Wild Horse Protection Policies: Environmental and Animal Ethics in Transition

Wild horse protection policies in the United States and the Netherlands reflect ethical claims and scientific arguments, often cast as opposing positions favoring the integrity of self-sustaining ecosystems versus the welfare of individual animals. Neither holistic eco-centric, nor individualistic bio-centric ethical claims provide guidance to public sector practitioners who care for wild horses removed from U.S. public range-lands and living in holding facilities awaiting adoption; or who manage herds of de-domesticated horses in Dutch nature reserves. Wild horses are becoming increasingly dependent on transitional environments that are neither wild nor domestic. New ethical and scientific arguments are therefore needed to support revisions to existing policies.