Those “wild mustangs” are literally just feral pets

Every single “wild” horse in America today descended from domestic horses that Europeans brought over starting with Columbus. The actual wild horses that were native to North America? They went extinct something like 10,000+ years ago. So when people get all misty-eyed about “preserving our wild heritage” and the “spirit of the American West,” they’re talking about… escaped farm animals. Don’t get me wrong—I think horses are incredible, and these feral populations have been here for centuries now. But calling them “wild” is like calling the stray cats in my neighborhood a “wild feline species.” It’s kind of funny how we’ve built this whole mythology around mustangs being this ancient, untamed symbol of America when they’re basically the descendants of Spanish cavalry horses that got loose. The real wild horses of America have been gone since before humans even figured out agriculture. #History #AmericanWest