McCullough Peaks, Wyoming

For far too long, these majestic animals have not only been misunderstood, and mismanaged with our tax dollars. If we continue to ignore their plight and allow them to be scapegoated by special interests, and treated inhumanely, we risk losing not only these beautiful creatures but also the lands they inhabit.

They have been an integral part of the American landscape for centuries, roaming free across the western plains, mountains and desert floors. In recent years, their populations have dwindled as a result of habitat loss. Despite this, they are treated as pests often rounded up, removed from their homelands, causing immense stress and suffering to their lives and their families. Today, the McCullough Peaks wild horses are under threat, and a grass-roots effort is underway to hopefully stop their removal.

Their value goes beyond their obvious beauty. They assist in maintaining grassland health with grazing and fertilizing soils, as well as once, providing food for large apex predators — who too, have been eradicated due to special interests. The lesson here is it is imperative we cease from further tampering with the planet. Countering the ever-ingrained narrative that wild horses are a problem is a tough battle, but we are seeing the needle tip, if ever so slightly. And your voice matters.

It is undeniably their untamed spirit, their fierce independence and their grace that makes them so captivating. The way they touch our soul is deep and profound, reminding us of the power and majesty of nature and all she is here to do for us—emotionally, spiritually and physically. It's time for us to include them in the wider conversation about wildlife conservation, and to work together to protect them as not only the sentient being that they are, but the importance of their existence in our ever-changing ecosystem. 

Mother Earth is emphatically asking us to listen to her.