Horses have been part of the American West since the first Spanishexplorers brought their European-bred steeds onto the new continent.Soon thereafter, some of these horses, lost or abandoned by theirowners or captured by indigenous peoples, became the foundation ofthe great herds of mustangs (from the Spanish mesteno, stray) thatcontinue to roam the West and play a unique role in its culture, economy, and mythology. Photographer/oral historian Paula Morin firstbecame interested in the myth and lives of the mustangs when shebegan photographing them