Older mare and her daughter peek back at us in central Nevada.

Following the theme of International Women’s Day 2024, “Inspire Inclusion.” as advocates for an interest that is often excluded (wild horses and burros) and represented often by women, we can relate well to this theme.

Since the early days of advocacy to protect wild horses and burros on public land, this movement has faced not only the challenges that arise to the species we aim to protect, but also in having our voices taken seriously.

“The problem with our country is that women were given the right to vote,” is a statement made by a permittee at a meeting in 2015 to our founder. Unfortunately, he was not joking when he stated his opinion.

Early pioneers like Velma Johnston (a.k.a. Wild Horse Annie) faced constant minimization and intimidation tactics and meetings and in the field. Velma’s husband would often travel with her and held a shotgun as she held a camera. “This self-described “lowly housewife” embraced the mythos, politics, and gender roles of the hyper-individualistic even as she went toe-to-toe with the powerful men that dominated ranching and federal land management.” (You can learn more about her life in the book by Alan Kania.)

Advocates of today face much of the same minimization and intimidation tactics. Even if the individual you are speaking to in the BLM is a female hire, you are likely to find she is indoctrinated into the culture and places your data, no matter how well documented, below that of any male in the room regardless of his position.

In an interview in 2022, researcher Cassidy Ellis stated: “The government sees the women advocates as a type of feral because they’re expressing their emotion about how they feel about the horses,” Ellis explained. “They’re trying to get the word out about how horses are being mistreated, and then not only is the government continuing to mistreat the horses, they’re also mistreating the advocates, calling them names and harassing them.” Drexel University studied the politics of wild horse management as part of partnership.

Triple B, foals run in the desert heat were among the first to die at Triple B

Is fighting to protect wild horses and burros from abuse and a fair share of the resources really impacted because of gender discrimination? Current research says it is.

In recent years there have been several films, magazines and organizations that have placed men front and center on this issue. Is this simply an unfortunate necessity? Some of these venues have used male reporters and authors that talk about what women have told them, without mentioning the name of the female source. Is gender bias so strong that this is necessary or simply another wrong being perpetuated? This might be an uncomfortable question, but one worth asking.

All of our voices, both male and female, matter. Public lands management should not be managed to place the voice of one gender over another, one interest over another.

Many men love wild horses. In fact, the gender identity of our readers is 62% male. Does it really matter if words are spoken by a male or female? Or does it matter if the words are simply true?

On this International Women’s Day, take a stroll through the history of this movement. Take a moment to honor the brave women of yesterday and today that continue to strive for equality in the process and equity for their interest, wild horses and burros.

Further reading:

March 5, Happy Birthday Wild Horse Annie

A Dive Into History

Debate: Wild Horse and Burro Welfare

We need your help to continue to document, expose, work toward reform with lawmakers and litigate. Our wild ones deserve to live free on the range and free from abuse.

Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our treasured wild ones.