Wild horses have roamed the American landscapes since just after the arrival of Spanish explorers several centuries ago. Many of the herds escaped or were simply released into the wild where they thrived and multiplied. Native American tribes made use of the wild horses to improve their mobility and quality of life until they were pushed to live on reservations.

Yet even with the decline of the Indian culture, many generations of these legendary horses have run wild in the West and continue to thrive in many areas. The remaining wild mustangs today are watched by the BLM to control population and disease but otherwise allowed to roam and live free in badlands without human influence.

The mustangs live in small social herds consisting of a few mares with their young and one dominant male stallion that must defend his rank from the challenge of other males.

This photo shows a very vigorous battle between an older dominant male and his challenger. The fight went on for an hour with both of the stallions coming away with bloody wounds. But, the young challenger came away with a new mare.