Declaring wild horses and burros as “living symbols of the historic and Pioneer spirit of the West”, the 1971 Wild free-roaming Horses and Burros Act made killing and or capturing mustangs illegal. However, Netherlands explains, whether by failure or design, not all wild horses were designated a protected territory or HMA as part of that law. As a result they are classified as “stray or unauthorized livestock” and as a result they have no protection. This is what happened to the Salt River wild horses and what is currently happening to the Alpine wild horses.