Happy Birthday Wild Horse Annie

Velma Bronn Johnston, born 5th March 1912. She loved horses.

Better known as “Wild Horse Annie,” she is remembered for her animal rights activism on behalf of burros and wild mustangs.
Before Fame
She devoted herself to the cause of wild horse preservation after driving behind a truck carrying horses to slaughter and witnessing the terrible transportation conditions faced by the animals.

Trivia

She was instrumental in securing the passage of both the Public Law 86-234 (which put an end to the killing and capturing of wild horses on state-owned property) and the more all-encompassing Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which was signed by President Richard Nixon. She was profiled in a 1959 issue of Time magazine.

Family Life

The child of Gertrude Clay and Joseph Bronn, she spent her youth on a ranch in Washoe County, Nevada. After their marriage, she and Charles Johnston continued to live and work on her family’s ranch.

Associated With

She appeared alongside Lloyd Bridges in the 1973 Western movie Running Wild.

https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/velma-johnston.html

Beautiful horse photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash