Name: Date: Spirit of the West by Doug Smith Today, most mustangs in North America are protected, but they still have trouble finding enough room to roam. When you think of horses, what comes to mind? Depending upon where you live, you may picture cowboys and bucking rodeo broncos or show jumpers or maybe a horse you saw or rode at a fair, a farm, or stable. Chances are that whatever idea popped into your head, it probably included at least one person, which is not surprising, considering that humans have been domesticating horses for more than 6000 years. But what about the horses with no owners, like those running free in the wilds of western North America? The First Mustangs Until 8000 years ago, wild horses roamed across much of North America, No one really knows why they died out - perhaps it was climate change, or maybe they were hunted to extinction by early humans - but horses were not seen again in the Americas until the Name: late-15th century, That's when Spanish explorers—including Christopher Columbus—arrived looking for gold in the New World. It wasn't long before some of their horses escaped or, in some cases, were turned loose, They became the first mustangs, or mestenos—the Spanish word for stray or feral animals— to roam free. Date: FAST FACTS Found: Height: Weight: Food: Parts of Western North America 12 to 14 hands (122-142 centimetres or 48-56 inches) at the shoulders 295 to 455 kilograms (650-1000 pounds) Mainly grass, also other leaves, twigs, and roots Name: Date: Alpine meadows provide summer food for many of the mustangs in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. When Native Americans first caught a glimpse of the Spanish soldiers on horseback, they thought the horses and riders were magical beings—half human and half animal, But when they realized that they were seeing two separate creatures, they wanted horses of their own. Soon they, too, were using horses for hunting and travelling. Eventually, some of their horses also escaped and joined the horses lost by the Spanish on the prairies. Wild 'll’ Free Before long, thousands of mustangs were running free in the West from Mexico to Canada, and by the late 1800s, there were an estimated two million horses in the wild, At the same time, however, humans were also rapidly expanding their range. And as ranches and farms spread, hundreds of thousands of horses were captured and killed to make way for livestock and crops. Others were caught, tamed, and then sent off with soldiers to fight in the Boer War and World War I. This took a tremendous toll on the mustang population and by the late 1960s, a mere 17 000 remained. Wild Horse Annie Then a Nevada woman named Velma Johnston—who later became known as Wild Horse Annie—came to the horses' rescue. After seeing first-hand how the mustangs were being treated, she begged the government to do something to protect the horses. And when that didn't work, she organized a writing campaign among schoolchildren. After politicians started receiving thousands of letters, they began to take notice. Name: Nine years later, the "Wild Horse Annie" law, which banned using vehicles or polluting water holes to capture horses, was passed, And in 1971, another, tougher law was introduced in the United States stating that "wild and free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West11 and as such should be protected from capture, harassment, and death. The government also set aside a number of refuges for the horses. One such reserve is the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range on the Montana-Wyoming border. The area, which is home to 140 mustangs, is also a popular hangout for photographers eager to get mustang shots. Date: MUSTANGS IN HOLLYWOOD Maybe one day you’ll get a chance to see mustangs running free in the wild, but in the meantime, you can check them out on the big screen,. The animated movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is about the adventures of a wild and rambunctious mustang stallion as he journeys through the untamed American frontier, The film is told from the viewpoint of Spirit and is narrated by Matt Damon, Set in the Wild West in the 1800s, the story tells of Spirit's first encounters with humans and his discovery of the effect the expanding civilization will have on his freedom. (He also meets a beautiful paint mare named Rain that he immediately falls in love with, and he develops a remarkable friendship with a Lakota brave.) Despite Spirit's repeated attempts to avoid capture, in the end he is caught by the cavalry and trained to be a warhorse, Although the movie is animated and fictitious, Dream Works' producers wanted Spirit to look the part, so they bought a Kiger stallion—a breed that descended from the original Spanish mustang- to be a model for the horse. Name: Date: Foals (left) live in the family band, which consists of a stallion and his mares (or harem), until they are two to three years old. Stallion encounters [above) involve a lot of prancing and neck arching. But if neither male backs away, the horses may duel and try to knock each other over by kicking with their front legs. At Last Count Today, there are roughly 42 000 mustangs in western North America. Nevada Is home to more than half the wild horses in the U.S., and there is also a large population in Wyoming. The rest are scattered in small pockets in eight other states. There are also a few hundred mustangs in Canada. One herd lives in B.C.'s Chilcotin Range and another in the Siffleur Wilderness Area, near Banff National Park, Alberta. Neither population has any legal protection; however, one B.C. environmental group is campaigning for a National Chilcotin Wild Horse reserve. Looking to the Future Even today, the controversy surrounding the mustangs continues. Because the horses reproduce rapidly and have few natural predators, their populations double every four to seven years. Left unchecked, they quickly outgrow their food supply, which can lead to starvation, as well as competition for resources with cattle and native wildlife. To keep numbers down, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management rounds up horses, using crews of wranglers on horseback and helicopters. Some of the captured horses are released, while others are put up for adoption. (Canada has adopted a similar program.) Unfortunately, in every roundup, there are some horses that are unadoptable—perhaps, because they can't be tamed or they just don't look attractive. So what happens to them? Some find homes on reserves, but there is simply not enough space to fill the demand. One solution that is meeting with some success is having inmates at a Colorado state prison help tame the mustangs before they are adopted. Scientists are also looking into possible birth-control methods for the horses to prevent the populations from growing so fast in the future. Name: Date: When there is net enough grass and water to support a mustang herd, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management conducts roundups and the mustangs are put up for adoption. No one really knows what lies in store for the mustangs, but if they are strong enough to thrive in some of North America's harshest environments, (11 Chow Down! Because horses have very inefficient digestive systems, they need to chew their food until it is soft and mushy. Since they eat up to 14 kilograms of food a day, they can sometimes spend over half of their time just chewing! Full Alert In addition to a keen sense of smell and hearing, mustangs can feel vibrations in the ground through their legs and will flee at the first sign of danger. there's a good chance they'll still be running wild and free well into the future, Wild Colours Some mustangs have a dark stripe that runs down their back from the mane to the tail or faint zebralike markings on their upper legs. The usual coat colour Is bay (reddish brown with black mane, tall, and lower legs), but black and sorrel (yellowish brown) are also common. Other colour variations are black, brown, grey, gold, and white. Family Rules While they may seem wild and carefree, mustangs follow strict ranking within a band, or family group. The stallion is the head of the family and next in importance is the lead mare, When the band moves, she leads the group and the other mares and young follow in single file, with the stallion pulling up the rear, Nip & Clip Mustangs often nibble at each other’s necks to free tufts of matted hair or dead and itchy skin. Then they work their way down the sides and back of their partner. Name:_________________________ Date:________ Spirit of the West Read the article, "Spirit of the West." When you are finished reading, answer the questions below. 1. In your own words, summarize the article, "Spirit of the West." 2. What is the main idea of this article? Explain your thinking. Name:________________________Date:________________ 3. Select the best answer for each of the following questions. a) Explain the use of dashes in the following sentence: Then a Nevada woman named Velma Johnston - who later became known as Wild Horse Annie - came to the horses' rescue. 0 They are used to introduce items in a list. 0 They are used to point out a change in the author's opinion. 0 They are used to surround an explanation that has been inserted into the sentence. 0 They are used to separate two complete sentences. b) Explain the use of parentheses in the following sentence: The usual coat colour is bay (reddish brown with black mane, tail and lower legs), but black and sorrel (yellowish brown) are also common. 0 They are used to surround a list of examples. 0 They are used to surround additional detail that the author has inserted into the sentence. 0 They are used to surround an idea that disagrees with the idea before it. 0 They are used to address the reader directly. c) What is the meaning of this underlined phrase from the article? This took a tremendous toll on the mustang population... 0 had a negative impact O had no impact O had a positive impact O had a slight impact d) What is the meaning of this underlined phrase from the article? Because the horses...have few natural predators, their populations double... O animals that they hunt O humans that take care of them 0 animals that hunt them 0 problems Name: Date: 4. "Spirit of the West" is a nonfiction article. List three characteristics that show that this is nonfiction writing. For each characteristic, give an example from the article to support your answer. 5. Why did the author include the "Fast Facts" and "Mighty Mustangs" sections with this article? Name: Date: 6. Use information from the article to explain how the mustang population was protected. 7. In the article, it states that "After politicians started receiving thousands of letters, they began to take notice." Use information from the article and your own ideas to explain why the politicians began to take notice after receiving these letters. Name: Date: 8. How successful is the author in presenting an unbiased perspective about the wild mustangs? Explain your thinking.
