Tour being given to Velma Johnston, Wild Horse Annie, of the first official capture of wild horses by the BLM after the 1971 law passed at Stone Cabin in NV

The “Wild Horse Annie Act,” PL 86-234 passed on September 8, 1959. This was the law that forbade poisoning of water holes and hunting wild horses with aircraft. 

Wild Horse Protection Act of 1959, also known as the “Wild Horse Annie Act” (Public Law 86-234)

This was the first federal legislation to protect wild horses and burros. The law prohibited the use of a motor vehicle to hunt, for the purpose of capturing or killing, any wild horse, mare, colt, or burro running at large on public lands. This law also prohibited the pollution of watering holes on public lands for the purposes of trapping, killing, wounding, or maiming any of these animals.

A simple law:

18 U.S. Code § 47 – Use of aircraft or motor vehicles to hunt certain wild horses or burros; pollution of watering holes

(a) Whoever uses an aircraft or a motor vehicle to hunt, for the purpose of capturing or killing, any wild unbranded horse, mare, colt, or burro running at large on any of the public land or ranges shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(b) Whoever pollutes or causes the pollution of any watering hole on any of the public land or ranges for the purpose of trapping, killing, wounding, or maiming any of the animals referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(c) As used in subsection (a) of this section—

(1)The term “aircraft” means any contrivance used for flight in the air; and

(2)The term “motor vehicle” includes an automobile, automobile truck, automobile wagon, motorcycle, or any other self-propelled vehicle designed for running on land.

“Wild Horse Annie” was the nickname of Velma Bronn Johnston. Velma pioneered the work to gain legal protections for our wild horses and burros.

On Monday, July 27, 1959, Velma made her way to Washington D.C. for a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee meeting on whether Congress should limit mechanized pursuit on public lands took place.

In two hours of testimony, Velma told the subcommittee how the horses were roped, injured, abused, slaughtered. How she had documented it all with a camera while her husband watched nearby with a loaded gun as four men tried to rope a herd into a truck for slaughter.

“I turned the camera toward the four men preparing to load the animals, and they piled into their car as though I had pointed a machine gun at them,” she testified. “Heading their vehicle straight toward our automobile, they veered off just inches from our bumper when they were faced by my husband armed with a .38…these men meant business, and so did I.”

”The mustang doesn’t belong just to Nevada. He is a symbol of freedom for all. He is our American heritage, as meaningful to us as the battlefield at Yorktown or the white church at Lexington. Even more so, because he is a living symbol.”

The 1959 law was her first legislative victory. This would not be the last time Velma testified before Congress. A lack of enforcement kept her focused on creating broader legislation and federal jurisdiction. Both came in the passage of the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act.” 

You can read the article from 1959 in the Desert Times HERE. The article reflects the times. There is a second article under the one on Velma at the link that calls wild horses “broomtails,” an old derogatory term. But the article admits wild horses do not seem to interfere much with the landscape and other animals.

The 1959 law was simply not being enforced. There was a constant “passing the buck” from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The push was on to pass the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was on and to clearly establish jurisdiction for prosecution.

For all of you that enjoy history, you can read more about Velma’s testimony to Congress and the passage of the 71 Act HERE.

If we take the time to learn as much as we can about those that fought before us, the victories and defeats, we can gain a sense of history that is invaluable in the fight today. 

Thank you for keeping WHE running for the wild. 

There are several ways you can support WHE from gift shopping to stock donations. Learn more HERE.