Blog 3 Assignment
The image of wild mustangs running free across an open range conjures up the image of the untamed, last frontier of the American west. This is what people typically think of when they see a photo of wild mustangs or hear the word "mustang".
What most people don't know, especially if you don't live in the western part of the United States and aren't familiar with horses, is that the number of wild mustangs is dwindling rapidly and they are being forced out of the open range by ranchers who say they compete for feed by the cattle they graze. Mustangs are now rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and kept in facilities. The BLM offers the mustangs for "adoption" in different areas throughout the year.
No longer are the wild mustangs allowed to freely live and roam as they have for centuries. They are thought of as nuisances to be dealt with and penned up in facilities with the hope they will be adopted and taken care of by someone. So even though a typical person thinks of the wild west when they see a photo of a herd of wild mustangs, I see the last remnants of the wild west that is falling prey to the encroachment of man into the dwindling land of open space that remains in America.
The image of wild mustangs running free across an open range conjures up the image of the untamed, last frontier of the American west. This is what people typically think of when they see a photo of wild mustangs or hear the word "mustang".
What most people don't know, especially if you don't live in the western part of the United States and aren't familiar with horses, is that the number of wild mustangs is dwindling rapidly and they are being forced out of the open range by ranchers who say they compete for feed by the cattle they graze. Mustangs are now rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and kept in facilities. The BLM offers the mustangs for "adoption" in different areas throughout the year.
No longer are the wild mustangs allowed to freely live and roam as they have for centuries. They are thought of as nuisances to be dealt with and penned up in facilities with the hope they will be adopted and taken care of by someone. So even though a typical person thinks of the wild west when they see a photo of a herd of wild mustangs, I see the last remnants of the wild west that is falling prey to the encroachment of man into the dwindling land of open space that remains in America.
Hey Mary Ann, I love this image of wild mustangs!!! Its always interesting to hear other peoples vikews on different situations and images. I actually own some property up near Telluride in Colorado. For the past 10 years, I've been driving up there and on the way up there we have to cross the Navajo indian reservation. Almost every time that Ive driven up there, I have seen several wild mustangs on the reservation. It is such a beautiful thing to see a group of wild horses running free. Definately hard to swallow the fact that some people think that wild horses are nuisances.
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