Today is National Day of the Horse. In 2004, Congress designated Dec. 13th as National Day of the Horse to honor the contributions horses have made to our country’s history, economy and national character. Horses were instrumental in farming, mail delivery, transportation and in wars both domestic and abroad. In addition, horses are amazing companions and are being used in therapy to help humans overcome both physical and mental health issues. 

Horses should be celebrated and honored.

Another important day falls this week that demonstrates the love Americans hold for our horses.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was enacted on December 15, 1971. An additional press event for signing was on December 18th. Even the day of the Anniversary itself lands with a debate. (It became law the day it was published as law in the federal register.)

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed, unanimously, through Congress. On December 15, 1971 the Act was published in the federal register as law. It was signed by former President Nixon in a public ceremony on December 17, 1971.

Public Law 92-195, established federal jurisdiction. After jostling among land management agencies to avoid compliance the National Parks Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service were omitted. Wild horses and burros were to be managed within designated territories on both Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

This law was part of a wave of environmental laws, rules and regulations that began in the 1970’s. Many of these laws were statements of intention, belief, commitment. Our natural world held a value to our nation and that things like wild things, clean air and water were not only important, but the rights of a citizen of what was seen as a “great nation.”

Those that benefitted most from the efforts of the horse (during western expansion and beyond) the livestock industry, were the ones that fought the law the most. They simply wanted to be able to continue to benefit from killing off wild horses and profiting from the slaughter industry that produced dog food, chicken feed and fertilizer without any care that they were wiping out wild horses from public lands.

The greatest opposition to keeping wild horses and burros on public lands still comes from the livestock industry. About 66% of public lands is open to livestock grazing where they consume 80% of the grass. Public lands ranching produces only about 2% of all the meat utilized in industry and the program loses money every year to the tune of about 2 billion each decade in todays’s dollars. 

Only 12% of public lands can legally contain wild horses or burros. Within that 12%, less than 16% of forage is allocated to our wild ones. The amount of forage consumed by wild horses and burros on all of public land is less than 1%. 

It seems the livestock permittees whose public land grazing allotments overlap the 12% of public lands where our wild ones can legally exist hold incredible political power that continues to drive the wild horse program of today.

At Wild Horse Education we recognize and respect our wild ones as integral to the system of public lands.

Each and every beating heart carried in the chest of wild horses and burros contains a legacy of enrichment to both the human and natural world. 

Our wild ones walked out of their natural habitats to help build the world of humans. 

It is past time that we walk back to the natural world with the horse to help repair the damages done to the natural world… and stop the abuse of these treasured beings.

Today, you can take action.

Abuse: By adding a simple line item to the budget Congress can cut through all the circular arguments and delays. If Congress simply designated funding to finalize enforceable welfare rules, the BLM would have to do it. 

Click HERE to send a letter directly to your lawmakers.

Horse Slaughter: To pass the SAFE Act this session (only 4 weeks left) would require both the House and Senate to pass the bill and the President to sign it into law. If it does not pass this session it will need to be reintroduced. 

Learn more and see a sample script you can use to call your lawmakers HERE.

Swasey mares, temporary holding 2024

Short update from our litigation team.

Our team has been really busy this year. In every case we have brought to conclusion in 2024, desperately needed legal precedents were won. As cases move forward you may lose a motion, but each case brought resounding wins on conclusion.

In December our legal team has filed new cases and continued briefing on existing matters.

We are fighting to stop roundup plans, trying to stop livestock permittees from forcing removals, fighting abuse, fighting against off-limits holding facilities and our First Amendment Rights. 

This week we filed new litigation.

Absurdly, land use courts claim that wild horse advocates do not have standing to address habitat loss and damages caused by mining.

Land use courts will not allow wild horse advocates to address habitat damage where our interest even extends to relationship with individuals and the harms are very real. In addition, habitat damage and loss is even more detrimental to wild horses because, unlike other wild things, they cannot leave the artificial boundary lines of the designated territory.  (The land use courts recognize standing of environmental groups fighting for protection of habitat where they have a casual relationship with a species.)

We have jumped this matter into Federal Civil Court. 

WHE is launching additional litigation shortly and will update you on those cases and cases working through the system soon. 

End of year funding is critical to keep our team in the field reporting to you and all of the other work we do like investigations and litigation. Without your support, none of our work is possible.

We have been offered a match leading into the end-of-the year of 10K. All contributions will be matched through 2024! 

Thank you!

There are many ways you can support the work of WHE from shopping online, our Zazzle storefront or even through stock contributions.