Running Free - A Wild Horse Tale

Wild Horse Tutorial - Module 4

Module 4 - Herd Habitat (where they live)

In the Past

By the end of the 19th century, wild horses numbered in the millions. Up to two million were running free throughout the United States. Anyone could capture and tame the wild horses. In fact, the Indians used them, and the horses dramatically changed their way of life. Now they could really hunt buffalo and attack distant tribes. Ranchers and cowboys used them to work cattle. Fur traders, trappers, and expeditioners also put them to work. The wild horses were even rounded up and used in the military. During the Civil War, the North needed 200,000 horses a year for their troops.

However, as civilization expanded west, the wild horses became viewed as pests and competition for farmers and cattle ranchers. Thousands of horses were rounded up and taken to slaughter, or shot outright by farmer and ranchers. By 1970, the number of wild horses had diminished to only 17,000 running free.

Photo Courtesy of Wild Horses for Kids © 1995

Today

At the end of 2006, an estimated 27,500 wild horses run free today in the United States. The bulk of these horses are found in the western states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. However, wild horses can also be found in islands off of the eastern coast. Assateague island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia has been home to wild horses for 360 years. There are also small herds on Shackleford Banks (off the coast of North Carolina), and on Cumberland Island (off the coast of Georgia). The island wild horses are more of pony stature due to the small area of habitat. Large horses could not survive in a small area with limited food supply. Over time the horses adapted and became smaller, so the land could support them.