Wild horses are descendants of Spanish horses brought to the New World in the 1500�s by the Conquistadors. In the 1800�s, the Spanish stock began to mix with European horses -- favored by the settlers, trappers and miners -- that had escaped or been turned out by their owners. The wild horses were in demand until tractors and other mechanical means replaced them. Then, they were pushed back into the most arid, hostile public lands that are left. Yet they still survive!