Fri, Nov 21, 2008 (2:07 a.m.)

An enduring symbol of freedom is a wild horse galloping through the desert. In a perfect world they would be left free to roam the grasslands and mountain ranges of the West.

But the Bureau of Land Management rounds up horses on occasion to guard against overpopulation and to appease ranchers who complain about damage to grazing lands. The problem for the federal agency is that the cost to feed and care for corralled horses has sharply increased.

That’s why it was refreshing to read in The Washington Post of a proposal by Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, to rescue the more than 30,000 wild horses now in federal pens.

Her plan is to establish a permanent retirement ranch for the horses, which she would adopt, sterilize and place on more than 1 million acres of grasslands. Her intent is to acquire some of the land from private owners and the rest through a lease with the federal government. The ranch would be open to the public.

“I see it as an eco-vacation spot,” she told the Post. “Could you imagine taking your kids there, staying on the range in log cabins or tepees?”

This novel approach is worthy of serious consideration by the government and represents the type of creative thinking we could use more of in managing Western lands.