The Year in Horses: 1977

1977

Velma Johnston. Photo: International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros via Wikipedia

• Thoroughbred racing fans found a hero this year in Seattle
  Slew when he became the 10th horse in history to win the Triple
  Crown and the only Triple Crown winner to enter the series with an undefeated
  record.
• This year saw the passing of “Wild Horse Annie,” (real
  name Velma Bronn Johnston.) In the 1950s, Johnston
  led a grassroots campaign calling on the government to protect American
  Mustangs from the cruel treatment they were often subjected to by ranchers and
  hunters. Her leadership eventually led to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro
  Act of 1971 which prohibits anyone from harassing or killing wild horses on
  federal land.

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