Echoes of the Past: The Saga of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's Wild Horses

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Modern translations have simplified mixteño into signifying wild. From the 1600s to the mid-1800s, mustangs ranged throughout the Great Plains in vast herds, sometimes numbering in the thousands. And they're still out there. Technically, they're not wild. They're feral.

There's a fierce debate over those terms. when it comes to so-called wild horses. Feral refers to domesticated animals in a wild state, or their descendants. But it couldn't matter less. It's just a term, and terms are made up by humans.

Suffice it to say that it's complicated, and boiling your argument down to the definition of a term always oversimplifies things. The reintroduction of horses changed the social and environmental landscape, most notably for the indigenous peoples of the Great Plains. Their acquisition of the horse changed their culture from pedestrian hunter-gatherers to mounted buffalo hunters and warriors. And, of course, horses played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the United States.

During the modern ranching era, feral horses came to be regarded as a bit of a nuisance. Cattlemen worked to exterminate them throughout the West. In the 1950s and 1960s, efforts to preserve feral horses began. The 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act mandated the protection of these animals as a national heritage species. So, they can still be found throughout the country.

In our travels, we've had multiple incredible experiences with wild horses. One foggy morning, a family of wild horses spent an hour in our campsite in the mountains outside of Las Vegas, as we watched in awe until they moved on. At Lee's Ferry, the historic crossing of the Colorado River outside of Page, Arizona, we watched young calves frolic in the water. They eluded us, however, at one of the most popular places to see them, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. During the summer months, bands of horses can be seen grazing throughout the park.

They're often seen along the park boundary from Interstate 94.

. Horses can also be seen at a distance from high points such as Painted Canyon, Overlook and Buck Hill. While hiking or driving, look for fresh manure to locate them. Stallions mark their territory with stud piles. Feral horses typically range in small bands of 5 to 15 animals.

Each group has an established social hierarchy, consisting of a dominant stallion, his mares, and their offspring. Frequently, a subdominant stallion will run second to the leader. Stallions herd their mares by extending their heads and necks low to the ground in a gesture known as snaking. When a band is in a flight, a dominant mare will take the lead, with the stallion bringing up the rear. Young stallions roam together in bachelor groups, sometimes in proximity to a stallion harem.

Once formed, these social groups remain remarkably stable and often range within an established territory. Foals are born in the spring after an 11-month gestation period. Upon reaching maturity at the age of 2-3, young colts and fillies are driven from their natal group and form new bands. Occasionally, a bachelor stallion attempts to steal mares from an established group, resulting in fights between rival males. We did a whole episode on the special meaning that this place had for Theodore Roosevelt.

He spent a long time ranching, but it's also the place where he went to mourn after losing his wife and mother in the very same house on the very same day. The wild or feral horses existed in the park back then, as they do today, a reminder of Theodore Roosevelt's experiences there during the open-range ranching era. By the late 1800s, European settlement of the Plains had reached the and ranchers turned horses out on the open range to live and breed. When needed, they would round up horses and their offspring for use as ranch horses. For generations, ranchers used land that would later become the park for open-range grazing.

After the park was established in 1947, it was fenced. A horse roundup was held and ranchers removed 200 branded horses. A few small bands of horses eluded, capture and went unclaimed. These horses continued to live free range in the park. For several years, the National Park Service tried to remove all horses from the park, but in 1970, a change of park policy recognized the horse as part of the historical setting.

New policies were enacted to manage the horses as a historical demonstration herd. Historically, the park conducted roundups every three to four years using helicopters to herd horses to a handling facility and then sold them at public auction, keeping the herd from growing. More recently, the park has tried new methods for herd management, including contraceptives and low-stress capture techniques. Horses are currently captured using tranquilizer darts and sold in online auctions held by the General Services Administration. In an environmental review process that began in 2022, the National Park Service determined that the feral or wild horses should be removed from the park, setting off a firestorm of public comment.

Why? Well, the National Park Service's job is to preserve landscapes, and these horses are an invasive species. Their hooves, over time, alter the landscape. Their eating habits change the plant life. Eradicating invasive species is a big part of the National Park Service's job.

But the National Park Service is also tasked with preserving our history and culture, and this place was established to protect land in order to remember a man and his connection with ranching such as it was meant to protect the landscape. But folks concerned about losing the wild horses can rest easy. In a statement to the Associated Press a couple days ago, the park confirmed it has decided to terminate plans to remove them after careful consideration of the public comments received during the environmental assessment process. That said, the number of horses will likely be reduced. Superintendent Angie Richman has said the horses, even if they ultimately stay, will still have to be reduced to 35 or 60 animals under the 1978 environmental assessment's findings, a small fraction of the 180 that roam the park today.

But that should keep them from destroying fences and overgrazing vegetation. The wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park serve as a living connection to the past, embodying the spirit of the open-range ranching era and the complex history of North America itself. As the debate over their future continues, and it will, because this isn't a permanent policy, these horses remind us of the intricate balance between preserving our natural heritage and managing the landscape responsibly. The decision to maintain a controlled population within the park reflects a nuanced approach to conservation, one that honors both the ecological integrity of the park and its historical significance. In The Wild Contours of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the story of these horses is not just about survival, but about the identity of a nation and its continuous dialogue with its own history.

This episode of America's National Parks was hosted by me, Jason Epperson. If you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving us a rating and a review. If you're new here, make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes delivered to your feed. If you're looking for photos and tips about visiting national parks, check out our America's National Parks Facebook group. And if you're interested in RV travel, we hope you'll also check out our RV Miles podcast and YouTube channel.

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