The thing is, these people don't have the first idea what actually goes on.
They hear that ranchers are terrible and selfish and want ALL THE LAND for themselves. That they want all the mustangs killed and anything less isn't good enough!
My question for you mustang supporters is, where did you hear this, and did you even question if it was true?
I can probably give you some good insight and perspective into what really happens with ranchers and mustangs, beings that my husband and I live on a ranch. Right by a mustang herd.
Yes, we are cattle ranchers. We care about the land, we care about our livestock, and we care about horses. Probably a lot more than any of you "horse lovers" because they are necessary to our livelihood.
So, let me start by saying that I grew up on a horse. They were my entire world, and are still one of the biggest parts of it. We have several nice, spoiled, fat quarterhorses that we love like our own family. So how could someone like me possibly ever think the wild horses are bad or a nuisance?!
Sure, I think they're beautiful and mesmerizing just like the next gal, but the next gal gets to take pictures of them in the wild and then go home to her nice horsie stable where her Peppy San Badger mare is safely locked up in her stall.
I, on the other hand, have to keep a close watch on my well-bred girls just across the road from my house in their luscious green pasture. Just last night, here comes this obnoxious black stud who loves to hang around our house. He comes through/over several fences, which then all need fixing. His hindquarters are torn up, evidence he has been destroying fences. He is bold, and comes within 10 feet of me. Sure, I am in awe. He is beautiful! However, he is in with my $10,000 dollar horses. I have to worry about him breeding my mares or hurting my geldings. And what can I do about him? Absolutely nothing, according to the law.
The wild horses are multiplying at an astonishing rate. They are over running the land, which isn't healthy for the ground or the horses. It isn't all about cows. Trust me. Sure, it is definitely important to have enough grazing ground for our cows, but that doesn't mean we want the mustang eradicated completely.
Some may feel differently than me, but this is the way I see it. If things keep going like they are, they're going to get worse. The horses are going to be so overpopulated, they'll starve to death. There won't be enough range for the cows, and you'll understand how important that is when you can't go buy steaks at the store for your summer barbecue. All my mares will be foaling mustang colts.
Also, have you ever been to a mustang holding facility? Up to their ankles in sh*t...all crammed in a pen together. It breaks my heart to see. There are few people who actually qualify to take one of those beauties home, and the rest just sit.
If the population were controlled, there would be no reason for these holding facilities. If they were kept in check, the mustangs that existed could run wild.
Back in the day, you could go rope yourself a few mustangs and take them home. My grandpa's first horse was a mustang. They were useful. This country was built on the backs of wild horses. Now, you have to jump through hoops to get your hands on one, and they're just a nuisance.
I hope some of you will read this with open minds, and realize that just letting the mustangs have their way with the land is the wrong way to go about things. I hope you will see I'm not attacking you or the wild horses, I'm just trying to open your eyes to what goes on, and what a mess this could potentially become. What a mess it already is. I hope you will share this with your friends, and I hope we can all work together to come up with a better solution for the wild horses.
XO, The Cowboy's Wife
