Wild Horses

The Wild One: How the Symbol of Freedom continues to battle the Chains of Confinement and Death

by Jana Arnold

Hooves beat rapidly along the ground, while a cloud of dust emerges and engulfs the majestic animal for just a mere couple of seconds. Its ears are attuned to the smallest change of sound, while its coat glistens in the hot Nevada sun. The mane and tail fly in the wind; the eyes are focused on the endless lands ahead. The Wild Horse, the ancient symbol of the West, has often been described and imagined in novels as well as dreams. When I was a little girl in Switzerland, I had this magazine that was full of Horses. Every week I would get a new one that would tell me a little more about a different kind of Horse. Even at the age of 7, I had been fascinated by the Wild Horses of America. I often imagined what it would be like to ride on a Mustang, to feel the freedom and power behind its hooves, while having to grip the mane that was tangled by the wind. Growing up in Switzerland I did not have the experience of seeing Wild Horses out in nature, for in Europe there are no Wild Horses. All are domestic animals trained and accustomed to humans. When moving to Nevada, one of the most exciting things was that I would finally be able to see Wild Horses. These majestic creatures are known all over the world, and they symbolize the freedom of the Old West and its endless possibilities. What is often forgotten is that the Wild Horse has endured many a battle that threatened its survival- the most recent being around 40 years ago. Indeed, a new battle looms on the horizon, since 2004 the Wild Horse Annie law has been amended, and since then Wild Horses have been in decline again. So what is the history of the Wild Horse? What policies and law-changes have dictated their fate? And what does the future hold for the Mustangs?

Although many people believe that the Wild Horse is actually a non-native species to the United States, some argue that the Wild Horse is indeed native. According to Bethany Maile, scientists have found “genetic findings that link horses to their pre-Ice Age ancestors,” that lived in North America. But whether that is true or not, we can agree that the Horse has been an integral part in helping humans get a hold of natural resources since the Conquistadors brought them to the Americas.

Horses were re- introduced to the Americas through Spanish conquistadores. These conquistadores in search of gold and other precious minerals spread the horse all through the continent. They used Horses to ride from South America into the southern part of North America including California and Nevada because of their greed for gold. Some Horses were either abandoned along the way or were stolen by the Native Indians that had learned how to ride and train them. Some escaped their riders, and others were left abandoned when the humans died. Out of these escaped or abandoned horses the Wild Horses and Mustangs- which literally translate to “wild one[s]” were born (Maile). These Wild Horses soon expanded even more across America. Especially in the Great Plains were they able to multiply and survive because of the land available to them.

When later on the European settlers, mostly British, arrived with their own Horses, they killed off many of the Wild Mustangs. The Mustangs had begun to mix with the settlers’ horses and that explains why “the thick legs found from Colorado to California strongly resemble the original Canadian brought to New France in the 1600’s” (Cruise and Griffiths 52). Many settlers thought that the Mustangs were a nuisance that competed with them for land and water. The settlers also did not want the Wild Horses, which they regarded as “inferior,” to breed with their Horses; therefore, they killed off many of the “Spanish-blooded horses” (Cruise and Griffiths 56). The Wild Horses that did survive fled to high-up places and mingled with the escaped European horses. The Mustang thus became an even more mixed race that settlers had already tried to eliminate once.

The Wild Horse elimination continued throughout the centuries as more and more settlers arrived in what would later be called the United States. The settlers were mostly farmers that farmed the land; however, as cattle were introduced a new problem with the Mustang ignited. The cattle needed grass to eat and water to drink that the Wild Horses needed as well. Also, Mustangs were

stealing some of the mares, and that greatly infuriated the settlers. Because there were so many wild Horses that roamed the land people wanted to get rid of them. Thus the era of the Mustangers arosepeople that captured mustangs and sold them for profit. At one time the United States Government even paid for the killing of Mustangs by providing a certain amount of money for each pair of ears of a Wild Horse. With time and new technology like airplanes and helicopters, the chase and capture of Wild Horses was greatly facilitated. Some older Mustangers left the profession because they were disgusted by the advances made with new technology, and they believed that the capture was no longer done with respect but only with a profit-motive. As the Wild Horse population dwindled throughout the years, a savior emerged around 1950. Her name was Velma Johnston and she would become known worldwide as Wild Horse Annie.

The Story of Velma Johnston- the infamous Wild Horse Annie

Velma Johnston, a secretary from Reno, wanted to help the Wild Horses. During her childhood, her father had captured Wild Horses and trained them. She had grown up with a love for Wild Horses, and her father always encouraged her to see the good in a Horse. The love for animals eventually turned Velma Johnston into Wild Horse Annie who would go to great lengths to save the Mustang.

In her early life, Velma fought many battles. The most significant being polio that forever disfigured her face and brought with it pains and aches that never seemed to subside. Because of polio she also lost her father, due to the fact that he changed when she returned and looked so different. The change in relationship to her father affected Velma very much and would give her great sorrow over the

following years. However, her father had given her one thing that would stick with her forever- his passion for Wild Horses.

In 1937 Velma married Charlie Johnston, a rugged man with a love for horses as big as Velma’s. Velma had always wanted to find her prince and live on a ranch. That is exactly what happened. Velma and especially her father were overjoyed that someone wanted to marry her. However Velma and Charlie kept their marriage secret for a while, because Velma still wanted to work as a secretary. During the 1930’s married women were not allowed to work. Eventually Charlie and Velma told everyone of their marriage and settled into the Double Lazy Heart Ranch. They owned a couple of Horses and would ride together into the hills adjoining to the Ranch.

In 1950 to be exact, Velma witnessed a tragedy that would forever change her life (Cruise and Griffiths 42-44). She drove along behind a truck that was leaking blood. She followed the truck to a Sparks stockyard and decided to peak into it. What she saw was a horrible sight: Horses crammed together, many bleeding from multiple wounds while a young colt lay on the ground trampled to death. The driver told her that the horses had been “run down by a plane” and that “they’ll all be dead soon anyway” so she should not cry over them (Cruise and Griffiths 44).This tragedy got Velma to act because she would not sit still while such injustice was being done to Wild Horses. She rushed home and told everything to her husband Charlie. Together they started freeing the Wild Horses that were captured. Whether the people had permits from the Bureau of Land Management to do so or not, the Horses were let free again. However, that was not all that Velma did. She started to read up on Wild Horses and the means of capturing them as well as legal actions to control their populations. What she found out scared her greatly. Wild Horses were indeed “run down by planes” and many died or were gravely injured even before arriving at a slaughterhouse where they would be turned into dog-food (Cruise and

Griffiths 44).Velma began to let her dislike of the Wild Horse roundups be communicated to other people. She soon found likeminded friends that also did not agree with the plane roundups. Zeke, a man whose real identity was never revealed, became an invaluable informant and he was also one of the first that came to Velma.

In 1952, a hearing was scheduling in Virginia City to allow a BLM permit for a roundup near the Double Lazy Heart Ranch. Velma and Charlie attended the meeting because there was a petition signed against the roundup that would be discussed after the hearing. During this court visit Velma spoke up in public, in favor of the Wild Horses, for the first time. She had visited the BLM office beforehand and had asked one of the BLM supervisors for information regarding the permit application for the proposed roundup. The supervisor readily supplied the information because he believed Velma to be a supporter of the roundup. This proved to be a mistake that eventually cost him the permit. The court ruled in favor of Velma and the Wild Horses because the reasons for the BLM’s permit became obsolete as the profitmotive for selling the horses came to light. Velma had successfully helped in protecting Wild Horses legally for the first time. But it certainly would not be the last time.

In 1953, Charles L. Richards and Velma met. Richards wanted to reintroduce a bill that would protect Wild Horses. Both knew that in order for the bill to pass later on, they would need the press on their side. They began to write a “general information bulletin” that told of the brutal roundups and the Mustang’s fight against extinction (Cruise and Griffiths 84). The letters were almost ready to send to different legislators, animal activist groups as well as newspapers when Richards killed himself. Velma put her own signature onto the letters and sent them out. She continued sending out letter after letter for a year and urged people to send their own letters to their congressmen and senators.

In 1954 James Slattery, newly elected Senator of Nevada , dropped by Velma’s office. He offered to sponsor a bill to ban “the mechanized hunt of wild horses” because in Washington the legislators were being flooded by mail (Cruise and Griffiths 86). The bill was introduced in 1955 and quickly sent to committee. To Velma’s dismay, the bill had to be amended in order to pass committee. The amendment “castrated” the bill, and the hunt of Wild Horses with airplanes and motorized vehicles was not stopped. In fact the roundups even increased after the passing of the bill, because now everyone wanted to make a profit out of the Horses before the hunt would be forbidden. But Velma was far from giving up. In 1959 after years of struggling to make the plight of the Wild Horses public, the “Wild Horse Annie Act” was passed and signed by President Eisenhower. This act made unlawful “the use of aircraft or motor vehicles to hunt certain wild horses or burros on a land belonging to the United States and for other purposes” (Cruise and Griffiths 124). Velma’s campaign and her trip to Washington had been successful and she had won against the BLM. Thus when she returned to Reno she was euphoric until her family told her that Charlie was in the hospital. Charlie was very sick and passed away in 1964. Velma had not been very active during Charlie’s sickness, only managing to answer some letters. But others helped her out. Also her engagement had made Horse groups spring up and further help in protecting the Wild Horses.

In 1966 Wild Horse Annie returned to the fight because the bill had major loopholes, and Horses were still rounded up and sold to slaughterhouses. Some of those loopholes included “the vague definition of the wild horse that was open to interpretation” as well as the roundup of Mustangs that were allowed if they were rounded up together with branded Horses (Cruise and Griffiths 241) .Last but most importantly the enforcement mechanism was greatly lacking and therefore the act was not properly enforced. Thus Velma’s struggle was still not over.

In 1971 the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act was passed as well as an improved Wild Horse Annie act. The Wild Horse and Burro Act prohibited the hunting, harassment and death of Wild Horses and Burros, while the improved Wild Horse Annie Act prohibited the use of aircraft for round ups of Wild Horses. The act was passed largely due to the involvement of children that had mailed hundreds of letters to their legislators. Wild Horse Annie together with the support of the children and friends had really done it this time. She had protected the Wild Horses from humans. In 1976 an amendment was put on another Act that allowed the BLM to once again use helicopters to capture Wild Horses. However this was unnoticed by the Wild Horse community. Velma spent the rest of her years after the passing of the law working in the Wild Horse Organized Assistance and fighting with other Wild Horse organizations in protecting the Horses. In 1977 Velma’s life ended as she peacefully died in her sleep. Wild Horse Annie protected one of America’s greatest symbols, the Wild Horse. For her fight against the elimination of Wild Horses and Burros she will greatly be remembered for years to come.

A Christmas Massacre

Christmas is the beautiful time of year when young and old enjoy dinner together and wait for presents until the next morning. This enchanting time of year took a turn for the worse in 1998. A horrible tragedy unfolded, resulting in the death of thirty-four horses. The “Wild Horse Massacre” or “Christmas Massacre” as it was later on called, had probably been the work of three Nevadans- although only one admitted to shooting one horse to put it out of its misery (Wild Horse Spirit). Out of the thirtyfour horses, some had been brutally mutilated. One young colt had a white foam surrounding its mouth, nose and eyes that was later discovered to have been fire extinguisher foam (Wild Horse Spirit). Another had dug itself into a hole because its hind legs were paralyzed from a shot in the back. The horse had to be put down because all help arrived too late (Wild Horse Spirit).

The Wild Horse Massacre took place twenty-seven years after the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act had become law in the United States. As already discussed above, the law was supposed to prevent harassment and death of Wild Horses and Burros. The massacre strongly indicated that for some people Wild Horses are still considered a nuisance and not worthy of the land given to them. Further, the massacre illustrates how Wild Horses are still not completely safe from human intervention. The Wild Horse Massacre did have one glimmer of hope, the survival of Bugz, a young black foal. Two months after the massacre a hiker found a foal that was near collapse. Stallions had been protecting the foal after its mother had been killed. According to Deanne Stillman, the Mustangs had protected and helped the little foal until “they could no longer.” A rescue party worked through the night in order to save the little foal and bring it to the Wild Horse Spirit Sanctuary. In the sanctuary the foal bloomed and got stronger. Later on was discovered, that he had been the lone survivor of the Wild Horse Massacre.

Thus the massacre was a reminder that the Wild Horse’s survival was still largely dependent on

people enforcing the law. Due to the huge media attention it received, such massacres are rare because

the consequences of doing something this disgusting are high, and one could end up in jail for a while.

The Wild Horse Today

The plight of the Wild Horse still continues today. The enemies of the Mustangs have changed some of their arguments while the battle over land still ensues. Today not only farmers compete with the Horses but also developers and an influx of immigrants looking for a place to live. Also a new argument has arisen that mentions that Wild Horses take away the food and water that should be given to native species. I have conducted several interviews with different people ranging in age from 18 to 60 and asked them what they think of the Wild Horse.

My first interview was with a man that often sees Wild Horses in his front yard. He believes that Wild Horses can turn into a nuisance if they damage property. But he also insisted that “they were here first” and therefore they deserve to live. He is an older generation Nevadan that still sees the importance of the Wild Horse as one of America’s symbols. He believes that Wild Horses are “special”

and “cool” because they represent an important part of United States history. When asked about the Wild Horse Adoption Centers he just said that “the horses get shipped to Mexico where they are made into food for people” or “they turn into dog food.” He believes that the Centers in their core ideas are good; however, the execution of saving the Horses does not work.

I researched the Wild Horse Adoption Centers myself and found out that indeed Horses can be purchased when they have been put up “for adoption three times” already or are “older than 10” years old according to Steph Smith. What this means in context is that Wild Horses can be bought legally by a slaughterhouse and then killed and made into dog food. The Wild Horses of today still get rounded up from time to time and shipped to the adoption centers in order for Wild Horse populations to be controlled. Wild Horse Annie would be enraged that her Horses are still made into dog food; after all that is what she battled the government for.

My next interview was conducted with an eighteen year old college student. His viewpoint toward Wild Horses differed from the older man’s because he explained to me that Mustangs are not native to the United States. However as I have already mentioned in the History section, this claim can be refuted because scientists have indeed found a genetic link between the Wild Horses in the US today

and their pre- Ice Age ancestors. Another claim that the student made is that “the wild horses have no natural predators, at least not in Nevada.” This statement can also be refuted because Mustangs do have natural predators like the mountain lions and wolves that can be found in most western states. The main point that the student told me about Wild Horses was that he believes they are beautiful animals; however, due to overpopulation they eat the food of native animals and therefore they ruin species diversity. The Wild Horse population according the Bureau of Land Management’s statistics has actually declined since the change in the law in 2005. Since then Horses can be sold after a certain time if not adopted. The Horse numbers have dwindled down and are now almost the same as to Wild Horse Annie’s times. Therefore the claim that the Horses are overpopulated can also be deemed as false.

My third interview was conducted with a twenty-two year old college student. He had lived in Nevada since he was born. When asked about Wild Horses he explained that he does not know a lot about the subject but that he heard they are overpopulated and seem to degrade farmland. It seems as if the rumors of older times are still steadfast in people’s minds today. There has never been concrete

evidence that Wild Horses actually degrade farmland. In contrast arguments can be made that Wild Horses actually spread seeds with their manure and so help grow new grass. Also, whereas there has never been evidence against horses, cows have been proven to damage the farmland because they stay in one area too long and degrade it, while horses keep moving along. The lack of information and interest in Wild Horses also shows that much of the youth of today does not know the first thing about

their own areas and the animals that live within their state. This general lack of understanding their home land and the place they live in could have disastrous consequences for the Wild Horse. Then if its plight is forgotten so will the enforcement mechanisms that keep killers at bay.

The interviews showed insight into the view of Wild Horses from current Reno dwellers. I was surprised to find that the youth is either misinformed or not very well informed at all about Mustangs and their history. The plight of the Wild Horses can’t be forgotten as their numbers are in decline again.

Wild Horses, their history, and current state have to be preserved; however, that can only be achieved if their story is continued to be told. I believe that the Wild Horse deserves to be living alongside humans because they have been here before Americans started to settle in the New World. Horses have had a huge impact on the settlement of America, and they should be kept alive not only for

species diversity but also for the symbolic representation of freedom and the Old West. Wild Horses have endured so many battles of survival already and I think it is time to let them keep their land. If I had moved to Nevada but had never seen the Wild Horses myself, a dream would have been crushed. And more importantly I would have lost faith that the Wild West really is still wild.

Works Cited

"BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Program - Legislative History." BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Program - Legislative History.

Bureau of Land Management, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

"The Wild Horse Annie Act." American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. American Wild Horse Preservation, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

Cruise, David, and Alison Griffiths. Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs: The Life of Velma Johnston. New York: Scribner,

2010. Print.

Maile, Bethany. "The Wild Ones." River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative 13.1 (2011): 137-55. Web.

Smith, Steph. “Running…Wild.” Scholastic News, Edition 5/6 73.16 (Feb 28, 2005): 4-5. Web.

Stillman,Deanne. “The Luckiest Horse in Reno.” High Country News [Paonia, Colo] 09 June 2008: 30-31.

Web.

Wild Horse Spirit Ltd. "2-11-2002." Dec 1998 Wild Horses Slaughtered-killed. Wild Horse Spirit Ltd., n.d.

Web. 25 Nov. 2014.