In the 1950s America finally woke up to humane treatment of these animals thanks in part to "Wild Horse Annie," who took their cause to those who could make a difference. The mustangers long running brutality and disregard for humane treatment of the wild horses propelled a movement to protect the remaining wild horses. Annie changed national policy through inspiring a grassroots campaign.

Kids were her not-so-secret weapon, and their efforts changed national law. Schoolchildren wrote thousands of letters to Congress on behalf of the wild horse. One typical letter read:

"Dear Wild Horse Annie,

Today I read your news bulletin about the wild horses. When I saw those pictures I started crying. How can people be so cruel? Why can't we let the wild ones go their own way? Why can't we let them roam free in body and in spirit? Please, Annie, I'm only 11 but I want to help."

In 1971 Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act which proclaimed that mustangs are "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West and shall be protected from harassment or death."

"Wild Horse Annie" died in 1977, leaving behind a growing controversy about the place of the wild horse in the American west. Today an estimated 39,000 mustangs still roam federally managed lands in the west. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management has stepped up to help manage the mustangs. Capturing thousands of the horses each year and making them available for adoption by citizens prevents the herds from overwhelming the rangeland. More than 140,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted throughout the United States since 1973. But wild horses remain a controversial topic as we enter the millennium.