I have to change my views on this, because of the good comments on this issue and I thank ya'll. But what will happen to the good in the herd? I have to say a couple months ago at a local park they went in and thinned out the deer, it was overpopulated and the deer did not look healthy at all, and they said they would give the meat to the homeless and etc. So why would we let people buy these unhealthy horses, because who knows what disease they have because of inbreeding. So yes we need to thin them out, But just so ya'll know it is the consequence of American "progress".

Far too many look at this issue with their heart and not their common sense. This is not the good old days, the days of the wild west, open range land and unlimited grass and water.

To answer one question posed above, the government is involved in this because almost all wild horses run on federal lands. As in most issues, economics becomes involved here. Cattle and sheep ranchers lease much of this land. If wild horse herds are allowed to continue to increase, there will be less grass and water for these ranchers. So, this would increase the costs of beef and wool.

No one loves the wild lands anymore than I do, but we will never go back to those old days. That, my friends, is fact. We can attempt to hold onto a small bit of that, like helping keep some wild horses running free, but we can only do a small amount. Mankind is ever increasing while the land remains limited.

I fully support the maintaining of wild horse herds, but they must be controlled to a sustainable level. If we push too far, we could face a backlash and see the end of this. I don't want to see that. So, culling out the herds, removing the ill and crippled, selling off a few head of usable horses, is the only reasonable answer.
Better that than losing the herds completely.

A very emotional issue.

I believe some here are looking at this situation from their own narrow point of view without actually assesing the situation for what it is. If allowd to be let go and not mannaged these animals will over graze their range, inner breed, and various other calamitys will befall them. Since they have shut all the packing houses down in this country not only the mustangs have sufferd but many domestic horses as well. not to say what it has done to the horse industry in this country. If y'all want to see what a real tradgedy is, come to a stock sale and see the horses they are bringing in off of the open range from the Navajo and Apache reservation in Hollbrook Az.. These are wild horses and are in about the next stage of dyeing from neglect. They come in from all ages. I've seen 4 mos. old colts that shouldn't even be off their mamas yet go for $10 apiece. The meat buyers are the only ones bidding and they are hauling to Mexico. Anyone who thinks they done these animals a favor by getting the packing houses closed down should see how they are treated when they cross the border. They have subjected these animals to the worse existance imaginable. And they should also see the outcome of their bleeding heart phylosephy in some of the horses that have been turned loose to starve to death. These people are no ones friend, espacially the the horses. The same fate awaits thes mustangs if not worse if they are allowd to breed and multiply without proper management

That is really sad! Some things should just be left alone. But that is impossible with peoples greed! Always trying to make a buck by any means!

Well guess I'll weigh in on this. When I got out of the service in 59 me and a friend decided to go mustanging. At that time the horses in this country wasn't worth the gas to go after them (.29 a gal at the time). We went down into Mexico and found some herds down there that was made up of some pretty fine horse flesh. If these animals are let go in a few years we will have nothing but scrub knot heads again. My solution would be to take every thing over 7 years old and let them pay back some of the mony this program is plauged with. Over 7 these animals are virtually untrainable and most can't even be halter broke. We have a mustang my wife adopted when he was 6 mos. old and he is a great animal. One of the best I ever worked with. You wouldn't put 1,000 hd of cattle on 10ac. of ground or 100 hd. of hogs in a 20 x 20 pen so why let these horses suffer a fate of starvation either.

This brakes my heart, leave the Horses alone. We do not need more office buildings, shopping malls, and other stuff that makes this country a waste land. We need to keep the natural beauty of the land and of America. My question is what right does the government have to do this? It not listed in the Constitution. It makes me angry that this is "flying under the radar". We need to make some noise about this.