This last weekend, August 29 & 30, 2009, I went to Theodore Grassland National Park , along with a good friend, Kristi McCoy, and her 9-year-old daughter, Katie. We planned on doing some extensive hiking to photograph the bands of wild horses and various wildlife found in the badlands of the park. Having never been in this area before, I had no idea what a treat we were in for! Being from the mountains of Wyoming, I don't get too excited driving through North Dakota...but this park is absolutely beautiful, and by visiting at this time of year, the crowds were nonexistent.
This blue roan subordinate young stud came out of a larger band to test his sparring skills with the black stud from a small band that was grazing nearby. They had a short skirmish before the sorrel stud from the band the roan was in came over and broke it up, sending the roan back to his band.
The minute this blue roan stud saw us, he took his band and headed out!
This stud couldn't care less that we were there photographing him and his mares, but every time he would notice that we had come between him and the mares as they were grazing, he would nicker and trot over and mount this poor little filly, almost knocking her over! Then he would look at us as if to say, "See, they are MINE!", and go back to grazing.
Just as we came upon these two studs, the roan was chasing the paint away from the mare. The paint proceeded to cross the river and walk past us and off through the trees, but not before stopping to look back at his lost mare!
After a few minutes, the roan stud left his mare and proceeded to follow the paint stud, who was long gone. The roan crossed the river, had his nose to the ground, and was actually tracking the paint. He headed off through the trees with his nose on the ground heading the same direction the paint had gone, leaving his mare down by the river.
All of these images and many more can be viewed and purchased at Thompson Photography
The wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park are a managed herd and are culled annually to prevent excess growth, which leads to unhealthy herds, inbreeding, and starvation. The excess horses are available at public sale, with a sale upcoming in Dickinson, North Dakota, at the Stockmen's Livestock Exchange on the east side of Dickinson on October 23, 2009. For the person who has experience gentling wild, unhandled horses and has the facilities it takes to contain this type of horse until they are gentled, a wild horse can make an excellent companion. These horses are strong, gentle, and they have a strong herd instinct, so they grow very fond of human companionship. One excellent blog I have found for detailed information on these horses is Wild Horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, written by a couple who have been logging information on the wild horses as volunteers for the park service since the 1980s.
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