Wild Horse Country: The History, Myth, and Future of the Mustang

Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Philipps (Lethal Warriors) investigates the history and current status of America’s wild-horse herds, beginning in the 16th century with the mustang’s introduction into the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors and ending with a rumination on how best to humanely limit the ever-expanding mustang population today. Along the way, Philipps examines the mustang’s near extinction due to the rise of meat factories at the turn of the 20th century and a remarkably successful political movement organized by Velma Johnson (aka Wild Horse Annie), who embarked on a campaign that led to the passage of federal protections for mustangs. There is something to learn from the erudite Philipps on almost every page as he describes the role of the mustang in the myth of the West, the evolution of prehistoric horses, and many other relevant subjects with equal facility. Philipps also ably analyzes the complex forces at play in the ongoing fight between conservationists working to protect free-range mustangs, ranchers protective of their grazing rights, and the Bureau of Land Management, which is charged with maintaining mustang herds. If there is a villain in his tale, it is the BLM, depicted as an ineffective bureaucracy at best and at worst as a corrupt entity complicit in the illegal selling of mustangs to rendering factories. Philipps’s strengths are on full display in this thoughtful, balanced, and informative work. Illus. [em](Oct.) [/em]