A ROMANTIC SYMBOL

If you want to see the romantic symbol of the American West-wild horses-Wyoming is the right state to do so.
Wyoming is not the largest populated state for them, Nevada is, Wyoming being the second largest. Vast deserts and unpopulated area’s make this a great state for wild horses.
Wild horses, part of the mystique of the Old West, are different from the domestic horse.
Mostly due to how they are bred. The domestic horses are line bred, to either be a quarter horse or a through bred in order to get certain characteristics of a particular breed.
Wild horses are bred through natural selection for survival. The traits that they have are the traits they need to survive out in the remote countryside.
Their legs and feet are usually bigger, thicker, and heavier than the domestic horses. If wild horses had thin spindly legs and thin feet, they would not survive very long. A broken bone would mean certain death. The rugged places that they live would not be suitable unless they were sturdy stock.
Wild horses have a lot of stamina and normally a little bit smaller than horses you see in the pastures.
Because of the 20% population growth in wild horses every year, the Government has set appropriate management levels for each area.
Every state with wild horses is required to round up and sell off all they can at an Adopt-A-Horse sale. That is how a lot of them get sold to meat packing plants for overseas meat markets.
The wild horses need a lot of room to roam and their range is about 20 to 30 miles per herd.
When looking for wild horses they are hard to see. They stay well away from where any people are.
There are still a few herds of Spanish Ancestry. There are a few of these original Spanish-type horses in southern Utah. When you see these beautiful horses you will know if they are wild or not. The wild horses have a different statute than the domestic. Always on guard, sniffing the wind, the stallion will round up the mares and colts defending them till death.
They are beautiful to watch but it is rare that you see any; if you do it is a rare treat. You should just stop and watch them before they are all gone.
We saw a small herd in the Mesa Verde, Colorado area last fall.