Nothing speaks more powerfully of the American west, perhaps, than the horse. Horses pulled the wagons that took settlers into new territories. Native Americans had ridden them bareback for centuries before that. And of course, no western film would be complete without one. But that relationship, between modern day ranchers and the wild horses that live and graze on the same land, is under strain. Ranchers say the horses are eating valuable forage and want them removed from public land. The government says there are too many horses and numbers need to be managed. Conservationists and campaigners say the wild horses are being hounded out of existence.
Jonathan Ratner from Takeaway partner The BBC talks to a conservation group that says Wyoming has schizophrenic attitude towards its herds of wild horses.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.