The 2021 documentary The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses presents itself as a sweeping, visually stunning journey into the world of America’s wild (or feral) horse populations.
Executive produced by Robert Redford, along with Patti Scialfa Springsteen and Jessica Springsteen, the documentary feels high-profile and sincere. Now being aired for free by PBS, it has become timely once more, as controversy regarding the handling of wild horses and pushing to include feral horse legislation such as the SAFE Act into the next farm bill continues.
Although The Mustangs does a commendable job of conveying the beauty and romance long associated with these animals, it sometimes crosses over into the territory of promotion, glossing over the problems of wild horse management and not providing a completely balanced perspective.
The film is also a visual feast. It transports audiences to distant, seldom-visited places in the American West, where herds of horses roam freely on rolling plains and mountains. The film also features a fantastic soundtrack, featuring guest performances by Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson, and a song penned specifically for the film by Diane Warren, performed by Blanco Brown, which gives the film added emotional value for audiences.
However, beneath its poetic visuals and stirring soundtrack, The Mustangs often leans into idealism at the expense of a more nuanced exploration of the issues at hand. Narrated by David Philipps, author of Wild Horse County and The New York Times article Let Mountain Lions Eat Horses, the documentary paints a picture of wild horses as noble, embattled creatures needing protection from government overreach and mismanagement.
There is truth in this depiction — many of the feral horses certainly have been subject to mismanagement and shifting policy — it works to reduce an incredibly complex issue.
It’s a strange stance for a writer who portrays wild horses as an icon of freedom and writes of solutions for a balance between public interest and conservation, while arguing that they must be managed as part of the ecosystem. In his article, Philipps suggests managing wild horse herds with natural predators like mountain lions. Despite the fact that mountain lions did not evolve hunting horses, which were reintroduced by settlers. But he devotes comparatively short shrift to the challenges of predator management, like conflicts with livestock producers and the fact that predators alone can’t effectively control wild horse populations.
One of the film’s weaknesses is its lack of a rigorous examination of the historical origins of wild horses in North America. While wild horses have become an enduring symbol of American independence, their presence on the continent is the result of European introduction, and horses have largely shaped the modern population turned out or lost onto public lands. Not to mention, the horse’s place in settling the west overlooks the place oxen and mules played in westward expansion.
The documentary does not adequately address the ecological impact of these horses, nor does it fully acknowledge the challenges of an unchecked population in an environment already strained by drought and resource competition. While the film does mention population growth — herds of wild horses double within four years — it fails to furnish a serious examination of the ecological effects of such growth.
The documentary, unsurprisingly dwells on the cultural and emotional value of wild horses and the activism on their behalf, including the efforts of women such as Velma Bronn Johnston, who have been nicknamed “Wild Horse Annie.” Johnston was instrumental in bringing passage for the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which sought to give protection to wild horses on public ranges.
Though this history is relevant, the film does not address the long-term effects of such protection, i.e., the massive population boom that has left tens of thousands of horses to be shipped to government holding pens.
The film also presents a variety of individuals who deal with mustangs, including trainers and adopters who illustrate the potential of the horses as riding and companion animals.
Another questionable omission is first-person accounts of public land ranchers. While sheep producers are mentioned, the film glosses over the competition of wild horses for limited grazing resources, instead highlighting drought (while picturing overgrazed public lands).
The film does briefly acknowledge the reality that wild horses do share the environment with other creatures, but it does not broach the conflicts between mustangs and livestock grazing interests. Neither does it talk about sheepherders and other users who rely on public lands and who often view wild horse herds as overburdening already fragile ecosystems.
One area where The Mustangs does provide interesting insight is its coverage of fertility control methods. These fertility treatments, while promising, require sustained effort and resources to be effective. The documentary briefly touches on the challenges of administering these treatments in large-scale, free-ranging populations and showcases volunteers willing to do some of that work but does not offer a deep dive into whether such measures can truly curb population growth at a meaningful rate.
For fertility control to work, it must be applied consistently, on a massive scale, for decades — a task that is nearly impossible given the realities of managing free-roaming horses.
The film also avoids discussing the political and logistical hurdles that often prevent these programs from being widely implemented.
In terms of public policy, the film largely sidesteps the costs associated with wild horse management. The BLM allocated $153 million in fiscal year 2024 for wild horse and burro program spending, with the great majority being paid out for corrals. Return to Freedom is one of the sanctuaries highlighted as having an activist sanctuary with a wild horse sanctuary where over 500 horses are held on 5,000 acres in California.
Ultimately, The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses is a thoughtfully constructed yet idealized commentary on America’s wild horse conundrum. It is successful in capturing the breathtaking beauty of these animals and their habitats. However, it falls short of presenting a fair debate of the issues of their management. By flowing very heavily over the beauty of feral horses and not straying much from the more positive realities about their environmental impact, population control challenges, and budgetary realities, the documentary acts more as a sweetheart letter to mustangs rather than as an expose.
For audiences who are already concerned with the preservation of wild horses, the film will probably reassure them. Yet for others wishing to understand better the issues behind managing America’s wild horses, The Mustangs leaves more questions than answers.
»Related: The legal and environmental battle over the Salt River’s feral horses
Heidi Crnkovic, is the Associate Editor for AGDAILY. She is a New Mexico native with deep-seated roots in the Southwest and a passion for all things agriculture.
