It was my birthday. The party was winding down. The rain had stopped. Why not a spur of the moment trip to hang out with the wild horses. We may even get good clouds. My adventure buddy and nephew, Asher, had just moved in with us and he was more than happy to join. So, hook up the trailer, throw in some top ramen and oatmeal and go.
Grab the binoculars, gassed up, and we're off. Finding any of the three herds is not a given, especially if there has been a lot of rain. Big puddles work just as well as a water holes and the horses can range far and wide. Two hours later, we found the north heard, in the road. No need for binoculars today. We took the mandatory hour of pictures in harsh light, to get our photography fix and then went to set up camp.
With evening light approaching, we headed out. I like to get a feel for the horses and let them get used to us before the good light hits. For me, it is so relaxing to sit and watch the horses interact. Eating, grooming, snaking (Stallions lowering their heads and herding their mares), keeping an eye on the rambunctious foals and fighting. Every stallion is covered in scars. Hang out with them for an hour or two and you'll see why. They fight, a lot. Mostly the mild kind. A nip, a kick, a challenge, a response, position shoulder to shoulder, maybe rear up, maybe a quick bite, then its over. But, once in a while you get the "try to take my mare, I'm going to kill you" fight that can be extremely violent and last for many minutes. Impressive and scary. Be on your toes, these fights can change to chases that come straight at you at high speeds.
I think there should be a formalized sitting with wild horses meditation, I find it much more therapeutic than massage, sauna, music or a good movie. We could call it "Hoof to Heart" or "Peace by the Herd" or maybe "Bridle the Mind". Whatever you call it, it works for me. The only time I do not feel this peace is when I'm laying down, to get the proper angle, and suddenly, stallions are galloping at full speed straight at me. "Fury of the Herd" or "Brink of the Hoof" are quick transition out of this meditation.
As the light improved so did the background. A hill with red sandstone boulders and a blue sky with puffy white clouds above it. Things were going well until the entire herd decided they needed to be a mile south, right now! It was fun to watch 150 horses gallop past us on a mission. Since they settled down in the shade of a hill we decided to call it a day and headed back to the trailer.
The next morning Asher wisely decided to stay in his warm bed. I headed out to enjoy the sunrise with the horses. Did I mention how well planned this trip was? Well, it was 39 degrees with a 20 mile an hour wind. Fortunately, I had brought a thin fleece to throw on over my t-shirt. My hands were numb, but the light and the background were great, so deal with it. Mental note, next time check the weather forecast.
A few hours later the light was getting harsh, so back to the trailer. A good breakfast of oatmeal and oops nothing else. A quick nap. Clean the trailer. Movie time. We were enjoying the movie "The Dirty Dozen" when Asher notices the herd running through our camp. So, we got some more horse therapy as we watched about 100 horses run by.
That evening we headed back out. There was a ravine full of tumble weeds. We watched the horses carefully cross it. Being as prepared as I was Asher is wearing crocs and no sock. "I'll give you 5 bucks to cross that gully". Off he goes. It was worth it.
One of the colts got a serious case of the zoomies. So fun, so cute. Did you know that the zoomies is contagious? Pretty soon there were 3 foals running around and it turned into a game of tag. As the sunset approached, unfortunately with a clear sky, several horses placed themselves on a ridge for nice silhouettes. Throughout the evening we kept saying best picture of the day! Another day of horse therapy in the books.
Our last morning. No warmer than the last. Asher, unwisely decided to join me. Fortunately for him, a stallion came over and decided that Asher was evil (I agree) and stood guard to prevent him from getting out of the truck (in reality, no idea what that stallion was doing, but I like my interpretation). Poor Asher had to take his pictures from within the warm truck. White puffy clouds, blue sky, green grass, red cliffs, mountains and hills, finding the best background for shots was a challenge because of sensory overload.
We decided to take the long way back to camp and randomly drive a side road that eventually connected back to the Pony Express Way. More pretty views along the way and one more area to add to the library. Breakfast and then it was time to head home. At least I have my memories and 3500 photos to process to hold me over until my next does of "Hoof to Heart".
