1

Public Lands 

Belong To You!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal 

government agency that takes care of more than 245 

million acres of land. Most of these lands are in the Western 

United States. These lands are America’s public lands, 

and they belong to all Americans. These public lands are 

almost equal in area to all the land in the states of Texas and 

California put together.

The BLM manages public lands for many uses. The lands 

supply natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and 

other minerals. The lands provide habitats for plants and 

animals. People enjoy the big open spaces on the lands. The 

lands also contain evidence of our country’s past, ranging 

from fossils to Indian artifacts to ghost towns.

Junior Explorers

The BLM’s Junior Explorer program helps introduce young 

explorers like you to the lands and resources that the BLM 

manages. This “Wild Horses and Burros Activity Book” 

focuses on where wild horses and burros live, what they eat, 

and how they communicate. You’ll also discover 

some ways that people have worked with 

horses throughout history. And you’ll 

see how the BLM cares for wild horses 

and burros today. 

You can work through the activities on 

your own or invite a parent or an adult 

you know to join you. When you complete 

the activities, check them against the Answer 

Key on page 17. Then say the Junior Explorer 

pledge on page 15, sign the certificate, and you’re 

on your way to exploring and protecting America’s 

public lands. Have fun!
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Did You Know?

More than 38,000 wild horses and burros roam 

across public lands in the Western United States. 

These animals were once domesticated or tame. 

Many early explorers and settlers in the region used 

horses or burros to get from place to place and to 

carry their belongings. Some of the animals escaped 

from their owners or were set free. The wild horses 

and burros of the West are descendants of these 

animals.

Wild horses and burros are protected by law as living 

symbols of our country’s history. It’s against the 

law to harm them. The BLM plays a role in helping 

protect them. This booklet is full of fun activities that 

will help you learn more about this and about the 

wild horses and burros themselves. Because wild 

horses and burros have few natural enemies, their 

populations can grow so large that the land cannot 

provide all of them with the basic necessities of life. 

BLM employees monitor and manage these animals 

and their habitat to make sure there is enough food, 

water, shelter, and space for them and the other 

animals that share the rangeland where they live. 

The glossary on page 19 explains what certain words 

mean to help you better understand and appreciate 

the world of wild horses and burros.

Meet “Wild Horse Annie”

Sometimes, one person really can make a difference. In 1950 Velma 

Johnston was a shy, middle-aged secretary from Reno, Nevada. One day, 

on her way to work, she noticed blood leaking from the back of a truck. 

She followed the truck to a factory where horse meat and other items 

were produced. Johnston was horrified by what she saw there, and she 

began a campaign for the humane treatment of the wild horses.

Johnston started a letter-writing campaign that generated more letters 

to Congress than any other subject but the Vietnam War. With her 

encouragement, thousands of schoolchildren wrote letters about their 

concern for the welfare of the wild horses.

Velma’s opponents mockingly nicknamed her “Wild Horse Annie,” 

but she welcomed the name and it stuck. Wild Horse Annie’s efforts 

led to the passage of the Wild Horse Annie Act of 1959 and the 

Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. These laws 

protect wild horse and burro populations and are still in effect today.

Photo by M. Pontrelli
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Fun Facts

When you think about wild animals of the American West, you probably picture bears, mountain lions, elk, and 

deer. Yet by the late 1800s, more than 2 million wild horses and burros reportedly roamed the West. Of these horses,

the “mustangs” owe their name to the Spanish word mesteño [may-stain-yo], which means wild or untamed.

Today, roughly half of the remaining 38,000 

wild horses and burros live in Nevada. 

There the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service 

manage approximately 19,000 wild horses 

and burros, on 17.5 million acres of land. 

Because wild horses and burros lack natural 

predators and receive federal protection, 

their populations continue to grow.

Wild horses live in groups called bands. A 

band of wild horses includes mares, foals, and 

yearlings. A stallion fathers the offspring and 

guards his group.

A horse can eat its weight in dry forage (grasses, 

shrubs, and forbs) every 2 months. In the Western 

rangelands, one horse might have to feed on 20 

acres to find enough nourishment. That would mean 

eating about 18 football fields’ worth of forage every 

2 months—and about 109 football fields’ worth each 

year! Now imagine more than 38,000 horses, each 

needing and competing for that amount of food.

The BLM works to ensure that the land can 

support healthy herds of wild horses and burros. 

It monitors the size of herds and studies how 

much vegetation and water is available 

to determine how many animals—

wildlife, wild horses and burros, and 

livestock—the land can support. When the 

range cannot sustain all of the animals living 

upon it, the BLM offers some wild horses and 

burros for adoption. Since the BLM started 

this program in 1971, more than 190,000 

horses and 36,000 burros have been 

adopted, most by members of the public 

who provide a good home.
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Horses, Burros, and Humans:

A Long History

Spanish explorers and missionaries brought the first modern horses to North America in the 1500s. 

American Indians acquired horses from the Spaniards through trading and through capturing animals that 

had escaped. The Indians used the horses to help them fight battles, hunt, and transport goods.

Prospectors who went West searching for gold, silver, and other precious metals also relied on horses and 

burros for transportation.

Directions: The pictures on this page show a few of the ways that people have worked with horses over time. 

In what other ways do people work with horses? In the space below, draw your own picture or pictures of 

people with horses.
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Roaming the Range: Where Do 

Wild Horses and Burros Live?

The wild horse and burro populations managed by the BLM live primarily in 

10 Western States. The chart below shows how many wild horses and burros 

have been found in these different states as of 2011. Unscrambling the names 

of these states is your first challenge!

Directions: After you unscramble the state names, write them in the 

blanks on the chart and on the map where the states appear. Then, 

in the chart, calculate the total number of wild horses and burros 

in each state by adding the numbers shown. The first one has been 

done for you. Lastly, color the states according to the map Color Key 

to represent each state’s total wild horse and burro population.

State Name Horses Burros Total

devaNa 17,710 1,347 19,057

gonerO 2,456 15

antoMan 165 0

myongiW 5,333 0

nAarozi 434 2,761

ewN oxeciM 63 0

raiCnilofa 2,872 1,171

hodIa 500 0

athU 2,497 189

droloCao 984 0

Color Key

Total Number of Wild 

Horses and Burros

Less than 1,000. . . . . yellow

1,000 – 2,999. . . . . . . blue

3,000 – 4,999. . . . . . . green

5,000 – 10,000. . . . . . red

More than 10,000. . . purple

____________ has a higher combined wild horse 

and burro population than any other state, almost as 

many animals as all the other states added together!
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Sharing Space . . . and More

Most wild horses and burros in the United States live in Herd Management Areas. A Herd Management Area is a 

distinct area on public lands in the West. The wild horses and burros share these lands with native wildlife species 

and with domestic livestock, such as cattle and sheep. The plants that these animals eat provide them with 

energy. When the plants are hard for the animals to find, wild horses and burros must travel long distances to find 

food and so must eat more to obtain the energy needed for the journey.

The BLM is responsible for the health of the public lands and the health of the animals that live there. This 

includes making sure that all of the animals have enough to eat. To do that, the BLM monitors how much food is 

available in a Herd Management Area and how many kinds of animals may be competing for that food.

If the BLM determines there are too many cattle or sheep, the BLM can change the number of animals it allows 

ranchers to graze in that area. Sometimes, the BLM also removes horses and burros from an area if the health 

of the land or the health of the animals is threatened. But which animals—and how many—should stay or be 

removed? As you’ll see, making such decisions is not easy.

The diets of wild horses, cattle, and mule deer vary for many reasons depending on the season and what plants 

are growing where the animals live. Grasses (such as wheatgrass), shrubs (such as winterfat), and forbs (such as 

fireweed) grow in many of the areas where wild horses live.

Now look at part of a Herd Management Area (shown on the next page). You can identify where the wheatgrass, 

winterfat, and fireweed are growing—and how much is there for the animals to eat—by matching the images to 

the Key at the bottom of the page.

How many pounds of each plant are available for the animals to eat in this part of the Herd Management Area?

_________ _________ _________

wheatgrass winterfat fireweed

Now you know two important pieces of information needed to manage the area: how many pounds of each plant 

these animals are eating today, and how many pounds of each plant are available for them to eat. Five different 

animal populations are depicted below. Circle each group that, on its own, would have enough to eat in this part 

of the Herd Management Area—that is, each group that would be sustainable.

Sustainable Animal Populations:

A B C D E

5 horses

30 mule deer

3 horses, 6 cows,

26 mule deer

2 horses, 2 cows,

15 mule deer

5 cows, 25 mule deer 3 horses, 2 cows,

20 mule deer

As you can see, there are many possible combinations of animals that could survive in this part of the Herd 

Management Area. BLM employees carefully study all of the possibilities and strive to make decisions that are 

best for the long-term health of the land and the animals that live there.

Each horse is eating: Each cow is eating: Each mule deer is eating:

20 lbs of 

wheatgrass

20 lbs of wheatgrass and

3 lbs of winterfat and

3 lbs of fireweed

3 lbs of winterfat and

4 lbs of fireweed

Directions: Look in the chart to see how 

many pounds (lbs) of plants, and what 

combinations of plants, these three 

different animals are eating on this day.
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Brrr!! Freeze Mark Identification

State Registration Number Range

Arizona 80001–160000

California 160001–240000

Colorado 240001–320000

Idaho 320001–400000

Montana 400001–480000

Nevada 480001–640000

New Mexico 640001–720000

Oregon 0–80000

Utah 720001–800000

Wyoming 800001–880000

Eastern States 880001–880100

When the BLM gathers wild horses and burros for adoption, 

each animal receives its own identifying freeze mark. The 

freeze mark is created by clipping the hair on the animal’s 

neck and applying the mark with a cold iron that has been 

chilled in liquid nitrogen. The procedure is painless for the 

horse or burro. Freeze marks use the Alpha Angle System of 

shapes and angles as a kind of code for recording the animal’s 

identification number.

The diagram below reveals (on the left) which shape or angle 

is used for numbers 0–9. On the right it shows a freeze mark 

and what each part of the mark describes (such as year of 

birth). You can tell where the animal is from (registered) 

because each state has a range of numbers it uses (shown in 

the other table on the far right).

ALPHA ANGLE CODE FOR FREEZE MARK INTERPRETATION

Sample Decoded:

Registering Organization: United States Government

Year of Birth: 7 - 7 [ 1977

Registration Number: 0-3-1-9-8-7 [ 031987

State of Registration: Oregon

Directions: Decode the four freeze 

marks below to determine the year of 

birth, registration number, and state of 

registration for each wild horse.

Year of Birth Registration Number State of Registration

1.

2.

3.

4.
9

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Horses are social creatures. They communicate with each other, and with people, primarily through body 

language—such as kicking or stomping their feet, or moving their ears or head—and by making noises.

Directions: Some of the ways horses communicate appear in the list below. Can you find and circle each of 

these 12 words in the Word Find? Hints: Words may be spelled normally or backwards; they may appear 

going up, down, across, or diagonally. Two-word phrases appear as one word.

body language neighing foot stomping

ear movement squealing kicking

head movement snorting scent sniffing

neck movement vocalizations mutual grooming

angry

showing off

frolicking

attentive

Word Find
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It’s All Relative

Scientists classify animals according to their body traits. The more traits they have in common, the more 

closely the animals are related. Horses and burros are both mammals. They have hair and feed their young 

with milk. But, as you know, there are many other mammals. Which ones do you think are most closely 

related to horses and burros? It will take some “legwork” and “footwork” to find out! Start with these two 

lists of mammals:

Group 1 Group 2

horse whale

cow bat

lion dolphin

zebra seal

giraffe walrus

1. What do the mammals in Group 1 have that those in 

Group 2 do not? Unscramble the letters in bold to find out.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Are you ready for more? Scientists take the mammals in Group 3 and classify them into 

two more groups, depending on whether they have one distinguishing characteristic. 

These animals and others are listed below.

Group 5 Group 6

horse sheep

burro cow

zebra deer

rhinoceros giraffe

tapir camel

3. Unscramble the letters in bold to learn what distinguishes Group 5 mammals 

from Group 6 mammals. There’s a hint at the bottom of the page if you need it.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 

#3 Hint: A human has ten.

Scientists divide the mammals in Group 1 into two more groups, based on one 

particular trait they either do or don’t have. These animals and others are 

listed below.

Group 3 Group 4

horse lion

cow dog

sheep beaver

zebra monkey

giraffe cat

rhinoceros rabbit

2. What do the mammals in Group 3 have that those in Group 

4 do not? Unscramble the letters in bold to find out. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
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By the Numbers

“Hands” is a unit of measurement used to measure the height of a horse or burro. The height of an average 

wild horse is 13–15 hands (or, using a different unit of measurement, between 4 feet 4 inches and 5 feet). 

The weight of an average wild horse is 315–450 kilograms (700–1,000 pounds). The average burro has 

a height of approximately 11 hands (3 feet 8 inches) and weighs 227–273 kilograms (500–600 pounds). 

Information about height and weight is easier to understand and compare if you use consistent units of 

measurement—for example, either hands or feet and inches (but not both) and either pounds or kilograms.

Directions: Learn how to describe height 

and weight using different units of 

measurement by completing the table 

below. Use the following unit conversions 

to calculate the missing numbers.

Unit Conversions

1 hand = 4 inches

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

1 foot = 12 inches

1 meter = 100 centimeters

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

Height Weight Horse or 

hands total inches feet/inches kilograms pounds Burro?

Lady 15 hands 968 lbs

Willow 4 ft 8 in 320 kg

Smokey 11 hands 240 kg

Photo by John Wheland
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Tips for Interacting with 

Wild Horses and Burros

Wild horses and burros live in many areas across the 

Western United States. Some of these areas include places 

where the public may view wild horses and burros in their 

natural habitat. By following the tips on this page, you 

can be a good steward to the animals.

Directions: Read each tip, and use the words listed below 

to fill in the blank(s). When you are finished, share these 

tips with someone you know. Many are good advice for 

viewing any kind of animal!

injured feed 100

dogs members sunscreen

binoculars water quietly

1. Stay at least ______________ feet away from wild horses or burros.

2. Try not to place yourself between ______________ of a band or between adjoining bands.

3. Observe wild horses and burros ______________, so wild behavior is not disrupted.

4. A good pair of ______________ or a spotting scope is a must for observing animals.

5. Do not ______________ or try to attract animals toward you.

6. Keep ______________ under control, so they do not disturb or chase wild horses or burros.

7. Report sick or ______________ animals to the BLM. Do not attempt to assist sick animals.

8. Always carry ______________ , warm clothing, ______________ , a hat, and maps.
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Working with Wild 

Horses and Burros at the 

BLM—There are many careers 

at the BLM that help support 

the Wild Horse and Burro 

Program. All of the employees in 

the program play an important 

role in taking good care of the 

animals and the land.

Range Management 

Specialists manage the 

range plants on public land. 

The specialist must think 

about many different things 

to do this job well: What 

do cows, horses, burros, 

and other wildlife need to 

eat? What is the best way 

to protect the soil? The 

specialist works with ranchers, 

biologists, environmentalists, 

and others to create the right 

plans to keep the land healthy.

Facility Operations Managers manage the 

wild horse and burro short-term corrals. They make 

sure the animals are treated well, fed, watered, given 

vaccinations, and freeze marked. When the animals 

leave the short-term corrals, they go either to 

adoption events or to long-term pastures.

Wranglers work at the BLM facilities 

and humanely care for the animals. They 

are the BLM employees who feed, water, 

vaccinate, and freeze mark the animals.

Scott Fluer

Wild Horse and Burro Specialist

Lander Field Office, Wyoming

Years with the BLM: 22

“Horses have always been a part of my life, and 

my family’s life. In fact, we currently own five 

mustangs.” 

Scott has also helped more than 4,500 wild horses 

and burros find homes at Wyoming adoption 

events during the last 16 years.

Career Profiles

Wild Horse and Burro 

Specialists manage the wild 

horses and burros on the range. 

The specialists gather animals when 

necessary and find homes for animals 

through the adoption program. In 

some states the Range Management 

Specialist serves as the Wild Horse 

and Burro Specialist.

John Neill

Facility Operations Manager

National Wild Horse and Burro Center, Nevada

Years with the BLM: 20

“I have always enjoyed working with animals in the 

livestock industry. I am proud that I started out working as a 

novice horse wrangler and advanced through the program 

and now serve as the facility manager.”

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Bureau of Land Management

Junior Explorer

As a Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer, I promise to:

•	 do all I can to help preserve and protect the natural and culturalresources

on our public lands,

•	 be aware of how my actions can affect otherliving things and the evidence of

our past,

•	 keep learning about the importance of nature and our heritage, and

•	 share what I have learned with others!

_____________________ _____________________

Date Explorer Signature
Cut out and

save certificate
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Answer Key

Roaming the Range: Where Do Wild Horses and 

Burros Live? (page 5):

State 

Name

Horses Burros Total

devaNa Nevada 17,710 1,347 19,057

gonerO Oregon 2,456 15 2,471

antoMan Montana 165 0 165

myongiW Wyoming 5,333 0 5,333

nAarozi Arizona 434 2,761 3,195

ewN 

oxeciM

New 

Mexico

63 0 63

raiCnilofa California 2,872 1,171 4,043

hodIa Idaho 500 0 500

athU Utah 2,497 189 2,686

droloCao Colorado 984 0 984

Map Colors:

Nevada: purple Arizona: green Idaho: yellow

Oregon: blue New Mexico: yellow Utah: blue

Montana: yellow California: green Colorado: yellow

Wyoming: red

Nevada has a higher combined wild horse and burro 

population than any other state, almost as many animals 

as all the other states added together!

Sharing Space . . . and More (page 6):

wheatgrass: 100 lbs winterfat: 150 lbs fireweed: 130 lbs

Sustainable Animal Populations:

A, C, D, E

Brrr!! Freeze Mark Identification (page 8):

Year of Birth Registration Number State of Registration

1. 1983 470692 Montana

2. 2005 183245 California

3. 1997 762153 Utah

4. 2010 354876 Idaho

Actions Speak Louder than Words (page 9):

It’s All Relative (page 10):

1. four legs

2. hooves

3. number of toes

By the Numbers (page 11):

Height Weight Horse 

or 

Burro? hands total 

inches

feet/ 

inches kilograms pounds

Lady 15 

hands 60 in 5 ft 440 kg 968 lbs Horse

Willow 14 

hands 56 in 4 ft 8 in 320 kg 704 lbs Horse

Smokey 11 

hands 44 in 3 ft 8 in 240 kg 528 lbs Burro

Tips for Interacting with Wild Horses 

and Burros (page 12):

1. 100 5. feed

2. members 6. dogs

3. quietly 7. injured

4. binoculars 8. water, sunscreen

19

Glossary

band of horses: a group made up of mares, 

foals, yearlings, and one 

stallion

burro: another name for a donkey

domestic animals: tame animals kept and used 

by humans

foal: the offspring of a stallion and 

a mare—either male or female, 

and less than 1 year old

forage: food in the form of grasses, 

shrubs, and forbs

forb: an herbaceous plant other 

than grass

grass: an herbaceous plant, with 

jointed stems, slender sheathing 

leaves, and seedlike grains

habitat: the place where a plant or 

animal species naturally lives 

and grows

Herd Management

Area: places with adequate food, 

water, cover, and space to 

manage for healthy wild horse 

and burro populations over the

long term

mare: a female horse old enough 

to mate

shrub: a low, usually several-stemmed, 

woody plant

stallion: a male horse old enough 

to mate

wildlife: animals living in a natural, 

undomesticated state

yearling: a young horse between 1 and 

2 years old

Volunteer Spotlight: 

Idaho 4-H Youth

After wild horses are gathered from one of Idaho’s six 

Herd Management Areas, 4-H youth members partner 

with the BLM in training the young mustangs. For 6–8 

weeks Idaho’s 4-H youth work with the horses, showing 

them how to be led on a halter and helping them 

become very comfortable with people. This training 

helps the horses prepare for adoption and for living 

happy lives in their new environments. 

The BLM has numerous volunteer opportunities in all 

of its programs for children and adult volunteers. For 

more information, please visit www.volunteer.gov or 

www.blm.gov/volunteers.

Ready for More?

Interested in learning more about wild

horses and burros or the BLM? Visit either

of these BLM sites for more information!

www.blm.gov

www.blm.gov/education

Questions about 

wild horses and burros?

Contact knowledgeable BLM staff by

E-mail: wildhorse@blm.gov

Phone: 866-4MUSTANGS (866-468-7826)

BLM/WO/GI-12/015+1115EE2038B