The term "Mustang" refers to the wild horses that roam the ranges of the western United States.  The Mustang is not a breed but rather a mixture of many breeds that have co-mingled over many years.  Swift, sure-footed, tough, and intelligent, Mustangs weigh from 600 to 1000 pounds and are well suited for the rugged conditions of life on the western ranges.

These wild horses are descendants of animals that escaped from or were released by Spanish explorers, ranchers, miners, soldiers, and Native Americans.  In the mid-seventeenth century they numbered between two and four million.  Today, only about 50,000 survive.  This drastic reduction in their numbers was due in part to the "mustangers" who rounded up wild horses and sent them to slaughter.

After a nationwide grassroots effort to protect these magnificent creatures, Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act in 1971 which states: "..wild free roaming horses..are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the nation and enrich the lives of the American people".

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that administers 264 million acres of public lands, was entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and managing the wild horse herds to maintain an ecological balance between wild horse hers to maintain an ecological balance between wild horses, native wildlife and domestic animals grazing on western public lands.

But with so many millions of acres of public lands under its jurisdiction, the BLM needs assistance from private citizens and organizations to monitor the well-being of the wild horse herds and the rangeland they inhabit.  For example, over the last thirty years many environmental changes have occurred that have adversely affected wild horse habitat.

In addition, the rangelands where Mustangs roam free have come under heavy attack by some who feel their personal survival is threatened as well as those who feel the wild horse is interfering with the grazing 'rights' of other types of animals on those same lands.

Report after report tells gruesome stories of wild horses that have been found dead.  Some of these animals were shot, others poisoned, and still others died from thirst or starvation.  Many experienced slow, agonizing deaths.  This wanton slaughter and destruction of a national resource cannot be allowed to continue.

And so the members of the National Mustang Association have dedicated themselves to protecting America's wild horses.  Our first priority is to enable as many Mustangs as possible to remain truly wild and roaming free.  The NMA recognizes that these horses, natural environment in which to live.  With this understanding, we have worked to provide many improvements on the Mustang's on the Mustang's natural ranges through cooperative efforts with the Bureau of Land Management and private ranchers.

These efforts include the development of water sources on the open ranges to better facilitate rangeland use by wild horses and all those who use public lands.  The NMA also donated thousands of dollars to the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service to improve the grazing conditions in designated wild horse management areas. And to ensure equal consideration of the welfare of Mustangs when formulating policy, our board members serve on Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) committees and public lands advisory boards.

To maintain the ecological balance of America's rangeland, the National Mustang Association works closely with the Bureau of Land Management to help expedite the adoption of excess wild horses.

Many Mustangs have been removed from their wild bands to be adopted by patient, nurturing owners who have gentled and trained them.

In addition, the NMA has an Adopt-a-Horse-For-A-Year program.  The Mustangs in this program roam freely across acres and acres of rolling hills and grassy slopes at the Barclay, Nevada, ranch owned by the National Mustang Association.  This special place has been dedicated as a sanctuary for the wild horses as well as the other wildlife found there.