The Future of Wild Horses
The Future of Wild Horses
This post is in response to The Daily Post photo prompt this week, Future.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I had the real pleasure of photographing some wild horses. I have to wonder what the future of these wild horses is though.
This little gray colt was already full of himself, and destined to be a great stallion in the future.
In some areas of the west, wild horses are considered a second class citizen. Utah is definitely one such area. Never mind the fact that they were here first. Long before the cows, and the ranchers showed up. But the horses are forced to compete with the cows, for land to live on. In my eyes, it’s 100% unfair to the horses. The BLM round up these beautiful wild animals, sterilize the mares, and take the “excess” horses to auction. Were hopefully they are adopted by a person who knows how to handle a wild mustang.
This little man was so sweet, and curious. What will his future be like?
There are miles, and miles of open land where this particular herd lives. In my opinion, they should have that land all to themselves, and be left alone. I would much rather see these beautiful majestic animals than a bunch of stupid, smelly cows.
This herd had 4 or 5 little ones. What is their future, who will protect their interests in this land grabbing part of the west?
This loving mother just wants to protect her little one.
Such grace, power, and beauty.
I want future generations to be able to experience these horses, just like I have. Will that happen, will they remain a symbol of the wild and expansive west?
I can only hope.
If you have Netflix and want to watch a good show about adopting wild mustangs, look for Unbranded. It’s a true story, and a great show.
I also have these images, and more, for sale on Mary Hone Photography.
Beautiful photos of the horses! Hope all is well with you Mary!
We are not big horse fans, but they do make for fabulous photos. Katie was always a horse lover and loved to hang out with them in Germany, but my mom prefers a cow, and Bailie and I don’t care much for either. Great photos of beautiful creatures, though.
Oh Mary! YOu have captured their wild passion and majestic presence so beautifully!
We have the same issue here too. Ranchers want the land. The wild horses deserve better than we give them!
Thank you for opening my day with such beauty and grace.
Hugs
Hello, I do hope the horses remain there in the wild. I think this land grabbing has to stop. Awesome collection of photos, I love the horses.
Have a great day!
I just love horses…always have. They are so majestic. I think it is terrible that wild horses get displaced. I wish there was a way to stop it and just let them be.
Stunning! Wild horses are rare, it’s so moving to see them in photos, I can’t imagine being there… Thank you for sharing with us, Mary!
such beautiful portraits!
yes, let them be.
We agree, let the horses have the land! They were there first – and they’re so beautiful! Love seeing the photos of the colts. So gorgeous! (We do have Netflix so I’ll check that out.)
Cool post. My friend would enjoy this post because she LOVES horses.
We have the New Forest in England with miniature ponies. Tney are dwarf horses. The humans are still tall, but the horses have had right of way in the village streets. Love your photos! :)
We are for the wild horses to remain free and wild too. I think it is Carole King (please tell me you know who she is!) she lives in Idaho I believe, is involved with saving the horses, and the environment. I always see things on her Facebook page, I believe there was a story done on the horses recently, not sure if it’s the same one or not. Love Dolly
MARY! I am terribly late; my mornings have been quite hectic.
But here I am, enjoying my favorite creature through your lens.
It makes me SO MAD when I see or hear about how these horses are treated. MONEY MONEY MONEY is what it’s all about. I know that the beef industry has to plant themselves somewhere, but our “somewheres” are running out of room and the results are less land for the native species. These darlings just break my heart in joy and in sorrow as I too wonder, what is the future of the wild horse?
We used to go at least once a month to see the wild horses in Southern Nevada. But news of the BLM roundup has ruined all that. We haven’t seen them for over a year now and miss them. Such beautiful animals. They would come down from the mountains in early morning and stay for most of the day.
Gorgeous images. Perhaps someday you’ll come east to see the wild horses of Cumberland Island Georgia or the ponies on Chincoteague.
As for the conflict with ranches, I heard a great interview with a scientist who was working to protect savannahs in Africa. They started by blocking off land and protecting it from all grazing. Surprisingly the land continued to die. Eventually they realized that wild grazing animals (not ranched animals) actually kept the land in better condition.
I suspect that wild grazing horses (and buffalo and other creatures we’ve tried to crowd out) do a lot to protect the land. And ultimately, that improves things for the people who live there as well.
I agree 100% about wild horses. The ranchers feel so darn “entitled” to the land for their cows. It drives me nuts and has led us to almost completely give up eating meat. My friend adopted a wild mustang, who sadly died fairly young but had a foal. The foal is now a fabulous mare who still has a lot of wildness in her!
Your images are stupendous. I wonder if there’s a group fighting for the rights of wild horses in Utah. Perhaps they could use an image or two of yours? That would be a great way to help.
I hate seeing cows on BLM land, it’s supposed to be public! Utah is extra special horrid on allowing cows on BLM. And ya, we gave up on eating meat. I want to sell the horse prints and donate to the wild horse rescue, I just need to get it figured out.
Mary, I am so honored that you came to my blog post! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic comment. I am getting there! Now, to go to the open range one day and photograph these magnificent beasts….dream.
There is something so graceful about wild horses. I hope they will have a future, not only in the States but wherever they have the pastures. Excellent photos, Mary, that shows the beauty of these animals.
They are so majestic, and it makes me sad that they are not protected. It certainly seems like there must be plenty of land for everyone.
People are assholes and the most invasive species on this planet. I hope the horses get to keep their land.
These are absolutely beautiful pictures, Mary! How fabulous to watch and photograph them. And yes, I agree with you, they should be protected.
Have a great day (thank you for stopping by my blog, by the way!).