three million Years ago in North America Came Equus
the fleet
Big-Hearted athlete of the plains ranging and roaming this predecessor to the Modern horse
Traversed the bering land bridge and eventually reached Europe the middle East and Northern Africa
Suddenly 10,000 years ago everything changed
What happened to the North American Horse is a mystery they disappear?
then in
1519 the Spanish
Conquistador Hernando Cortes reached the Americas and marched against the Aztec empire the horse returned to its native habitat
Of his success Cortes said we owe it all to God and the horse
Legend has the during Cortezes voyage to the new world a foal was belonging the belly of his ship
When it arrived the young horses skate as Cortezes army marched on six more horses ran off
When the six happened onto the one a new band formed and they headed for El Norte the land of their origin
They swept like a fast-moving secret first partnering with the tribes it gave rise to a whole new culture
Northern Plains Horse Culture in
1775 at Midnight a Mustang Brown beauty delivering news to the world
On her back was Paul revere and within the year the colonies became the united States of America, then came settlers from the east
blazing new trails and
building new cities
the horse became the standard bearer for how man defines energy and the engines that drive us horse power and
One day the Buffalo were gone and the Indians had vanished and
victorious men galloped the plane on their steeds
But not all had been tamed
Vast Rivers of horse still ran the plain they flowed into the deserts and canyons at home on the range
They re occupied the niche that had been sitting there waiting for them
Unfortunately some came to see the horses money on the hoof
They would chase the horses with airplanes and then with trunks
Portia was shot by the hundreds of thousands for dog food you'd get several hundred dollars a horse others were shipped off to foreign Wars
300 thousand horses were rounded up between the boer war and the end of World War one
by mid-century
flourishing population that had once been 2 million wild horses was once again pushed to the brink of extinction then a sign of
Hope folks call me Wild horse
Annie because I'm responsible for the act of congress prohibiting airplane roundups of wild horses on the public lands
and
While the wild mustangs still calls the American West its home
The debate over its future continues some of these herds are so small. They are genetically
unsustainable we need to maintain range conditions
We need the roundup stop the numbers. Do need to be controlled
It's never too late to do the right thing
so love oh
We're getting dangerously close to not having any more wild horses
and yet an ever-increasing number of wild horses continue to be rounded up ships two points unknown and
Forever marked with the one thing that says they are no longer free
my dream always starts the same I sent something coming a
Stallion gallops so close he almost runs me down. I
feel the ground Shake and the wind on my face I
Want to touch him, but I can't this is a wild horse
That's when I see that other horses coming
And so beautiful
Sometimes it's a small band
of their times
It's an entire herd
Their Wild horses running free
And I want to be with them
The first horse I ever loved was a mustang. He was captured in, Nevada
the owners of my barn adopted him
They chose him a thousand other mustangs. I've never seen a wild horse before
he was afraid of people I
Wanted to take care of them, and maybe even write in some day
Start coats get them gentle get them ready to ride
Last year my brother, and I started around 200 horses. Maybe it doesn't of them are mustangs. I work with horses every day I
Try not to own them
I think buying a horse is the cheapest part of owning one
First horse I started for money was a mustang. I'm 12 years old you start on like any other horn
They're a little more
complicated
Domestic horses they've been bred to work with people cause things they can be pretty tough
then watch out for themselves like
my dad used to say
We don't know much about our colds, but we don't know any about anything else
The General public they see a horse kicking and they don't really understand or realize the amount of power. That's there
I mean the truth is if you kill you not even mean to
Mustangs, they're so aware of their surroundings they can feel snowflake land on their butt in a blizzard
Only reason we use a flag is to try and get used to something. I'm not trying to scary
I just have jim catching about hindfoot. Give me a little more safe. Just so I don't have to take the chance to get hurt
They only paid a hundred and twenty-five dollars to adopt him
I've never had a horse of my own, but I can see how this could work out
And they get him gentled I'm going to try to buy him
This could be my horse
There's a lot of stories about mustangs, but the truth it's somewhere between romance in reality
I've loved horses since I was a little girl I
Rode them drew pictures of them and wished for a horse of my own at every birthday
The only horses I knew were domestic horses, and I saw how people and horses could have an amazing connection
but when I learned about horses in Awhile, I
Realized how the relationship they have with each other are what makes this connection with us possible?
As a wildlife biologist, I traveled around the West
Studied them for years and eventually I became a wild horse happy
The bond between a horses is one of the strongest among all men
Most animals come together to breathe the male's leave and the mothers raise the babies
But with horses they stay together as a family band with complex social relationships
The Mayor's are loyal to their staff and devoted to each other
The Stallion Provides protection in the wild and keeps the family together and the babies safe
I'm bachelor Stallion spend time creating and establishing a hierarchy amongst themselves
Later I'll have to fight timing Mayors of Their own
these powerful Hierarchies establish enduring family
Uniquely horses have allowed humans to experience that kind of bond with planet
Observing wild horses in their natural state on the North American land where they evolved millions of years ago
I came to appreciate their true value
They belong they have an integral place in the tapestry of the western landscape
you
My Family's run cattle here for almost a hundred years
Cows are my livelihood and the best part of ranching is the partnership. I have with my horse to work at
This is being country and we need horses more things always
They say America was built on the back of a horse
But these days ranchers the only folks I know who still use horses to get the job done
I'm a horseman, and I love anything that has to do with horses
This was made by a photographer
Named muybridge who was hired to settle a bet about whether all four feet of a horse ever left the ground at the same time
Muybridge was obsessed with figuring it out
So he lined up 24 cameras on a track and set the shutters to fire when the horse ran through
He invented this machine called a zoopraxiscope
To study horses in motion at the very same time
Horses were being replaced by machines. This was the first motion picture ever
And I like that it stars a horse
When I heard about the government's plan to round up the white Mountain wild horses
We formed a team to challenge their claims that horses were damaging the range
The local cattle grazing association was pressuring the blm the bureau of land management to remove more horses than ever
They insist that wild horses are over grazing and damaging the land
Since there are 50 times more cattle than horses on the range
Their math is a mystery
We set out to find the white Mountain horses in Wyoming
We saw nothing for days and days and then we found the herd
Helping your horse. Cope with the heat hello. I'm ken Anderson with Hoofbeat on Brownfield Dr.. Kim conover is an equine veterinarian
This is a pretty big ranching operation
It includes a grazing lease for about 20,000 acres of government land I
Wouldn't call myself an environmentalist because I hear plenty from them that I don't like
But I love this land
Having cattle out here is the best use for it
There's plenty of wildlife out there including antelope Deer jack rabbits you name it
The mustangs are another story. They're basically trespassing and they compete with my cattle for grass
It's my belief that if you leave them alone they'll overrun the place and in no time destroy the range
The range is for cattle right, right?
Back in the day when they had too many mustangs. They'd just go out and shoot
These days it's officially the bureau of land managements or the blm's job to round them up and keep the numbers down
Luke is doing everything he can to build trust
Looks like somebody's got a crush this one could be a heartbreaker
Just trying to show him. There's nothing to be afraid of
He's doing real good. It's just gonna take some time. It's just kind of the way it is he'll learn
oh
Wild horses would have disappeared from the western United states in the 70s. If it weren't for the passion of one woman
Velma Braun Johnston Wild Horse Annie
you
I'm doing a report for school on my personal hero Wild horse Annie
If it wasn't for her America's wild horses would have disappeared forever
She got thousands of children across the nation to write letters to congress to protect the mustangs
it
Was quite a scene when Annie personally delivered tens of thousands of letters to a live session of congress
They were so moved that they voted unanimously to pass the wild horse and burro act of 1971
congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros
Are living symbols of the historic pioneer spirit of the west and enrich the lives of the American people?
Am I going to be susceptible to pressure?
Am I going to be influenced by a bunch of children am I going to support a bill because kids are?
sentimental about Wild horses
you bet your Cowboy boots I
the law banned hunting and Private Roundups of Wild horses
Made the blm responsible for their protection and management now instead of protecting our mustangs
They round them up and destroy their herds
We need another Wild horse Annie
It broke my heart to watch what happened
the blm scoured the land with helicopters searching for every last horse
young foal struggled to keep up and older horses fell behind
They were chased nearly 20 miles over several hours
stampeded into traps
Terror
Family Bands are destroyed Mayor separated from Fools
It's a brutal process
injured and others died
Despite our protests and our legal challenges. We couldn't stop them
This was the day the white Mountain horses lost their freedom
torn from the range now property of the us While
I
like a horse red to work with people
Because it's easier to train
It's just more economical
It's true. You can train most any horse wild or domestic
They have the capacity to connect with people. I guess the reward of getting that trust with a mustang. It's pretty cool
You better have the time and know what you're doing?
Messed things aren't for beginners that girls here cheese. Green is that horse. I just don't want to see her get hurt
Look, what I made you pegasus
Now that I know what your life was like before I can see why you're scared and fighting
But it's going to be okay
You've just gotta trust us
This is your new home
When you're ready, you're gonna fit in really well around here
you
every blm roundup ends the same
families are torn apart
They are sorted by age and sex and then all the stallions are castrated
The horses lose the two things that matter most their families and their freedom
While a few of these horses will be adopted
The majority will be sent to long term government holding. We're the lucky ones, we'll get to live out their lives
What really gets me is?
all of this management
Wouldn't be necessary if the blm would manage the herds on the range
The blm continues to treat them like Livestock headed to sea
They are run through shoes squeezed into a steel box and flipped onto their sides
in
the Wild horses where their hooves down naturally
But in captivity their hoofs have to be trimmed all because they have nowhere to run
In the last 10 years the blm has stockpiled over 50,000 mustangs in government holding
They ship horses around the country and they hire contractors to feed and care for the horses
The cost of the blm's failed program has risen to nearly 80 million dollars
incredibly there are now almost twice as many horses in holding than living free on the ranch and
Every year they just round up
the captive Mustangs receive a brand when they lose their freedom
Within the brand is a code that uniquely identifies each horse
Even with this distinctive mark emblazoned on their neck clearly denoting them as protected by law
the Blm Salesmen by the Truckload
For only $10 a piece
And truckloads of horses just disappear
There's a market worldwide for horse meat, but Americans can't stand the thought of
When as far as I'm concerned real men don't eat horses
Even though 40 years ago. Well of course and you say the wild horses. They're in danger again
I'm
Taking a stand for American mustangs. We have to save them
That's why I'm doing this report
So people will know
We created a wild horse Sanctuary
We rescued a herd that had been taken from the wine
The Sanctuary was designed to be a model for better on the range management of Wild horses our
Goal show the blm a better way a more humane and less expensive way that doesn't require
Rounding them up and removing them from the range in
Regions like ours where predators have been decimated and the ecosystem is out of balance
We use a birth control vaccine on the Mayor's which keeps the population from growing, too quickly
The blm could be doing this with horses on the range
This method preserves the essential social dynamics of the herd and the behaviors that make wild horses
Wild
Hi, Luke. Hey
How's it going? All right? Can that help you on saddle him, okay? You?
Can just turn him out make sure you get some feeding water would be good
Okay
Hello, I don't know he's got a lot of wild innie you sure know how to pick them
My report is called blood on the Road
Bock Horse Annie grew up struggling with polio
She had lots of health problems, and she was shy, but she dreamed of life on the ranch and true love
Eventually both of those dreams came true when she fell in love with the Cowboy
Then one day she saw blood on the road dripping from the back of a truck
When she followed it
It changed her life forever
there were wounded horses jammed tightly together a
trampled colt and
horses with their homes completely torn off and
a Stallion had both eyes
gouged out by mustang gers
But Annie knew that if people understood then they would care so she spoke up
while horses were being rounded up and taken off federal land and
The government was supposed to take care of them for all the American people and annie made sure they knew it
Annie was amazing
She had
Mm
She didn't act alone though
She had help from people all over the country
Including kids that made calls and wrote letters to congress so that wild horses would be tweet treated with respect
How can we make sure that wild horses are part of our future forever?
They only have a voice if we speak out for them
Right topper you have a voice allowed one
ready
My grandfather was a mustang you could roll a cigarette in one hand and hold the reins and the other
Captured mustangs for the killing plant look for good money back then
This is my report all about wild horse. Annie we talked about it in later years you could see how it affected me
Yeah, a lot of regret about that
Not too much different now
They break up the herd crammed in with him bales of hay. It looked like a bunch of wood ticks and prison
My grandpa wasn't proud of his mustang in days the bottom line was he was in a tough situation had to feed his family
It's what folks did back then
Wild horses can cover as many as 30 miles a day
They need a lot of land because they run so far and so fast
They're very strong and sure-footed
but parts of a horse are also delicate
like a deer
like the Wings of Birds
Horses remember everything that happens to them good or bad
and
Some injuries well they never recover
Americans have always loved horses the
Wild horse included, but there's a battle reaching over whether or not they have a right to unfree on our Nation's public land
Y'all want beef on the table. How the heck do you think it gets there? Huh?
You think it gets raised in the back of a grocery store?
No roast beef is raised on commercial feed lots in the midwest less than 3% of American beef is from cows grazing on public
Land it wouldn't change the price of a big mac one penny if privately owned cows were removed from public land at the blm
We have to balance the interests of Livestock Wildlife
Energy and even recreational folks we aim for healthy horses on a healthy range
They got a deal with a bunch of horse hug and menopausal do-Gooder hippies
You're supposed to manage public lands for the benefit of all Americans
Not just a handful of special interests
Wild horses have more right to be out on the range than the millions of domestic raised cattle for Private profit
Horses are in native species and current blm policy is managing them to extinction our delicate
Ecosystem cannot Survive, the
Impact of all these wild that's absurd what about the impact of millions of cattle eating their way through the ecos water
What if what if the pie was divided so that livestock mining and energy didn't dominate every decision?
We also have to manage resources like water carefully
You're sucking a huge amount of water from aquifers to support mining and fracking and then you show the media a photo of a handful
Of wild horses standing around a little dried-up spring as if the horses are causing the water shortage
People are smarter than that at the blm. We do what we have the funding to do
Half the land set aside for Wild horse Habitat has been taken away
So the few remaining horses are being squeezed onto smaller smaller pieces of lamb
The round Ups are cruel. It's not okay. How about treating wild horses like the national treasure? They are
400 Years ago Wild horses have roamed the western plain and man has set out to capture and tame them ever since
If you think it would take wild horses to make you change your brand of cigarette, you're right
You're ready for mustang
How much you want for I'll pay you I'll give you $200 is that enough?
I own everything in this country from here to there
I'm Gonna leave most of it to
Well to the nation really
what I'm Gonna give you is a
500 cal spread on the upper Green River how much of the dog food companies paying for mustang meat now
Have your men drop their guns and you can leave quietly?
There is no justification for the inhumane way that wild horses are treated now
A foal in the wild is born into a family of horses and doesn't need people
The moment we take them off the range they become dependent on us
And we must take care of them for the rest of their lives
But if we manage population growth as needed on the range the horses can live free and in balance with other wildlife
Wild horses have been exploited and mismanaged for over a hundred years
They've already been removed from half the land congress designated as their habitat
Even though our government has the responsibility of protecting them wild horses are treated like pests
There has to be reform of the blm wild horse program or mustangs will only live in holding and sanctuaries
The American people value these horses in their natural state
Wild and free on the range
I only knew wild horse Annie at the end of her life
She was grateful that so many people
Including thousands of school children stood with her to save these beautiful ends
But in the end she realized that the federal protections would only work if they included a humane way to manage
population Growth
Her work is not done
Isn't it something?
movie started with a horse
But here's what gets me
The Debate is whether all four feet left the ground at the same time?
Now you have to slow everything down
In order to see what's right in front of us to see this magical moment
There's this magical moment horses flowing horses fly in Mythology
pegasus was born in the place where thunder and lightning came from
Athena tamed him and when his hoofs hit the Earth
Springs came out of the ground and he lifted up his wings and flew
Wild and free these horses once roamed over thousands of acres
Now their world is reduced to holding pens and steel fences
Standing around on the frozen ground waiting to be fed
Barely recognizable as the majestic horses we tracked and photographed over the sun
Now they look defeated eyes dull
Family's Broken apart
Five months after the roundup the blm held a public adoption
This was the first time they granted us access to the rock Springs facility to look for the white Mountain horses
We could only find a Few young ones from the herd
When we pressed for information on the fate of the others the blm provided very little information?
They claimed that they were still here and that any missing horses were at facilities in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, or Oklahoma
Finally a year after the round up when the blm was forced to turn over their internal records
receipts indicated that the blm had sold over
1,700 horses to Tom Davis at $10 a head
Davis a vocal proponent of horse slaughter claims these horses were given to local ranchers
Or hauled to Mexico to be used for the film industry
None of these horses could be accounted for and it's believed they went to slaughter I
Will always remember them the way they were in the lyle?
Today's a day we're going to try to ride pegasus. I don't think he's ready
I'm trying to get this horse to trust me have some more confidence
Justin a persian goes against the defenses mustangs built up over generations in the wild
Once in a while you get a nice one. That's easy to start, but usually it's a long process
Ready to me. I'll be able to riding but there's no guarantee. It's going to be easy
keep driving
I feel bad for pegasus. He's been fighting so hard, but he'll have to give up
I don't know
Say goodbye six and a half
little Bit, Kicky
I'm sure
You've changed. I didn't know what it would take what it would mean to break a horse like you
You'll be like the other horses
You are mine when you were free
Last night my dream was different. I
was in the great herd of mustangs at Sunset an
Old Stallion stood apart from his herd
He barely moved
this is a wild horse who lived his whole life on the range a
mustang at the end of his life
Born in the Wild meant to die free
So did you find a home for him?
Taking him to paso robles. Yeah, it'll be a nice course for somebody you bad. I'll have a good home
Do you think you'll come back here? Maybe someday someday?
Yeah, I'm coming nice to meet you you too, okay?
Take care of Pegasus
Pegasus that's what I named him sounds like a pretty good name. Yeah, I'm coming, okay
I'll never forget Pegasus
Someday, I'll have a horse in my own a horse to ride
There are people in our country who care about keeping wild horses wild on one of them
Pegasus will be ok but I'd rather see him running with nothing but freedom on his back
I won't forget all the times. I've waited patiently
just like you you
you
Funny thing you know that I don't
the greatest bomb oh
Somebody said to me you know that I come when I'm on air
That'd be the greatest
Funny thing somebody said to me you know that I told me
Take that piece five
you
What a funny thing somebody said to me, you know that I could
everyone laughs take that be
fuck
funny thing
somebody said to me
You know that I could be
Yeah
the greatest fun
you
