The management of wild horses and burros is a topic that I have felt strongly about for a long time. I can sympathize with those who see the horse as a symbol of the American West, of independence, and of strength and beauty. However, that sympathy does not last very long or go very far.
A group of wild horses in Nevada.
The wild horse and the wild burro in North America are invasive species. Plain and simple. As such, it is my opinion that those invasive populations should be controlled so as not to negatively impact native species or the overall health of the ecosystem.
The Wildlife Society has recently produced a short documentary called “Horse Rich & Dirt Poor” that lays out some of the issues surrounding horse management in the USA.
One of the points that the film makes is that under current policies and procedures, everyone (native mammals, native birds, native fish, native plants, the land itself, and even the wild horses and burros) is loosing.
Give this 15 minute video a watch, and think about where we are. Where do you think we should go? How do you think we should get there?
abirdingnaturalist 
Sorry I just read this, even though it is months old. Anyway, you are right on with calling western North America’s “wild” equines invasive species; there have not been any native equines here for millenia. There is so much sentimentality involved in public opinion around these animals that it makes it difficult to have rational management policies. One of my pet peeves is calling them wild–really they are feral animals, and I think that if scientists, managers & government agencies were to call them feral instead of wild it could go towards bringing public opinion more in line with reality. Thanks for your blog, I always enjoy your posts.
Hi Linda,
I am glad you enjoy the blog! I think your suggestion about the name change from “wild horse” to “feral horse” is a really good point. Language matters, and there are certainly a lot of emotions that run high on this topic.
Best,
Aaron