Wild Horses and the American Spirit
The “wild” horses of the American Great Plains are not truly wild. In reality they are feral horses – domestic horses that were released or escaped from captivity and are surviving on their own. It is true that the distant ancestors of the horse probably evolved on this continent, but they were closer to the size of a big cat and unrecognizable as horses.
Long before they evolved into anything like the horses that we know, they crossed the Bering land bridge – moving in the opposite directions of the Europeans coming to North America. They spread out across the steppes of Europe and Asia and went extinct in North America.
On the steppes they evolved into the large animals that we are familiar with and that Eurasians domesticated to supply much of the power to build Old World civilizations. They returned to North America in the holds of Spanish Galleons, in the fifteenth century, as something quite different from the Lilliputian creatures that left many thousands of years before. The horses that populate some parts of the Great Plains are the relatives of those Spanish war-horses that escaped from the Spanish or were stolen by Native Americans who were responsible for dispersing them from Mexico to Canada.
A few weeks ago local cowboys held a round-up and gathered all they could to return them to their domesticated life of their ancestors. Although these are some of the best horseman around, we were skeptical of their success, but they were successful.
A few of these proud beasts were too quick and got away from the cowboys. So the "wild" horse lives on - living, breathing reminders of the freedom we Americans hold dear.
Note from photographer, Jill O'Brien: For the corral/horse shots, I was lying in the dirt, hiding behind a wooden fence, peaking out between holes and slats, doing my best to not disturb the cowboys work and to not upset the horses additionally by my presence. I want to report that I was so impressed with the horseman (women). They moved slowly, used gentle voices and were very patient with the loading.
Addition To Story:
If you continue to read the comments posted, you will see that this story has many readers upset. They have assumed that these horses are going to slaughter, which is simply NOT true. These feral horses were rounded from the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, which is managed by the Forest Service. Grazing permits for livestock (cattle, buffalo, horses, sheep, etc.) are issued to local ranchers. The Forest Service determines the length of time and the number of animals allowed to graze. There are also times when no grazing is allowed, for pasture rest and recovery. These decisions are based on land conditions, species diversity (all of the other creatures that call the grasslands their home), rainfall or drought. No current permittees are currently running horses on the grasslands.
So, where did they come from? Our guess is that they either escaped from neighboring ranches or were purposely placed there by someone who could not care for them. Local cowboys did the gathering, most of whom were Native American. These horses will be returned to their former life and will be used as ranch/stock horses. Although this may still upset some, these horses will have a good life. Some may be used in rodeos and others may be trained as working ranch horses and will occasionally be asked to carry a rider on their backs to gather or move cattle. In their down time, they will live on the prairie much like they have been, in addition to having plenty of food and water.
The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands is not a Horse Sanctuary. The beginning feral herd was around a dozen and in the past years had grown to around 75 (a guess), as horses make more horses. And, as mentioned in one of our below responses, it is impossible to think that we can keep ALL of the animals. ALL animal numbers must be kept in check with lands available. Controlling any species can be done by, selling, harvesting, adoption or a controlled breeding program. To many of one species means less or the extinction of another species. Although we too think that horses are beautiful to see running across the prairie, these horses fate for a good life is more assured with the hands they are currently in. The cowboy culture is an American treasure, and you can’t have cowboys without horses.
There are several Wild Horse Sanctuaries across the U.S. some managed for sustainable healthy herds and land (which we are supportive of) and others not. For more info on wild horses that have not been managed well, you may want to read up on some of the outcomes. Here are a couple of links:
Is the West's Wild Horse Crisis So Bad Only Euthanasia Can Fix It?
Employee: 30 wild horses died of starvation on South Dakota ranch
Jill and Dan, thank you for not only sharing this story and photos but for taking the time to educate and inform those who simply do not know the “big picture.” Here in MA and much of the northeast, the white-tailed deer population has exploded with no real predators—we humans used to be prime predators!—and the devastation they are doing to our forests is tragic. And yet uninformed citizens with sentimental ideas about nature and wildlife fight all means of reducing the population if it includes, surprise , surprise, culling the herds by extended hunting or hiring of professionals to do the job of shooting them. What happens to many deer, outstripping the land available, is starvation, disease, or death by auto. Luckily, the spread of coyotes in the northeast is helping to fill the predator niche now; fawns are often part of their diet. Oooh, I can just hear the outcry at my cruel comment—poor little fawns, But, people, newsflash for you: nature is harsh. And we as part of it need to realize that and support the best efforts of concerned KNOWLEDGABLE citizens to manage as best we can the precious environment we all live in.
The myth of wild horse over population is a creation of public lands ranchers and ag school grads that populate the BLM, USFS, USFWS park service etc. the millions of cattle and sheep and their poorly managed grazing have damaged our public lands By contrast wild horse number Around 40 to 70 thousand across the entire western US. The myth that tiny little equines left the country and returned as the horse we see grazing wild make it easy for the land manager to call them feral and remove them. I encourage you to read the book Wild Horse Conspiracy by equine ecologist Craig Downer. If you spend any time with wild horses, you will know that most of the myths perpetrated by public lands ranchers and public lands managers are completely bogus. The local BLM rep is usually the source for most of the misinformation foisted on the public in local news, usually in tandem with one of their round ups.
Nice story but that is all that it is, an over simplification of a story told to us to leave out critical facts in the horses place in the natural way of things. Basically this is just a nicer way of dealing with the end result of what happens to them but the reason why they were taken off is the same which is they were eating grass that their cattle could eat. Basically it’s simple, if you take away all the predators because they might prey on the cattle, and then put twice as much cattle on there as you are supposed to, you then blame all destruction of the habitat on the horses and it’s an excuse to get them off the area as their population also temporarily explodes because of lack of natural predators all while not using the science to actually see that horses and cattle eat differently and it is the cattle causing widespread destruction while the horses are re seeding. Horses take a bite of crass, clipping it off and then take a step, moving on. Cattle do not clip but wrap their tongue around the grass, often pulling it up by the roots. There are also countless cases of evidence proving that the horses did not in fact die out (Often with oral histories from Indigenous Tribes) but were always here. Whether they died out and are a reintroduced species or were always here, the only reason the FERAL label is pinned on them is to make it easier to get rid of them when some interest wants their land. Go to the Facebook site “Native Horses of the America’s” to get more info on this. The “Sanctuary” issue is a whole another ball of wax… best to actually get the facts direct from the source and not the bunch of so called rescues now bawling for their own handout. This story is basically a children’s book with all outdated facts and no science to back it up.
They belong wild and free, Not captured into slavery, or sent to slaughter. They will self regulate as any wild animal does although the cattle lobby would have the public believe otherwise, as the welfare ranchers deem that they are entitled to all our public lands and water to graze their cattle which deplete the ecosystem of those lands, unlike the buffalo which evolved there. Federal law is in place to protect our wild horses and burros and it is our American duty to do so.
Jill and Dan — A very informative and interesting article and outstanding photos. You understand so well how damaging overgrazing and overpopulation can be to a herd — of any species of animal — other species occupying the same ground, and the natural environment itself. As a native South Dakotan, I have such respect and admiration (as it is evident you do as well) for the fine skills of these good cowboys, who not only understand the horse, but appreciate and respect it as well. I was so encouraged and happy to see the magnificent stallion with his harem, knowing that the family group was kept together in the roundup, much calmer and reassured as they make the transition to a new lifestyle. This is the price we have paid for extirpating from the prairie the large predators, especially the wolf. It is evident that you appreciate that some of the herd deftly eluded capture, who will live better lives, with less diseases and parasites, on wild pastures that will recover and flourish. The captured horses, too, will be well-cared for and will live out their lives better in controlled and healthy environs. Even a cursory review of the sanctuary’s policies for care and adoption make it clear that these horses will be respected and honored. Thank you for sharing this remarkable story in words and pictures.