Wild horses in the west: A look at America's mustang problem
![caption: The carcass of a mule deer that likely starved last winter. Biologists warn that rising wild horse populations are wiping out the winter forage mule deer depend on for survival through the long, harsh Nevada winters. (Courtesy of Ashley Ahearn)](https://kuow-prod.imgix.net/store/1272f8df95c9dd3ed37d1846aeea7309.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&fit=clip&crop=faces&auto=format&w=924&h=634)
The carcass of a mule deer that likely starved last winter. Biologists warn that rising wild horse populations are wiping out the winter forage mule deer depend on for survival through the long, harsh Nevada winters. (Courtesy of Ashley Ahearn)
The American West has a mustang problem
There are tens of thousands of wild horses in the western U.S. The federal government rounds thousands of them from public lands each year.
Scientists say there are more horses than the land can support. But some believe the horses should be left to run free.
Reporter Ashley Ahearn looks at the controversy and talks about her experience adopting a wild horse.
To hear Mustang, Ashley Ahearn’s four-part series about the complex world of wild horses in the West, click here.