The Wild Horse Controversy: An Irony of the Commons

Abstract

"The so called 'wild horse controversy' has recently attracted considerable public attention as a result of various consequences of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Briefly, the Act gives the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior a mandate to perform the very difficult task of managing these animals, most of which range on BLM lands. The difficulty of this task is indicated by the fact that actions taken pursuant to the Act seem to have drawn criticism from all sides of the issue. The BLM is apparently left with a problem that it has neither the resources nor the authority to deal with in a satisfactory manner."