Wild Horse & Burro Alliance

Public Comments regarding the Oregon South Steens gather scheduled for Aug 15 2024

Mustang Meg KEEP THE WEST WILD
WEB www.mustangwild.com
VID www.mustangjourney.com
FUND MM www.roamwildfund.com

2025 federal budget proposal requests $15m for “permanent sterilization” of wild horses.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request is seeking $15 million for mass permanent sterilization of wild horses and a team of twenty FTEs to carry out the proposal.

Mass sterilization methods are not transparent within the request, but previously proposed methods include high-risk invasive surgical procedures such as castration and removal of ovaries (ovariectomy) which have been subjects of AWHC litigation for over a decade.

The 2025 proposal was released days after Congress cut the BLM’s FY 2024 budget by $5.9 million while preserving $11 million in 2024 funding for reversible, humane fertility control implementation, suggesting Congress will closely scrutinize and challenge the highly controversial 2025 proposal when it appears before House and Senate.

The National Academy of Sciences has previously cautioned against castration of wild horses due to the adverse effects on band and social integrity and deemed ovariectomies in field settings inappropriate due to risk of hemorrhage and other severe complications.

The proposal was strongly denounced by American Wild Horse Conservation, which said:

“Permanent sterilization contradicts the BLM’s legal mandate to protect America’s wild horses in self-sustaining, free-roaming herds [and] could have far-reaching, extinction-level consequences for the entire wild horse and b***o population.”

Contact Info

Never let the dust settle, be their voice.
Got something to say about wild horses and b***o management? With integrity stand tall and be their voice. Here is contact information to lawmakers in DC . Save it, share it, and use at will.

My personal talking points? It’s a complex situation, but here are a few at the top of my list:

Cremello and Perlino - pale/white horses with blue eyes aka double dilutes - no culling for color.
In addition, killing of horses before, during, or after gather operations need to be well-documented with photographic evidence available to the public as needed, for transparency.
Welfare cases should be addressed with sanctuaries first to see if there is rehabilitation, help, or refuge available to the animal if adoption is not possible.

No *permanent* chemical (GonaCon) or surgical sterilization. Removing the hormone component changes natural behaviors of free roaming mustangs, bands, and herds in their complex wild society. Permanent sterilization creates nothing different from domestic well mannered pasture pets or docile farm-like animals.
To suppress population growth, instead use proven and effective contraception, such as PZP with successful field use and research over the last 30 years, and effective across species. Lasts 1-2 years.

Blm state field offices should work more closely with citizen groups who closely document specific herds, for input or recommendations.

For the wild ones never leave a stone unturned, and never let the dust settle.

Want to be their voice?
CONTACT INFORMATION

I'm often asked how or who to contact about America's wild horses and b***os, so here is the info in one post.
Various Contact info from state to the federal level:

Wild Horse and B***o Information Call Center
866-4MUSTANGS (866-468-7826)
email: [email protected]
https://www.blm.gov/whb

State and District Level Offices:
https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-b***o/contacts

To contact your Senators and Representatives - call the switchboard at 202-224-3121

Also:

•The Honorable:
US Senate
Washington DC 20510
www.Senate.gov

•President:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC, 20500
Comments 202-456-1111
Switchboard 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461

•Secretary:
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Phone: 202-208-3100
Fax: 202-208-6956
E-Mail: [email protected]

In 1971, the BLM was put in charge of implementing the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and B***os Act. The U.S. Senate stated:
"An intensive management program of breeding, branding, and physical care would destroy the very concept that this legislation seeks to preserve, leaving the animals alone to fend for themselves and placing primary emphasis on protecting the animals from continued slaughter and harassment by man."
PUBLIC LAW 92-195-DEC. 15, 1971: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-85/pdf/STATUTE-85-Pg649.pdf

Protect to Preserve... and keep the WILD in our WEST!
~Mustang Meg

About the photo: Part of the GoldDust series. Camping on the range woke up to the sound of mustangs playing nearby. This is a c**t in the Cruiser band July 2020.

Some wild adventure..

Oregon Steens had a gather Sept 2022, euthanized 22 horses with said pre-existing conditions. 11 of those were cremellos. These horses are missing, horses heavily documented:

Mid September the 2022 Steens gather concluded with 753 horses captured and at the facility with 22 horses euthanized for pre-existing conditions, 11 of which were cremellos which a number of Steens Oregon photographers have documented over the years. Some of the photo-documented cremellos have not been seen (MIA) but we’re still waiting to learn their whereabouts and will update as we learn more. We still hope to find them.

Update: A page was created by a concerned citizen and photographer seeking transparency and answers: The Survivor Project: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088076816473&mibextid=LQQJ4d
They filed for and received the FOIA report: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/TULaxmUVeVqdTHG9/?mibextid=WC7FNe

New video by Scott Beckstead a well regarded and known advocate for wild horses and b***os put this video out there about the cremello situation. While I don’t agree with the statement that the agency “loves killing horses” but like to many of us, it’s a sad situation and he’s seeking answers:
https://www.facebook.com/567684365/posts/10159371321954366/?mibextid=cr9u03 (if the links do not work, copy/paste, and I’ve also added them in the comments).

About this album: I’ve been getting many questions regarding the 11 cremellos euthanized on Steens, often asking about specific cremello mustangs. So decided this was the best way to provide more info and to be able to see their photos, including links to photos on a shared tracking page (various photographers over the years. - South Steens Wild Horses). For each horse I also selected a story I wrote of an experience I had with them on the range a few years ago to help jog memories. I am not saying they were indeed euthanized but rather unaccounted yet, or not yet seen on the range. Hope is running low for Survivor, as he was documented as captured, but no where to be found…. and in September turned 4. Khaleesi c**t was seen at the facility, she was thought to also be there, but last was told was not her. She is MIA. Info will be updated as we learn more.

Was this Steens gather necessary? Absolutely. Water was drying up all over the range on Steens and one waterhole was left for the remaining horses, water has been hauled in.

At this point, still hoping somewhere somehow these horses will show up:

Survivor: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=657590215727020&set=a.657608992391809
Sandor: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=657590225727019&set=pcb.657609012391807
Aspen: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=657590202393688&set=pcb.657609012391807
Ghost: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=657590205727021&set=pcb.657609012391807
Centaur: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=657594812393227&set=pcb.657609012391807
Khaleesi: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=657590212393687&set=pcb.657609012391807 (believed to be at the facility per recent report).

Other cremellos unaccounted for were from the Sultan, Dante', and Wicasa bands.

Cremellos are among some of my favorites to photograph as they seem the closest we'll ever come to mystical horses legends are written about. They're stunning double dilutes of the cream gene, and they're as close to white as possible with stunning ice blue eyes. There are also perlinos, which are similar in all, but tend to have redder under-tones in the cream color (Durango would be a good example). Sultan band also had an outstanding perlino young stallion as well.

For now, we know for a fact that 4-yr old Survivor was documented several times as having been captured and in holding on the range, but to-date has not been located at the holding facility in Hines, OR. The other horses I'm sharing in this cremello album (outside of Khaleesi, who is believed to be in a pen at the facility at this time, with c**t weanling Merengo), have not yet been seen or documented to date. Several photographers have been out to the range to find more cremellos like Survivor... so far one we have seen but not one we have documented in the past. As for the others.... nothing but crickets.
We are still holding out hope to find some of these incredible cremello mustangs of Steens.

Cremellos and perlinos used to be thought to have eye conditions or subject to them, however, nothing of the nature has been observed in the cremellos in the wild to date, over the ten years of documenting these horses. In fact their skin and eye areas appear less irritated to the summer sun then some white-faced pintos. We have numerous images of cremellos and their eyes on our page South Steens Wild Horses.
Here is more about cremellos- just one example of many google researches:
https://ihearthorses.com/all-about-the-beautiful-cremello-horse/

Gather daily stats, including horses euthanized at the 2022 South Steens gather: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=657595069059868&set=a.657608992391809

Want to be a voice?

double dilute- pale or ‘white’ aka cremello horses in mythology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_horses_in_mythology

If you have something to say to the agency in terms of wildhorse and b***o management, I’ve compiled a list of contact information here click the pic to open:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=826401785512528&set=a.10158717834863956&type=3&mibextid=cr9u03

Happy Independence Day!

Strength, Spirit, Determination and Resilience ..... I love this Land! Happy Birthday America!
And who better to represent the perseverance and resolve of this great land than our legendary Oregon stallion Survivor!

All my life I heard my dad say "Never take Freedom for Granted." I understand this now more than ever.

As we celebrate our nation's freedom, we honor the courageous men and women who have served and those dedicated to preserving it. Hope you have the opportunity to shake the hand of a Veteran, and our valued first responders! Have a wildly wonderful Independence Day!

About Survivor~ He was born late in the year as a small frail c**t to an elder mare. Something at the time seemed a bit off... he stepped funny at times, sometimes lifting his knees higher like he was stepping over something, but wasn't. His vision was good as he easily watched me at any distance and visual/behavioral responses were appropriate to the situation.
I chewed my nails watching the weather in the southeast corner of the state that first winter... I thought of him often.... especially hearing of severe storms and freezing temperatures on the mountain, and an extended winter season well into spring, it seemed, and his frail aged mother with not much to forage on in the dark cold winter, for his milk. His odds looked bleak.
My first trip out there at the end of winter, delighted to find this little white beacon in the hills- it was Survivor! As I got closer, double delighted to see Mother Nature was rather generous and gave him the thickest winter coat I had ever seen- so wooly was this little thing that I couldn't help but chuckle when I was his face. Survive he did!
As a yearling he suffered a massive wide gash stripping his hide across his whole hip. We crossed our fingers it would heal without complications. That it did. Not long after, stallions fought violently over his mother when he was just a little older and ended up being run out of the band earlier than usual from the upheaval of feuding stallions and poor Noelle being pingponged between them... this beginning his bachelor life fairly early. He was initially a solitary c**t, but later we found him hanging out with another young stallion, Bolero, he grew up with, and from then on his little brotherhood grew.
Someone fairly recently asked if I thought Survivor would ever mature into a full-fledged edgy fighting stallion and possibly acquire mares of his own. Up until then to me he seemed too mellow and told them that some just stay mild and end up as perpetual bachelors... and that I never saw initiative or any form of aggression.... often napping in the juniper shade, or mildly playing with other bachelors, but nothing to make me think differently he would have enough "edge" to go rogue.
Well.... This last May, I found him limping.. fairly badly and resting among the junipers... Poor boy, I thought. Some buddy bachelors came over, he limped to them half way and they started to play. The play got harder, and Survivor more insistent.... His lame leg didn't even occur to him. He played so hard, and even roughly, and I was something new in this once frail and docile c**t... he was acting like a stallion! More young bachelors came in and he took them all on.... you would never ever believe it was the same horse with a bum leg... So I grabbed a bunch of pictures, and this was one of them, which I used for this wonderful day of celebrating the strength and resiliency of our nation.
Gosh, I had to laugh.... I think I was off the mark a bit when I replied to the person asking about him. What I saw that day with the other young stallions, Survivor was BOSS.... he's learned to not only survive adversity and thrive despite it... perhaps even thrive because of it... making him stronger.... rising above.
Time tells the best stories.

Here is the original image of Survivor: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=585608946258481&set=a.10158064718098956

Here is his album on my MustangWild website, scroll down through the story to see the pics of him, you can even see him as a bitty baby: https://www.mustangwild.com/p245361927

Keep the WILD in our WEST... and our WEST WILD!
~Mustang Meg

Follow me
VIDS www.mustangjourney.com
WEB www.mustangwild.com
SHOP www.wildhorsespirit.com

Contact:
MustangWild
PO BOX 785
Lebanon, OR 97355
[email protected]
www.roamwildfund.com

Journal story by Mustang Meg ... living wild out west!

Emerald Eyes
As a kid I had the good fortune to go on a horseback riding vacation with a friend of mine to Desert Hot Springs for a week during summer break- and under a full-moon. The host/riding instructor we stayed with had a house full of cats she'd saved from coyotes, abandonments or drop-off, or the desert itself at one time or another. Her cats were all different sizes, shapes and colors, much like her horses. But this isn't a story about cats. We stayed there during the week of a full-moon because we were able to only ride at night as it was unbearably hot during the day in this beautiful but harsh desert of southern California.

Although I've been on horses since I started toddling about, it's here I first learned about real riding by using minimal aids, and ba****ck. I enjoyed learning to ride without a saddle at a walk, trot, and lope without the aid of stirrups. My riding balance, posture, and confidence grew with every ride. I learned to ride pretty well because we rode every day and into the night. We rode so much that we had to switch to fresh horses, giving the winded ones a break.

Over the course of the week, we had a grand time laughing it up, and kids being kids... came up with other ideas we found entertaining, whether it was licking salt blocks, sitting in the water trough, or throwing dried cowpies and horse-apples at eachother, the list of mischief was endless. But riding ba****ck by the light of a moon was nothing short of icing on this cupcake and an adventure for a horse-crazy kid. Being an animal lover I felt right at home surrounded by many different animals. But besides cats and horses, I met another critter in this wild desert nebula.

All day long in the house during the intense heat, my friend and I anticipated being outdoors and riding horses after sundown, and finally be out of the sweltering stuffy indoors full of cats, no such thing as air-conditioning out here. The house was inundated with cats, cats everywhere. And cats being cats, all were mostly sleeping up high or down low, in sunlit areas and dark corners. There were cats on the counters, the coffee table, anywhere there was sitting or walking space. While we snuggled our favorites, we would talk & breathe horses, draw horses, or play with horse models. If we weren't doing that, we were watching movies with horses ... and you guessed it, with a cat asleep on top of the television set. But as soon as the sun hid it's burning rays, followed by the handsome orange moon, we got ready for our outdoor adventures. When the moon showed it's round face over the desert horizon, we eagerly changed into our riding jeans, boots and tank tops, tripping over cats running out the door to head for the dry dusty paddock with halters in hand, searching for our favorite horses... mine was always black. Good to breathe the fresh desert air!

Though the sun went down, the air was still much like a convection oven. We weren't going to work the horses until it had a chance to cool down more. There was a tackroom next to the outdoor arena with all our supplies. When it got a bit cooler and darker, we used a flashlight to go into the tiny, dusty and cobweb-decorated tackroom to get brushes & bridles, and bribery treats for the horses. It was the very first night I noticed tiny little glowing emerald lights at the end of my flashlight's reach... here and there... on the floorboards as well as dark corners of the tack room. Quite the oddity I thought, but was extra stunned and surprised when I saw them move! Transfixed and unable to move my eyes away, I asked what they were and got a casual reply of "tarantulas". I about jumped out of my skin and up onto my friend. Being a kid with minimal spider experience let alone big hairy tarantulas the size of kittens, I was a bit "creeped-out" as we said back then. Strangely at the same time amazed and fascinated, I couldn't help but keep staring at the tiny glowing and motating beads of light. I focused my flashlight more directly on one for a closer look. Yup, their chunky fuzzy bodies and bountiful load of hairy angular legs confirmed their identities.

After some time I managed to pick my jaw up off the floorboards and return my mind to earth, by brain was recalculating trying to acclimate to the idea of these green-eyed beings sharing my space. Not crazy about the new found idea of them in close proximity to myself, but wanting to "cowgirl up" ..... I managed to peel myself off my unsympathetic and laughing friend. Once on the ground in the darkness I was keenly aware of my feet and afraid to step where I couldn't see. I didn't dare step backward without the flashlight around my feet, because I didn't want to step on one.. they were much too big, and I would surely feel one beneath my boot. But kids being of a resilient nature, I eventually got used to the whole idea of desert tarantulas and chalked us up to being more badassy then ever. I enjoyed shining my light on these critters sporting 5 o'clock shadows to watch them scurry away. I became brave enough, I wandered around looking for more ... 'Brave' that is, but with three stipulations: as long as they kept moving from me, did not hold their ground and stair back, or dart in my direction. Satisfied that I hailed the power, my thoughts raced back to the horses tied to the railing waiting for a couple distractible kids. The wide-open desert... moonlight, horses, a laughing friend, and crazy glowing emerald eyes... it doesn't get better than this, I thought and glad they were part of our desert world.

The tarantulas and their tiny green eyes in the darkness became part of the captivation of the southwest desert and the magic of that time in my life, all with a kid's big sense, thirst, and quest for adventure and simple amazement. I grew up with the fortune of being outdoors, and many of my adventures were with horses. Every kid in my opinion should at some point in their lives feel grit between their teeth, grab a fist full of horse-hair in a full gallop ba****ck, feel soft breath and a velvety nose of a horse on their cheek, hear a welcoming nicker, have a good old-fashioned horse-hair sandwich, and be truly in awe.... amazed, and inspired by nature and all it's amazing gifts. Even tiny moving emeralds in the dark.

Here are a few images of my diaries, and pages/excerpts within...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.491015092384534&type=3

Keep the WILD in our WEST, and our WEST WILD!
Sonya, aka Mustang Meg

Follow me also~
VIDS www.mustangjourney.com
WEB www.mustangwild.com
SHOP www.wildhorsespirit.com
FB www.mustangmeg.com

Contact:
MustangWild
PO Box 785
Lebanon, OR 97355
www.roamwildfund.com

Link takes you to the vid of wild horses over the capture quota being released on Steens in Se Oregon ...

Not sure if we've ever shared here this video of some of the South Steens being released ... horses over the capture quota of a small 100-horse bait-trap gather in 2017 (Shaman, Valor, and a trailer load of mares): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK-n4KJI62I

"Not much riles me up, but when I reread what I wrote last year, I got a little hot under my collar recalling manipulations to drum up sympathies to justify and pressure removal agendas.... and it was at the time of heavily pregnant mares at the start of foaling season... The "emergency" was not recognized as an immediate need, gratefully.
If something moves your emotional needle, don't assume it's truth. How do you combat this? Do your research, understand agendas, and consider the source. And keep the west WILD!"

Propaganda, the art of the Alarmist
Propaganda: noun 1. information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Propaganda tools are designed to twist and manipulate a circumstance to justify actions and/or achieve a goal. Opportunistic propagandists will stop at nothing, always looking for ways to wedge in their manipulative agenda. If they're not hunting around photographing a shallow playa bed which expectedly dries early in the season and crying that the range is drying up - stirring up hysteria to the less knowing public, or photographing stressed horses who have dropped in weight from their new situation in a holding facility a few weeks after capture, then they just may be seen running around scanning the ranges in the dead of winter for horses in the leaner side of the herd. I wish I could nod my head and say I'm just being sarcastic or facetious, but sadly no.

Yup. This time... bless their hearts... they (not our South Steens people, but others with their own more sinister agendas) are driving up and down mustang ranges, looking for the leanest horses they can find to share to their circles to drum up their extremist posse as well as the well-meaning but unknowing bleeding hearts in the mix. Hysteria, the prequel to their anticipated end game. The well-seasoned propagandist does not need to wield so many words, but a few trigger words and knows that their audience will do the rest. In wild horse circles, unfortunately, we see the hysteria created on both ends of the wild horse spectrum- the "do nothing" group, and the "spay or slay" enthusiasts. Frustrating... and for myself personally, annoying and predictable.... weeding through the two ends of the busiest and loudest along the spectrum scale. But it's the 80% I do this for, and for the mustangs. It's just what we do.

What is normal?
Wild horse ranges in winter will always-ALways have some horses that are leaner than others, and they tend to be lactating mares, the elder, or the injured. These are not domestic obese overfed farm animals or heavily supplemented halter horses... they're mustangs, and they are on natural ranges in seasonal progression where in winter months we will always see a percentage low in weight- that is nothing new. The actual gauge of how a range is doing is not by a few lean horses, but rather the herds as a whole. This is not to say all those labeled as "emergency gathers" have no merit, some require more attention. But many might be manipulative justification to actions. If something moves your emotional needle, don't assume what you read is truth.
How do you combat this? Do your research, understand agendas, and consider the source.

Supplemental Feeding?
Supplemental feeding is detrimental to the wild horse populations under normal winter circumstances. Feeds they are not used to can make them ill (twisted gut/bloating/colic) when introduced to feeds not natural on the ranges. Those that get through the bellyaches, may become overly acclimated to humans and in short act like critters from a petting zoo (so to speak) and over rely on humans- relying on handouts staying in one area looking for the next hay truck while degrading that local area instead of what they've done for ages - wide scale foraging and natural band & herd movements and migrations.

Yes, sad to see any horses in their lean times whether injured, elder, or nursing a foal or a combination of the above. But part of the natural order of wild horse society and not a surprise... precisely what we've seen each and every year... for me I've observed mustang herds since 1994. Prescribed gathers are still part of the equation as better range practices are implemented, such as contraception, but I resent any attempts to manipulate the system through a labeled "emergency" as emergency gathers do not require transparency to the public to observe gathers which would be detrimental during foaling season- especially on a beloved range such as the South Steens. So far the SS HMA had a full-scale helicopter gather in 2009, and approximately 100 horse per bait-trap gather in each of 2016, 2017, 2018, and a 218 horse helicopter gather in 2020.

Keep what I've said in your guard and feel free to counter the hysteria-generating attempts to once again manipulate to over-manage wild horse herds on our ranges, because it's being strewn on social media for emotional knee-jerk reactions to further personal agendas and justify actions via well-meaning readers who may not know the truth otherwise- and perhaps hoping to incite frantic phone calls to elicit an emergency gather- the end game. Truth is, "emergency gathers" don't require public transparency and observation, just ramrod an action of removal, and it's being pushed for the spring during the height of foaling season. Heinous.
With the loud extremism on both sides of the dirty coin- Remember- the truth is always in the middle.

The previous article on Propaganda- the range war:
https://www.facebook.com/mustangmeg1/photos/a.10158717834863956/10158811393808956

What can you do? Share trusted information or sources with your netposse. Also contact the state agency for your voice. Also consider contacting lawmakers in DC:
To contact your Senators and Representatives - call the switchboard at 202-224-3121 US Senate Washington DC 20510 www.Senate.gov Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Phone: 202-208-3100 Fax: 202-208-6956 E-Mail: [email protected]

Protect to preserve and Keep the wild in our west! MM

KEEP IT WILD!

Day 1 June 2011
The very first day of the very first trip over ten years ago of photographing the Steens mustangs. Grabbed a couple horse-crazy friends and literal neighbors, checked the topographical maps and headed to Oregon's high desert in the SE corner of the state. It was the end of the day searching for mustangs and famished.... Cooking topramen with canned chicken on the tailgate... ramen never tasted so good..

Wild Horse Journal, SE Oregon 2011
We struck off for the wilds, leaving behind our families for a fast whirlwind weekend of chasing wild horses with our cameras, and being in the wide expanses of the high desert of southeast, Oregon, Steens Mountain. Steens is also known as the crown jewel of the high desert, an oasis for wildlife such as mustangs. Three different personalities, too much coffee, much laughter, high tech equipment we knew nothing about, and a ‘peacekeeper’… pretty much sums up the atmosphere. We returned the same mothers that kissed our youngsters’ soft cheeks goodbye before striking off on our wild horse adventure, but also as rejuvenated, recharged wild women from a weekend in the high desert among mustangs.
I live in the foothills of the Cascade range of Oregon on the west side and have lots of room to grow my kids and just be... without too much interference from society constraints. But it isn't until I leave the last town... the last house... and head for the great expanse of open ranges in the high desert- east over the mountain chain, that I feel…well, free.

The mustangs we ‘chased’ with our camera lenses were two distinct herds, the Kigers known for their Spanish markers, which are smaller, refined mustang with expressive eyes, typically black tipped ears, and colors are usually duns, buckskins with a dorsal stripe, and striping on their legs. This unique herd is management in a geologically isolated area away from other wild horses to preserve their unique lineage. There are also bays and dark horses among these bands. This year we were treated to two very pale foals, one of which appeared less then a week old and very light/pale in coloring, from that distance even looked white, even though there are no true white or albino horses there. The little one was with a band, much farther away and with horses who did not tolerate onlookers as well, were near at all.

The other herd management area we photographed was a well-known, easily accessible, and heavily photographed mustangs of south Steens. The colors there ranged all kinds, with a high percentage of pintos.

I’ve been viewing wild horses with my husband in southeast Oregon since 1994, but this was the first time I had gone with just friends. The way everything unfolded was just like out of my young kid dreams! On the way to where we were staying, on a whim decided to take a detour through Kiger country on the way to the historical Peter French Round Barn outside of Diamond. And by chance, we spotted a couple bands high on the hills. We decided the barn can wait, and we drove down a rutted dirt road in their direction getting somewhat closer, although they were about a mile away. I crossed my fingers that they would allow us closer, as my experience with them in the past has been very flighty- they'd spot us a mile away and be gone in an instant. This time, they stood near the top of the hill against a sky the color of a robin’s egg, and watched us as intensely as we watched them, and they provided us a terrific photo opportunities. I only had with me a tiny pocket camera, but with a relatively powerful zoom lens. So, we slowly made our way closer, meandering around the sage and rabbit brush, until we reached their ‘zone of tolerance’ and until they began moving away. We stopped, waiting for them to resume eating, and when they appeared comfortable, we moved in closer.
While there, we were also treated to pronghorns and their babies who watched our meanderings on the hillside. I was also so intent on videotaping at one point that I couldn’t even swat at hungry mosquitoes, nor did I look back at a little whirlwind whistling in the sagebrush just behind me. Jackrabbits were also plentiful.

Interesting to note was that this band was tightly grouped in proximity to one another. They were that way, when we happened to notice them on the hill initially, and they were that way when we were with them… and when they walked high up the hill and stopped, they once again stood quite close to one another. As close to one another as they were, none showed irritated behaviors, no biting or flattened ears, just quite content and calm. The only unhappy horse was the band stallion who had to worry about a tenacious contender.

The band stallion was a husky, large dark grullo, a handsome stallion. Equally handsome with a glossy coat and excellent conformation, was a bright golden dun stallion that appeared to be his contender, a rival for the band, or at minimum to steal a mare or two for his own. Band stallions have their 'hands' full with keeping watch over and not lose their harem to rival stallions. The hours that we spent there the younger stallion continued to circle the band trying to get in closer, but the band stallion kept him at roughly the same radius, behaving much like a cutting horse. The rival stallion, seemed to know all to well the grullo’s strength and kept a respectable distance for much of the time, but when he was more daring, a rearing brief fight ensued. I have no doubt that this has been going on for quite a while as they were well beyond sizing each other up. The band stallion would shake his mane and throw his head in a menacing manner quite often. It must be a serious challenge, as the two stallions rarely paid attention to us, and seemingly playing a game of Chess. The grullo’s attention was on the contender, and the contender’s attention was split between the mares, as well as keeping a safe distance from the menacing leader.
It is also quite possible that this 'outsider' was displaced by the grullo, but I don’t' think so, as he appears younger. Displaced stallions, typically tend to be aged stallions who’ve lost their edge to a more robust male. It could also be the case that the band stallion drove out a coming of age offspring and in direct competition for the harem. Band stallions will drive out c**ts even their own offspring, around 2+ years, those he senses to be a threat.... which is a good thing, a built in social order in the equine world as it is part of what aids in genetic diversity. The youngster driven out, eventually joins a bachelor band, where he can mature, and play... practicing necessary skills to earn a band of his own. As natural selection dictates... as with any wild animal only the strongest, most tenacious, best confirmation, the quickest, healthiest, and intelligent of competing males, will win the right to a ‘family’. This contender looks robust, and well muscled... at least 5, so looking at the options, he’s most likely one ready to have a band of his own. It's hard work being a band stallion, and a well-earned right.

Before we hiked it back down the hill to the pickup, we saw the grullo limping on his left front after spending much time chasing off the other mustang and fighting. It’s uncertain if that will be enough of a weakness for the contender to get an edge... who knows. Actually we'll never know bc they'll be rounded up in about a week.

Wild horse behavior is fascinating to me, if I had it my way, I’d be living nomadic with the wild herds to record herd behaviors and social order. It was difficult to leave the Kigers, the antelope, the mountain lupin, and little dust devils, but we were very happy with this experience and our photographs. On the way from the horses and toward the historical Peter French round barn, we were happily surprised by 4 one-year old coyote pups, stopping momentarily to have a good look at us before they disappeared among the sage.
We got to south Steens to scout the the painted mustangs. We saw them at the base of a rimrock wall, but it was late to hike it to them and we were all hungry, so we found a place to park and cooked dinner on the tailgate, overlooking the wide open spaces, hearing nothing but evening birds, crickets, even an occasional frog, and the hiss of the propane while cooking dinner.

South Steens horses are usually pretty easy to find, but on this particular day, they must have been tucked away in a little valley that we couldn’t spot them as readily, and spent most of the morning looking for them. As we drove farther away from their usual hangout area, headed toward the mountain…we sensed that we were 'getting colder'. But I didn’t mention it, but instead we explored the west slope of the mountain, we did, however, acknowledge it later. I thought we might get skunked and miss them all together that day. We finally parked the rig and the sense, or 'stang-radar... was to hike anyway, and look over the ridge where they usually are. We hiked north to look over the bluff- but nothing, an empty void. But you could still sense them, so we continued and pushed north and with each step, I felt like we were getting warmer… but I wrote it off simply as wishful thinking. Each little valley we looked over, again nothing. We then spotted a well-used coyote den and what looked like a horse highway in the distance next to it, which went up and over a rimrock wall. We hiked up and onto the bluff and looked on the other side- and again, nothing. I felt bad for my two friends I was making hike on simply a whim, and most possibly not find anything. But I felt the horses there- somewhere out among the sea of sage, somewhere. We saw their mineral and ‘salt lick’ spots they frequent, and the various stud piles indicating their ‘kingly domain”. But as far as the eye could see, nothing but sage, desert brush, and various native grasses.
We continued the trek, another valley, and nothing. Plenty of stud piles though and places where they enjoy salt and minerals. Finally something caught my eye, and in the distance, pinpoints of various colors of light and dark. We had all gotten very good at spotting things in the great distances and identifying boulders and cattle from horses in the far reaches of air and sagebrush.. We saw little fast specks.. running babies in this distance and knew without a doubt we finally spotted the mustangs. Excited, we began our trek towards them, meandering between the sage, wanting to get to them so fast it felt like the sage was in the way. Soon, however, we noticed they were headed back where we just came from, which meant they would go around the rimrock southwest of us. The herd was moving pretty quick, loping or casually trotting, headed back to their favorite spot. We intercepted at the rimrock and perched ourselves right on top preparing for the show. Right about the same time, we were treated to over 70 mustangs of every color...running, trotting, walking far below, and in the high desert silence, we could hear their hooves on the basalt rock, clipping or over-turning rocks. The foals were frolicking about as they followed their mothers, and the stallions positioning themselves with their family bands. The bands had come together to water, and as they were headed back to their favorite place, the distinct bands became more apparent from this ‘bird’s eye view”, high on the rim rock.
Surprisingly quite a few stopped to look at us. Their senses are amazing- very keen and aware. Some of the main stallions stood and watched us for a while, and rejoined their bands but stayed behind so they can maintain a view of the ‘families’ just ahead. But overall, relatively unconcerned and continued moving to their favorite place of rest and grazing. When they were far enough away, and when my senses returned, my friends and I hiked it back down the rimrock, and onto the wild horse highway, which passed below the coyote den. We made our way down closer to the bands.

Of course our curiosity got the better of us near the coyote den, so we walked closer to it, to assess the activity level around it, and hoped to get a glimpse of at least a pup. Of course, I was appointed the one to be ready with the iron, should something unexpected happen. Got some good photos of it, but we didn’t want to get too close to the den, as to frighten anything.
We moved on down toward the mustangs over many basalt rocks, toward the bands. I photographed one band with a palomino mare, with what looked like her two year old, and a her new beautiful c**t, who played, ate, and slept a lot on a rotating basis. A couple of the older youngsters, were curious about me, and wanted to walk in for a closer look, especially since their band stallion was comfortable with my presence. One came in too close that I had to kick up a sagebrush twig to make her walk away from me, as I don't want them feel comfortable with being too close to humans (as much as I would have loved to touch this golden beauty, it was more important to me to 'keep her wild".) I meandered between the bands, and finally came up to the band with a jet black stallion with four tall socks.

The black was an incredible stallion built like a tank, complete with a thick, long wavy mane hanging far below his neck, and battle scars. He was aware of me but unconcerned, and would stop grazing every now and then to watch me curiously, as I watched him. I'd seen him since a youngster, and gangly bachelor, and now is a force on the mountain who has a sizeable band of his own. He had one young little paint mare in his sights, the current object of his affection, and stayed right next to her the whole time we were there, rarely leaving her side except to chase off other potential suitors. He was very ‘polite’, quite the gentleman around her. He only left her side when another bachelor walked too far into his protective barrier, or "zone of tolerance", and he chased with intense ferociousness. With his mission complete, he returned to her side.

The jet black stallion was who I wanted to complete my photography time with. Content, we trudged it back up to the pickup, stopping occasionally for pictures of wild flowers or stud piles, and looking back, I snapped the three obvious bands at the base of the rimrock all. In the silence, jostled out of my thoughts and reflections of the mustangs, came a piercing scream. One of my friends had heard a rattler in the sage next to her. I was glad to find, she only heard it and didn’t need me to extract it’s teeth from her shin. She was so excited that she wanted us to come in for a closer look and hopefully photograph it. I was perfectly fine right where I was and had no intention of wrangling a rattler.
Our action-packed whirlwind trip to see the mustangs, had come to a close. It was time to head back to civilization, and kiss the soft cheeks of our children once again.

One last long look at the mustangs, and we got our things together to head over the mountain for home. Stopping at the Alvord hotsprings, we dipped out feet in the mineral water that seeps from the mountain’s base as well as a few other points of interest. We were making good time. Leaving the freedom of the open spaces, we neared the fast growing busy town in central Oregon, and I readied myself for the endless cars, buildings, and congestion. Beforehand, on the long stretch of road, I watched for birdlife on the telephone poles and fence posts. Every quarter mile or so, hawks were perched high on the poles for a good vantage point. I was pleasantly surprised to also see a gold eagle. Even more surprised, a short while later we spotted a bald eagle, this great nation’s symbol of freedom. But as we rode quietly, deep in our own thoughts and closing my eyes momentarily… I could still hear the mustangs’ hoofbeats in the stillness of the desert... mustang wild I am, as they are my personal symbols of freedom.

Keep the wild in our west and our WEST WILD!
Mustang Meg

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