Here are some additional photographs of the Onaqui Wild Horses that are more contemporary or as some might say, “fine art”. Some are just toned, some are modified in Photoshop. Comments appreciated.
Since hearing the devastating news that the BLM “ACCIDENTALLY” captured my absolutely favorite stallion (Ghost) and the stallion that he was trying to steal some of his mares (the Cremello whose mare has born colts with blue and blue/brown eyes), I have not been able to bring myself to photograph the Onaqui’s. The BLM refuses to return these two stallions to their herd! They had promised the public that they would not be rounding up any of the Onaqui herd that was not on Dugway land. So much for trusting the BLM…
After a business trip to Grand Junction, Colorado I drove the 2 1/2 hours to see the Sand Wash Basin herd of wild horses. The herd is located about 20 minutes northwest of Maybell, Colorado. I got to the the HMA just before sunset and miraculously found a small band to photograph just at sunset. They seemed very calm and allowed me to get quite close to photograph them. I wish I had taken them time to grab more than just my 500mm lens but the light was fading quickly and I really didn’t think they were going to be as friendly as the Onaqui herd.
I slept in my vehicle and got up before sunrise to hopefully find another band to photograph at the “magic hour”. Again, I was very fortunate to find another small band just before sunrise. The way the images downloaded was that the gallery shows the early morning photographs at the beginning and the evening photographs from the prior night at the end of the gallery. I drove most of the HMA and found at least 10 bands of between 5 and 8 horses in each band. Most of them were not close enough to easily walk to and I needed to return home as soon as possible. This is completely unlike the Onaqui herd where you almost always find over one hundred horses together, and family bands within that larger herd. The Sand Wash Basin wild horses were all beautiful and very healthy. I hope to be able to return and spend more time with them. I also hope to get up enough courage to photograph the Onaqui’s soon…
Let me begin by apologizing for posting these photographs of Iceland on my Wild Horse website. They are NOT wild horses and most of this post isn’t even of horses.
My wife and I recently returned from a ten-day trip to Iceland. Many of my friends have asked me to post my Iceland photographs. My website (where I would usually post non-wild horse photographs) is down, so this is the only place I can post them. We really enjoyed the trip, I really enjoyed photographing these horses. They are just handsome!
I can honestly say that Iceland was the most beautiful place that I have ever had the opportunity to visit. The lighting was extraordinary and the people very accommodating of the thousands of visitors that overrun their magnificent country.
Even after photographing this herd for over eight years I continue to be surprised each and every trip out to them. This time was no different. We were able to find the herds in a few different locations, and then we were blessed with a spectacular rainbow over the herd! It seemed to last forever! Then to top it off, we had a marvelous sunset with the herd in the distance. I must admit I was surprised at how many “keepers” I seemed to find. We were assured by a “BLM volunteer” that this herd will NOT be rounded up in the next few weeks. I hope she is correct. Looking forward to cooler temps next month.
Finally got around to processing my photographs from July 12. It was very hot that day and it took a fair amount of hiking to keep up with the herd.
According to a recent instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/B1MrhhTH_y8/?igshid=1xgr6x4xfyzw
the BLM has moved up the scheduled October Onaqui roundup to September 10-16. According to the post the BLM will gather these 200 horses from outside the HMA and then from “the mountains within the HMA where sage grouse have been re-introduced.” Again according to the post, horses within the valley will NOT be gathered…
It seems unlikely that the BLM can find 200 horses to round up without rounding up the herd that we photograph. The South herd is frequently “outside of the HMA.” I’m glad I will be photographing in Iceland during this time. Not sure I could endure the pain and suffering.
Photographing these magnificent wild horses never gets old. I could do it every day. I only hope that they will still be there when I get back from Iceland…
It was another great trip to the Onaqui with good friends and great company. Not as hot as a few weeks ago when it was 108 degrees. It was in the low 90’s today.
The North herd has moved near Simpson Springs and the South Herd is just a few miles South of them. FANTASTIC clouds and lighting, not much fighting. Great day for panorama’s. More to come from this shoot and one in late July.
Finally getting caught up on our latest trip to photograph the Onaqui herd. It is getting hot enough and dry enough that the herd(s) are now using the watering holes making them easier to find. A few rain showers, and a spectacular sunset to cap off another perfect day with the Onaqui mustangs, mares and foals.
I had another great trip to photograph the Onaqui Herd of wild horses in Utah’s West Desert. The “North herd” was near the “trough watering hole” and the South herd was South of Simpson Springs. It’s hard to have a bad day with this herd. The rainbow that was out for a short time was a welcome addition to another perfect afternoon.
Wow! What a sight. The entire North herd (approximately 250 horses take off on a full (single file) run after being immobilized for nearly an hour by a huge rainstorm. You could feel the earth tremble as they ran past. Then, they disappeared over the crest of the hill. We looked for nearly an hour before we spotted them coming over the crest of the nearby hill, into this beautiful valley! I could have watched them all night! (I guess we really did). Then the lightning started. I was lucky enough to catch the lightning with the horses in the foreground. And to top off the perfect evening, the “Old Man” came by for a visit. What a night….
I had the pleasure to visit and do some photography of the Onaqui herd last week. It wasn’t supposed to be a photography trip necessarily, but the sky and lighting conditions demanded that I seize the opportunity to photograph them. It’s funny how sometimes I don’t expect to end up with very many “keepers” but it is usually those trips that I end up with more keepers than I had ever expected. That was the case with this trip. I had three, (very enthusiastic), wild horse advocates with me. As is always the case, it was another magical trip. I hope to continue to be a support to Sonja and the Wild Horse Sanctuary. She has rescued 8 (yes eight!) wild horses that were destined for death or being penned up in corrals for the rest of their lives. My photographs can be ordered and purchased at her sanctuary in Park City and those proceeds are donated to her organization. We also plan on auctioning off trips to see/photograph the Onaqui herd that will be hosted by myself.
