0:03
The high desert Wind River Basin stretches wide beneath Wyoming's sky.
0:08
To the casual eye, it can feel quiet, empty.
0:12
But this vast landscape is anything but.
0:16
For centuries, wild Mustangs have been a part of the American West.
0:20
But because they have few natural predators, herds grow fast and often exceed what the land can support.
0:27
This leads to conflict with wildlife, ranchers and livestock for scarce food.
0:34
So over the last 50 years, thousands of these horses have been rounded up and moved to expensive and controversial long term holding facilities.
0:43
Kinder ways to care for both the Mustangs and the land have been badly needed.
0:51
The Wind River Horse Sanctuary, run by the Olden family, offers an alternative.
0:57
They blend 2 philosophies, modern conservation and veterinary science with Indigenous knowledge.
1:03
Wayne, tell me, what is your mission out?
1:05
Harry?
1:05
What are you trying to accomplish?
1:07
You know, we're trying to help be part of the solution and the overpopulation of the horses on the range land.
1:14
How many years has it been that you've been working with wild horses?
1:18
Over 30 years.
1:19
30 years now.
1:22
Why is it important that we manage wild horses?
1:26
Well, the biggest reason that it's important that we manage them is that we don't want them to literally eat themselves out of house and home, if you will.
1:33
Horse eats about 2 1/2% of their body weight a day.
1:36
You get 1000 LB horses eating £25 a day.
1:39
They're drinking 5 to 8 gallons of water a day.
1:42
And then we see these horses where they're unable to get enough food or unable to get to water, and we see them dying, or we see the folds unable to get to their moms.
1:51
And those situations are not pretty.
1:53
The cattle rancher doesn't want to see it when he's out there.
1:56
A horse advocates don't want to see it.
1:58
Certainly the general public doesn't want to see it.
2:01
Here.
2:02
Horses are released to form natural bands, grazing and living out their lives on open range land rather than in holding pets.
2:09
The herd size is humanely managed, but human intervention is minimal.
2:14
The ideal solution would be operating ranches as well as a place for Mustangs that's correct, having the correct carrying capacity and keeping that balance in check in place.
2:27
Horses were first brought to North America by Spanish explorers in the 1500s.
2:31
We go back several 100 years.
2:34
Horses were not originally from this landscape.
2:37
They were introduced.
2:38
They have kind of adapted to this environment.
2:42
That's true.
2:42
They do well as long as there's enough forage and enough water.
2:46
But they do not have the natural predators and they kind of take over if we're not careful.
2:52
Once they were introduced, horses quickly became central to culture, economy and identity for many Native nations.
3:00
As I learned from Dwayne's daughter Odessa, stewardship is a responsibility passed down through generations.
3:07
Dwayne's wife, Denise, is Navajo, originally from Arizona, and this sanctuary is part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes.
3:19
As Navajo people, we're supposed to be caretakers of all living things and stewards of the land.
3:26
We value the horse but understand that there needs to be some management for the wild horses.
3:31
A balance, right?
3:32
Not too many, not too few, but kind of the right amount for the ecosystem to remain balanced and thriving.
3:47
Having an entire 50 plus horses go stampeding past me with the sound of those thundering hooves as they went by us, I couldn't imagine it would be anything like that.
3:57
Yeah, most people don't.
3:58
They hear it, I guess on ATV show, and they don't realize that the noise they make, but they make quite a noise when they go past it is pretty neat to hear and experience.
4:06
I've always admired horses personally because they're just exquisite.
4:10
But there's something about being able to get so close and to observe them in this natural landscape where their ancestors were.
4:19
But took my breath away, it really did.
