Recently I headed to Fort Worth, TX, to check out the Mustang Challenge Event and to see the Untamed Mustangs up for adoption. It was wonderful to see the horse trainers and their mustangs in the arena, showing off and competing with each other to promote their horses and the special Love of Mustangs.
When I headed to the dirt holding pens to the side of the building, I spent about an hour just viewing the Untamed Mustangs there. They had been trucked in and separated into groups of about 8 to 10. You could plainly see they were uncertain of what was happening and some were squabbling over hay and positioning within the small pens. My heart went out to them! One especially caught my eye, and I will forever say when I look at this picture that "I SEE YOU'.
But, do we collectively "see" these mustangs as belonging to the American people? So many were wild and free, but then rounded up and sent to holding facilities around the country. (Check out https://www.blm.gov/whb) Roundups are going on numerous times a year. We should be asking, "are these holding facilities doing enough for the welfare of these horses- the ones that will never be adopted"? And is enough being done so that the adopted ones are safe from ending up at auctions and kill pens?
Sadly, the issue of Wild Horses and the loss of their freedom will always be up for debate. The ideal horse lover wants to see these horses run free, but others argue that there are too many of them and that they strip the forage, sometimes with too little food and water to exist in harsh conditions. We need to study the true facts and understand the whole picture. All I know is that Wild Horses are a beautiful Treasure of America and we need to really "see them" and make sure that they are valued, appreciated, and given the best life possible.