. They are also responsible for gathering and reporting mustang horse information to the government offices they work for. They have created an adoption program that has been very successful. Interested parties can adopt one for a nominal fee so long as they keep it for at least one year. Within this program over three hundred thousand horses and burros have been adopted to private parties.
As they became more common on the free range Native American tribes quickly integrated them into their life style. They became the main source of transportation for hunting, fighting or simply moving camp to winter lodgings. They were also used for trading between tribes and individuals in the tribes.
The Native Americans soon began breeding their horses to accent the strong points of their stock. This selective breeding was common among the Comanche, Shoshoni and the Nez Perce. The Appaloosa was first bred by Nez Pence tribes and is the first distinctly American breed of horses.
At the turn of the century these horses and burros numbered over two million strong. As a result they were hunted and killed by the thousands. The military saw them as resources to be taken for their use by the troops at war and at home. This was probably the most humane use they were put to during that period. At some point they became fair game to be hunted by air planes and run to ground by motor vehicles. Thousands were poisoned for use as pet food.
Some protection was allotted them in 1959 when the Wild Horse Annie Act was passed. This law prohibited the hunting of wild horses and burros from any motorized vehicle. In 1971 they received further protection with the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. This law expressly protected certain herds from hunting and harassment from humans.
This new law gave complete control of the animals to the Bureau of Land Management. They were to protect them and control the size of the herds on public lands. The largest herds can be found in Nevada high desert areas where they forage on plants that are not digestible to cattle. You will also find some herds in several North Western states that border Canada.
There is controversy over what these horses should be called. Some feel they should be designated as feral animals because they are descendants of domesticated animals that escaped their owners centuries ago. Most casual observers call them wild horses because that is what they are. Calling them feral opens them up to laws regarding exotic animals that threaten the resources of native animals. There is also a faction that says that because the bones of the first prehistoric horses were found in the Americas these animals should be considered native and wild.
The management of numbers of these horses is tasked to the Bureau of Land Management. It is their job to find ways of controlling the number of animals in specific areas designated public range lands. They are also responsible for gathering and reporting mustang horse information to the government offices they work for. They have created an adoption program that has been very successful. Interested parties can adopt one for a nominal fee so long as they keep it for at least one year. Within this program over three hundred thousand horses and burros have been adopted to private parties.
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