Wild Horses: Court Grants Wild Horse Advocates Right to Intervene in State of Wyoming Anti-Mustang Lawsuit
January 7, 2015
Wild Horses: Portrait of the Wild Stallion Tecumseh from McCullough Peaks
February 11, 2015
Right after the horses stepped off the trailer
We delayed the horses’ journey by one day due to bad weather but the horses set out Thursday, driven by veteran horse hauler Merle from Canon City. I headed up earlier in the day so I could meet them when they arrived.
All four horses moving around
They were unloaded into a pen that they could get settled into, complete with a huge bale of gorgeous hay. All four were calm and bright eyed despite their 7 hour journey from Colorado. It was about ten degrees with wind chill, and I was happy that they had thick coats adapted to cold weather. I texted Manda Kalimian, who has been eagerly waiting to hear that her horses have arrived. I am so very grateful to Manda and her organization, the Cana Project, formerly The Seraphim 12 Foundation. http://canaprojects.org/ She believed me when I told her how special these horses were, was optimistic and certain that we could save them, and she bought these horses and made sure that they would have a wonderful home to live out their lives together in peace.
Diamond Girl, Snowfall and Theodore, behind
I stayed well back from the fence so they were not disturbed, and watched them for about an hour until the light disappeared. They all dived into the hay eagerly, so I felt encouraged that they would do well that night. Snowfall and Diamond Girl are both much thinner than when they were in the wild, but I feel certain that they will put on weight soon with all that beautiful hay.
Bronze Warrior, 22 years old and Snowfall, 15 years old
Bronze Warrior and Snowfall stick together
The next morning I got out to their pen just as the sun was coming up, and watched them wake up and start moving around. It was still about zero degrees, and I watched everyone working at the sanctuary move around feeding the horses all bundled up. The horses watched me but did not seem alarmed by my presence. They were curious about the wild turkeys moving in and out of their pen.
Close up of Bronze Warrior, he is the least concerned about my presence
Diamond Girl and Snowfall, reunited for the first time since they were rounded up in October
As I watched them, I noticed that Bronze Warrior and Snowfall stayed together almost all of the time, usually very close. There is a feeling of easy familiarity as between family members or close friends. They clearly have known each other for a long time, and given their coloring, I am assuming that Snowfall, 15, is Bronze Warrior’s son. Theodore is the odd man out in this group but Diamond Girl hangs out with him when the other two are walking around together. She is shy, and likes to have another horse between us when I am visiting their pen.
Theodore
Theodore
Diamond Girl, 20 years old
Theodore and Diamond Girl enjoying the hay
Later that morning I get a wonderful tour of the upper pastures on the feed truck, driven by Lisa. The horses in different pastures come out to see us and they are so colorful! In one pasture the pintos are numerous, and in another, the Spanish Mustangs are together, and the colors of these horses are stunning here as well. No matter where we go, I am struck by how healthy all the horses look, and also by the wild beauty of the sanctuary. I could not hope for a better place for these older horses to live out their lives together. Rianna takes me out for another tour in the afternoon, and we get to see the setting sun glowing around the horses.
Horses in such a beautiful setting
The Spanish Mustangs
As the sun goes down, their coats glow
I say goodbye after checking on them one more time, and travel home. Two days later I hear from Susan that she has moved them to a much bigger area, a pasture where they can see the river, and the wild horses on the cliffs behind them, which must surely be a welcome sight to horses accustomed to the wide open prairie who have spent the last three months in small pens with nothing but more captives as far as they could see. They will stay here until Bronze Warrior’s mares arrive from Rock Springs next month.
Close up of Snowfall
The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary is a very special place. It was founded in 1988 by Dayton Hyde, who wanted to have a place where wild horses that were unadoptable could live their lives in freedom. Please visit their website here: http://www.wildmustangs.com/
It is a wonderful place to visit, and they host tours year round and now have two luxurious cabins where you can stay close to nature and the horses. Please also consider making a donation for the wild horses that live there. All these horses at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary have a story, and now four wild horses from Adobe Town add their stories to its rich history.
To read part one of the story of these Adobe Town wild horses go here:
https://www.wildhoofbeats.com/blog/wild-horses-a-new-beginning-for-older-wild-horses-from-adobe-town
15 Comments
Thank you so much for giving these mustangs sanctuary and safety they deserve. I look forward to seeing Warrior’s mares join him again!
It brings me great joy to see these families reunited. The sancuary is blessed ground and may there be more to be so lucky to live out their lives amongst family and the freedom they well deserve. This is their right, forever free!!!
I am so grateful that you were able to help make this happen. It brings tears of joy to my eyes that at least one band will be reunited and able to live in the relative freedom of a sanctuary. I am also grateful that you shared their story. I too have taken trips out to the BLM land to photograph these amazing animals. I am a novice photographer, but I am so impressed by their resilience to thrive in the inhospitable environments they have been pushed to. I have been following your posts as well as the Cloud Foundation and Return to Freedom, about the WY checkerboard round ups. It broke my heart to not be in a position to adopt myself. Only being able to post about it and share your links in the hope that someone who could do more would read it and take action. Thank you so much for all you do!
Lovely photo’s, just SO HAPPY they were saved ..Thank You all that helped!! <3 🙂 🙂
I have to admit – I’m completely smitten with Theodore…
[…] Story and Photos by Carol Walker ~ Director of Field Documentation ~ Wild Horse Freedom Federation as published on WildHoofBeats.com […]
Tears, well, more like bawling my eyes out! So happy to know that these wild ones have arrived to this Heaven on Earth for them; and, that more mares will follow. — Beside myself with anger about the Wyoming farce, complete with BLM cooperation, and the fact that some were shipped to slaughter. So tired of the BLM lies and complicity with all the wrong people. Thanks forever to the wonderful man who believed enough in the “dream” to make this place a reality. God bless you, sir.
I too thank this wonderful man who dreamed & did make a place for these horses to come to – home! My heart will always have a soft spot for anything Appaloosa – that’s what my boy was & these horses are so beautiful. Hopefully, they will thrive here & be at home. AND, hopefully as far as the BLM & Wyoming people responsible for what was done to all of these great horses – what goes around, COMES around! I hope sooner rather than later.
This is heartening to see that these venerable spirits in horse form have found a haven in our world today, that is being so mindlessly plundered by people. They are the sane ones and true healers of the ecosystem and of people too if we would only let them be themselves and give them their rightful habitat where they belong!
Fabulous. So glad they have a place. There is also a wonderful documentary (available on Netflix) about Dayton Hyde and the sanctuary called Running Wild.
Thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you from the bottom of my heart !!
Beautiful horses! May there always be wild horses for us to enjoy! They’re not only part of American history, but deserve to be around for all to enjoy!
Amo los caballos y me encantan los reportajes que mandan……
Love those Adobe town wild ones! So rugged and magnificent. They are just so unique in colors! Their genes are needed in the wild for the future of our American icons of the West. I wish the folks of the Checkerboard areas valued them as central to their landscape and wildlife.
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