Historical Background

The Blue Horse

The Blue Horse has a very unique backdrop—America’s wild horse problem. If you don’t live in the Western U.S., you may not even be aware there are wild horses in this country or that they create challenges for modern life. Living where I do, wild horses are constantly in the news, especially when the federal government is rounding them up and some of these animals get injured or die. It’s a contentious, emotionally-charged issue, and there are no simple answers.

While conducting my research for this book, I interviewed many people on both sides. I also wanted to have a solid understanding of the American horse, and I found that in what is widely considered to be the seminal work in the area, a book called Mustang by Deanne Stillman. Stillman, one of the best nonfiction writers of our time, captures not only the plight of the wild horse but provides a detailed and surprising history of how horses evolved. It is an amazing read.

Nevada, where I live, has the largest population of wild horses living on federal lands in this country, approximately 40,000. It’s why so much of the controversy plays out here. But there is another controversy in The Blue Horse, and its of global concern. Our race to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and produce the most efficient electric batteries—which power more and more of everything we do these days—has left us with a huge gap of knowledge in understanding the potential consequences of lithium mining. Much like our development of nuclear weapons decades ago (Read The Bitter Past), we simply don’t know enough about this “green energy” yet. There are many great articles and studies that speak to this. Here is just one.

I’ve tried to be fair and accurate in my representations of both of these important issues, but you’ll have to be the judge. I hope you enjoy The Blue Horse! And thank you for reading 😊.