Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fet, a fitness room, free Wi-Fi, a pool, and a self-service business center. Every room offers
either a view of the Big Horn Mountains or the prairie. Located on a hilltop east of I-90, the
Wingate is quiet with easy access to town.
THE MUSTANGS OF THE PRYOR MOUNTAINS
One of the most unforgettable experiences you can have in the West is to witness the
wild mustangs of the Pryor Mountains that straddle Montana and Wyoming. The ma-
jority of these horses share the hereditary line of those brought by Spanish explorers
to the Americas more than five centuries ago. The mustangs are small horses with
narrow but deep chests and strong, short backs. They are often distinguished by a
solid stripe running down their backs or the unique “zebra” stripes across their legs.
Although initially wary of the animals that the conquistadores rode, Native Amer-
icans quickly learned to prize them. Through the years they were traded and often
stolen in raids. Horses used by the Indians or white settlers were known to stray,
and by the mid-1800s enough free stallions and mares had mated that there were
more than two million wild horses living west of the Mississippi. At the same time,
however, homesteaders were staking out their land and settling in the area. The mus-
tangs' land was needed for houses, farms, and cattle grazing. Seen as an impediment
to progress, the wild horses quickly began to disappear, hunted for sport or captured
alive, where they were sent to slaughter and used by pet food companies. By the
1950s there were just a handful of herds left.
In response to the work of grassroots organizations and public outcry, the U.S.
government sanctioned the
Wild Horse Range
in 1968. Some 31,000 acres were set
aside to protect these majestic animals in the Pryor Mountains. Three years later the
Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act stipulated that these horses were “an integ-
ral part of the natural system of the public land” and were to be protected from future
harassment.
Today up to 150 mustangs live on this range, which is maintained by the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM). The mustangs live in small social units known as
harems, which consist of a dominant stallion, a head mare, other mares, and colts.
There are currently estimated to be about 30 harems, which produce 20-30 foals each
year. In order to balance the well-being of the horses with the well-being of the pub-
lic land, the BLM has overseen a wild horse adoption program since 1973.
