Dakota tribes rescue at-risk mustangs

Dakota tribes rescue at-risk mustangs... Indian Country Today

NEW TOWN, N.D. - Two Dakota tribes have stepped in to rescue hundreds of mustangs that many horse advocates feared were headed to the slaughterhouse.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota each purchased more than 200 wild horses, at a cost of a dollar apiece, from the Bureau of Land Management in late March. Tribal officials said the decision to buy the mustangs was based as much on the past, as it is on the future.

''We wanted to play a role in the preservation of these wild mustangs,'' said Richard Mayer, CEO for the Three Affiliated Tribes, consisting of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nations. ''The lineage of these horses can be traced back to our ancestors. These animals are part of our heritage and are really holy to us. They deserve to be protected...'' [READ MORE]