How to Apply Wild Horse Advocacy to Your Everyday Life

Advocating for Wild Horses in Everyday Life

(November 12, 2020) On the heels of worsening roundups, many are asking what more can be done to protect America’s iconic wild horses and burros. Advocacy is never easy, but it is crucial. It requires grit, strength, and determination to incorporate wild horse advocacy into your everyday life. The wild horses and burros need strong advocates for their protection and preservation, like you!

The first step to becoming a wild horse advocate is to determine your strengths. Where are you most useful? Can you write? Are you a community leader? America’s iconic wild horses need everyone, from every walk of life, to step up and be their voices. No matter your strength, you are important and needed.

Once you’ve determined your strengths, you can jump right into action!

10 Ways to Advocate for Wild Horses

1. Become an expert! You can read all about the issue here, and the solutions here. There are more in-depth resources on our website, such as information on legal cases, on legislative work, and on in-the-wild management. Be sure to read up!
2. Spread the word! Create social media pages or blogs dedicated to the wild horse issue to educate your community. Speak at virtual events hosted by your community library, center, or school. These events can inspire entire communities to speak up for wild horses, turning your one voice into many!
3. Host a (virtual) party! Set up a virtual phone calling party to maintain social connection while advocating for wild horses. Make your favorite appetizers or dinner, and get all your friends calling! This is a great way to double your impact in just one night. Remember to always be armed with facts and to be respectful and kind.
4. Organize fundraisers! From Facebook fundraisers to lemonade stands, every bit helps. If you have kids, this is a fun and creative way to get them involved. Hands-on fundraisers are always very fun for kids, and it’s a great way to entertain them for potentially a whole weekend!
5. Get the kids involved! If you’re in a virtual school slump, take a break from the computer and print out our children’s activity book. This book is filled with educational and fun activities for you and your kids to do at home. From a wild word search to a stay wild pledge, to fun coloring pages, this booklet will keep your kids entertained and off the computer! It is also a great way to teach your kids all about why letter writing to congressional representatives is so important. If you post any pictures on social media, use #writeforwildhorses and we will post them on AWHC’s social media!
6. Sport AWHC gear! If you don’t have any yet, you can get AWHC T-shirts here. Not only are you supporting our work, but these t-shirts are great conversation starters, especially our popular “Stay Wild” t-shirt. Our supporters have taken this opportunity to educate the public about the plight of wild horses and burros.
7. Be a conscious consumer! Be mindful of your everyday purchases. Extractive use of our public lands is a major contributor to shrinking wild horse habitat. Extractive uses include livestock grazing, oil drilling, and mining. Try to buy energy-efficient vehicles, install solar panels, and be mindful of where your animal products come from.
8. Volunteer with AWHC! If you live near Reno, NV, or are a photographer and want to volunteer with us, please email [email protected]. We are always looking for people to volunteer with our fertility control program (Reno) or if you are a photographer, with roundup observation. Both are hard jobs and we are looking for truly dedicated volunteers who are passionate about wild horses!
9. Adopt a wild horse! Wild horse adoption is a bandaid, not a solution. We need to ensure that wild horses are protected and preserved on the public lands they call home by championing wild horse-friendly legislation, promoting humane in-the-wild management, and creating a firewall of legal protections around America’s wild horses and burros. That being said, there are a lot of wonderful adoptable mustangs and burros at BLM pens right now. If you have space, time, and financial resources, please consider giving a mustang or burro a lifelong home. If you don’t have the space for a horse, you can also virtually sponsor a wild horse or burro at our partner sanctuary, Montgomery Creek Ranch!
10. Join in the fight! Be sure you are signed up for our mailing list. We often send out timely actions you can take for wild horses and burros.

Only you can ensure your voice is heard, so speak up and speak loud for America’s wild horses and burros by incorporating wild horse advocacy into your everyday life!