Few wild horses still exist in the US. The State of New Mexico, where in 1974 there were 6000 wild horses, now has a population of less than 400 of the beautiful animals.
Yet Bill Richardson, Democratic presidential hopeful and ubiquitously saddled-up marketer of the Land of Enchantment, seems to be waffling on signing a Wild Horse Protection Bill - after it passed unanimously in the New Mexico House, and with one opposing vote in the New Mexico Senate!
SB655, The Wild Horse Protection Act, creates a legal definition for the wild horse in New Mexico and establishes protections conserving the Spanish Colonial Horse, now extinct in Spain.
The wild horse is an enchanting national treasure - an American icon worth preserving for its own sake, but wild horses could also add economic value throughout the west through Equine Eco-Tourism, providing much-needed, eco-friendly economic development in rural communities.
So, why don't he sign?
If Bill Richardson can't protect 400 wild horses in his own state, with the support of the NM legislature, then how in the world could he, as president, be trusted to protect the rest of our country's or or the planet's precious, deteriorating, natural resources?
Hmmmmmm?