The Range

I recently became aware of a long standing debate about the care and management of wild horses in America. Estimates of the amount of wild horses in America today range from 30,000 to 80,000. An accurate count of these animals is hard to come by because of the lack of unity between entities in charge of the lands that house wild horses. What is certain is that the amount of horses that exist outweighs the amount of resources and land available to them. The main factors at play surrounding the politics of wild horses are: ideals dating back to westward expansion, artificial barriers between wild and developed, and environmental destruction. Those tasked with managing wild horses are caught between two worlds: the historical necessity for horses along with their importance to our country’s identity and the pressing technological age that lacks any need for horses. In an attempt to explore this issue further I created 50 small horses and placed them in what used to be the stables of this campus. This piece was created to spark discourse around the politics surrounding wild horses in America.