Mustangs are symbol of American freedom. They are majestic and spirited animals that embody freedom, spirit and the wildness of nature and America.
The movie "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" is loved by many. It is the story of a wild mustang horse who is captured by humans and taken away from his herd and subject to cruelties, such as the use of a whip/s and spurs, being tied to a post for three days without food or water, being repeatedly mounted despite clearly not wanting to be ridden and exploited by humans and being held in captivity. This movie is fictional (although it may be inspired by/loosely based on true events), but many real wild horses and burros are subject to the cruelties of being captured by humans. The movie has a happy ending, but the real horses who are rounded up and sent to slaughter do not.
Many wild horses are rounded up into holding pens and kill pens. The lucky ones will be adopted, but the even more unlucky ones will be sent to slaughter. The herds may well need to be managed in order to protect the ecosystem and the interests of farmers, ranchers and landowners, but they should be managed in humane, non-lethal ways. Sterilisation can be used to control wild horse populations, and the horses could then be given health checks and vaccinations. If fit for release, they could then be released. If it is truly in the horse's best interests to keep them in captivity, they should be sent to good sanctuaries or adopted out to the best possible homes where they will be very well-loved and taken care of. Horses should only ever be taken from the wild when it is either in their best interests or when absolutely necessary in order to protect the ecosystems and other animals and (perhaps) in order to protect the interests of people. In these cases, the horses should be either sent to good sanctuaries or adopted out to the best possible homes.
Horse slaughter, whether of wild horses or burros or of tame horses, should be outlawed in America and across the world, as should all unnecessary slaughter and abuse of all animals…
