BLM Asking for public input on Onaqui Herd – Please consider giving your input!!

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I just received notice from the BLM specifically about this wonderful herd of wild horses I love to photograph.  They are looking for public input on the issue of thinning the herd from their estimate of 450 horses to between 120 and 200 horses.  They state the reasons in the attached pdf.  I am always amazed how they (the BLM) are happy to have around 2,000 head of cattle and 2,500 head of sheep use the Herd Management Area each year, BUT IT IS THE WILD HORSES THAT ARE THE PROBLEM!  Anyway, I would ask that you consider giving your input to the BLM on behalf of this wonderful herd of wild horses that do not have a voice in this issue.  They need our help.

Thank you for your consideration.  This link should open the BLM’s pdf on this issue that gives instruction on how to submit your thoughts.

18_ Utah Onaqui HMA public comment

Photography of Utah’s Wild Horses – Onaqui Herd – May 25

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What a great trip we had in late May.  The stallions were very aggressive defending their harems with the younger single stallions trying to entice the mares away.  Lots of new beautiful foals and lots of great opportunities.  The herd was again split into two locations.  One to the North closer to Dugway on the other herd that is almost always South and West of Simpson springs.  Everyone seems healthy and happy.  Little do they know that they will soon be rounded up by the BLM and most of them trucked off to pens in the Midwest…  It will truly devastating to the herd and it’s dynamic and also to those of us who love the herd.  There has to be a better way to manage this magnificent treasure that we are lucky to have here in Utah…  Next time we visit I hope to find the beautiful foal with one blue and one brown eye.

Onaqui Herd May 8

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We were lucky enough to find both herds on this trip (one to the North and the other South of Simpson Springs).  The fighting between stallions was much more prevalent than the last time we photographed the herd in April.  The 2,000 head of cattle that winter on the Onaqui HMA were about to be rustled up and hauled to their summer range (it’s funny how the HMA can support 2,000 head of cattle and 2,500 head of sheep each winter but according to the BLM there is not enough range and water for 300 horses….).  If you are planning a trip to Utah’s West Desert to see this magnificent herd, I suggest you go soon.  The BLM is planning to gather at least 1/2 of the herd and transport them to pens in the Mid-West where they will live the rest of their lives in captivity.

One more post and I will be up-to-date.  Enjoy…

Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses of Utah – March 2018

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I finally found some time this weekend to finish processing the last photo shoot I had with the Onaqui Herd of wild horses.  It’s amazing how well-known the herd is.  I ran into a photographer from Minnesota that tries to get out and photograph the herd when they come to Utah for skiing every year.

This years foals are just starting to be born.  Several of the mares were really big.  Glad to have found the majority of the herd, the last few times it has been difficult to find them.  There were a lot of cows in the area.  Grazing permits seem to take priority over the wild horses.  We guessed there to be over 1,000 head of cattle on the Onaqui Herm Management Area.  The BLM also grazes about 2,500 sheep in the HMA every year…..but the herd will be cut in half this fall by the BLM because there isn’t enough resources for that many horses.  To give you an idea how big the HMA is, it would cover the Wasatch Front from North Salt Lake, to Orem; and from the Wasatch mountains to the Oquirrh mountains…

March 2018 Foals Of The Year – Onaqui Herd

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Finally found the time to get out and photograph the herd.  On the previous two photo shoots I found it difficult to find very many horses.  Not so this trip.  We probably saw 250 horses on this trip.

I haven’t had time to process many, but the foals that have been born in the past week or two were unbelievably cute.  Here are a few….

 

Onaqui Herd – Small Family Band in Light Snow

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Wow, it seems like I haven’t had time to photograph the Onaqui herd of wild horses for months!  Finally had a chance to get out and hopefully photograph them in a snowstorm.  This trip was by far the most difficult trip I have ever had finding the herd.  I traveled further than I have ever traveled only to find this small family band.  I love this group of wild horses.  The white colt is absolutely SPECTACULAR.  He is destined to be a herd stallion in the coming years.  Unfortunately the BLM is scheduling a roundup of this herd this summer and the band and this colt (with one blue eye and one brown eye) will likely be rounded up and sent to a holding pen with over 50,000 other wild horses to live out its life in holding pens…

This beautiful colts father is the palamino stallion shown in these photographs.  He has two blue eyes.  The mother is still with this small band as you can see from the photographs.  I was hoping to have a stronger snowstorm.  I had pre-visualized these photographs with more snow obscuring the horses and allowing longer shutter speeds to blur the snow.  Grateful for what I did get, I hope to get out again soon to see if I can find the rest of the herd before the BLM rounds them up.

Wild Horse Photographs – For Metal Prints

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I had a few customers contact me asking what photographs I would recommend to them to have printed on metal.  In my opinion most of my wild horse photographs print best on either lustre paper, or even better, on canvas.  The photographs printed on metal that I have had printed were ones that had a lot of saturation and had a lot of dark colors with a lot of contrast in the image.  So, I created five (thus far) photographs that I think will look really good printed on metal.  I have one ordered for a close friend, but it has not arrived yet.  These are the five photographs that I have completed, specifically with the thought of being printed on metal.

 

 

I do not print on metal myself, I have them printed and sent directly to your address.

If you would like to order a metal print, delivered to you ready to hang on your wall, please email me. I have several sizes available. These prices include shipping directly to you:

11×14 $70.00
16×20 $110.00
16×24 $130.00
20×30 $175.00
24×36 $210.00

Onaqui Herd at Sunset – 24 Nov – Second Batch of Photographs

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I have finished processing all of the images I shot on the 24th of November.  Every trip is different.  The theme of this trip seemed to be photographing the herd at sunset.  Doesn’t happen often, but when it does, one is amazed at the warm colors and beauty of the horses.  Here is the final batch of images from that day.

Onaqui Herd 24 November

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Finally found the time to return and photograph this wonderful herd of Wild Horses in Utah’s West Desert.  It has been over a month since I have had a chance to photograph them.  What a treat seeing them again.  The herd was quite far south, and must have used the watering hole earlier in the day.  They seemed very calm and content, and they seemed to be lazily enjoying the spectacular November evening.  Not a whole lot to photograph till sunset, but it was sure worth waiting for!!!  What a special evening.  The lighting was absolutely out-of-this-world!  A rare treat to be right within the herd at just the right sunset.  Another memory that will never be forgotten.  I hope you enjoy this wonderful herd as much as I do..