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 the horses became more numerous the Native American tribes welcomed them into their lives. They soon became the main source of transportation for all native peoples. Beyond transportation they soon replaced the dog for pulling loads between lodging sites. They also became a source of wealth to be traded with other tribes for goods needed for survival.
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 Bureau of Land Management has found some creative ways to control the numbers of wild horses and burros. They have an adoption program that has found homes for over two hundred thousand horses in the past thirty years. They also have a program that sterilizes the horses and releases them back to their herds to live out the rest of their lives. All of the mustang horse information is reported to the federal government on an annual basis to assure funding for the future.
As the horses became more numerous the Native American tribes welcomed them into their lives. They soon became the main source of transportation for all native peoples. Beyond transportation they soon replaced the dog for pulling loads between lodging sites. They also became a source of wealth to be traded with other tribes for goods needed for survival.
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 Bureau of Land Management has found some creative ways to control the numbers of wild horses and burros. They have an adoption program that has found homes for over two hundred thousand horses in the past thirty years. They also have a program that sterilizes the horses and releases them back to their herds to live out the rest of their lives. All of the mustang horse information is reported to the federal government on an annual basis to assure funding for the future.
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