Where do wild horses come from?
The history of the Pryor Mountain Herd is fascinating and can be traced back genetically to the early 1500’s, when horses were bred in the Caribbean by the Spanish conquistadores, who then brought them to the mainland. They were used on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Then they were bred by the Crow people, who still see them as their horses. Going back a bit further, millions of years ago, the horse originated on the North American continent. 12,000 years ago they died out on this continent–due perhaps to a combination of hunting and environmental factors. Having spread to the rest of the world, they survived elsewhere, and it is these same horses who returned with the Spanish and who are now the dwindling population in the American west. There is genetic evidence to verify this. Ginger Kathrens believes that they should rightfully be declared an endangered species. Instead, the laws meant to protect them, such as the 1971 Wild Horse and Burrow Act, have been used to lead to their er
