What a change a few weeks make. In late March the herd was very docile, completely focused on eating. Their heads were always down, trying to get enough nutrition to get them through winter. A few weeks later in early April they were very different! Heads up, lots of running and moving, the herd seemed to be saying, “we made it through winter, and spring is on its way!” It was so great to see them so active again. They really looked like they were happy to be alive.
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…
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.
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 was very lucky to be contacted by a gifted writer who wanted to write an article about myself and the Onaqui wild horses. Linnea Lundgren is that writer and her article was published in the Sandy Journal yesterday. Here is a link to that article. https://www.sandyjournal.com/2019/05/29/200691/for-the-love-of-wild-horses-a-photographer-s-story
Thank you again Linnea
I had the privilege of taking some students from the Salt Lake Center for Science & Education (SLCSES) out to see the Onaqui Herd. This was in conjunction with the “Youth Edification Equine Human Association and Alliance” (YEEHAAA). It has been raining constantly this spring and I have never seen so much rain! The difficulty that presents is that the herd is not using the watering holes so they can be difficult to locate and even more difficult to get to if they are off the main roads. The side roads are almost impassable. We did luck out (I had gone out the night before to locate the herd) and found the herd where they located the previous evening very close to the road. I believe the students appreciated this magnificent national treasure we are lucky enough to have in our “back-yard”. We were able to walk to the horses and they seemed to have a good time interacting with these wonderful animals. We only had about 1 1/2 hours to be with the horses in order to get the students back to the school by 3:30. We ran into a very nice group of folks from Salt Lake that brought a relative that lives in England to see this wonderful herd of wild horses! I only with the BLM could realize how devastating it will be for future visitors if they remove 80% of the herd. HOW SENSELESS!!!! The stallions seem especially aggressive this spring. Lots of fights!!!
