Some of today's wild horses are descendants of original Spanish escapees, often being joined by other ranch runaways, giving then unusual and varied bloodlines. For this reason, the North America Wild Horse comes in a variety of sizes, colors and shapes.

It is believed and now widely accepted that the original North American Wild Horse was actually a descendant from escaped domestic horses brought to the United States by the Spanish in the 16th century. It didn't take the Indians long to discover the benefits of "the white man's big dogs."

The Plains Indians in particular, became exceptional horsemen, both as riders and in their understanding of the horse. However, when the Indians were driven from their land, the wild horse began its long history of troubles.

Throughout the twentieth century, the wild horse was being slaughtered in record numbers as pests! It took the courageous efforts of a woman known as "Wild Horse Annie" and her friends to help turn the tide back in favor of the wild horse. She fought tirelessly to have the laws changed to protect the wild horse from capture and slaughter. Her strongest allies were the children, whose natural love for horses flooded Congress in a sea of letters that couldn't be ignored. In 1959 Congress passed the "Save the Mustang" Bill. Unfortunately, it was a law that was hard to enforce, and many ranchers still rounded up the wild mustang for slaughter. Annie and her friends pushed for a stronger law and in 1971, President Nixon signed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which said in part, "...wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West;...(they) shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment...". Finally, it looked like the horses were truly free.

A step in the right direction, but today there are still people who think the wild horse is nothing more than a pest, stealing food from cattle ranchers and causing other problems. However, efforts are continuously underway to protect the limited number of wild horse left in the United States. Through the efforts of the US Bureau of Land Management and their Adopt-A Horse Program, along with many wild horse groups, a protection movement and further understanding of the wild horse is continually underway. Wild Horse Annie would have been proud of all the efforts many people are making to further protect her beloved wild horses.

Recognized wild horse herds can be found scattered through-out the United States, the most notable being found in Montana, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California, Virginia, North Carolina, North Dakota and Oregon. There are also a number of Wild Horse Adoption Centers scattered throughout the country.

Although the US has the most recognized wild horse population, it is certainly not the only country to have wild horses roaming the lands. There are the Canadian Newfoundland Ponies, who are in the middle of there own fight, much like the horses of the US were before Wild Horse Annie stepped in. Currently, there is only one reserve in Newfoundland, a 25 acre sanctuary that cares for about 15 ponies. Efforts are underway to get Federal support to try to help save these desperate animals.

Australia has the Brumby, France the Camargues, the Bahamas have the Abaco, New Zealand has the Kaimanawa and wild horses are also found in southern Asia. There is also the last true wild horse, Pzewalski's horse, found only in zoos.

Africa, of course has the true wild horse relative, the zebra, along with a variety of wild asses. But did you know that wild horses exist on every continent with the exception of Antarctica and unfortunately, South America. The wild horses of South America were declared extinct earlier in this century. Hopefully, the rest of the world will learn a valuable lesson from South Americas loss.

We can only hope that the wild horses on North America will always be there for us to see, running free across the land in real life, and not only in our imaginations. For without the wild horse, there for us to see and admire, we will lose one of the most important pieces of our history.