Home on the Range
Onaqui Mountain Wild Horses, Dugway Utah
How ironic it seems
that it was in the parched desert
I found nourishment for my soul.
They say home is where the heart is, and if that's true, then I found another home away from home right here on the Onaqui Mountain wild horse range. When I stepped out of the car to observe and photograph the horses, every element about the setting resonated with me. Spending daylight hours in this kind of environment - encased in beauty and wildness- is the best way I can think of to slow down the pace of my life. Approximately 500 wild horses enhance the beautiful landscapes there. I think it is safe to say I saw 2-300 of these beautiful animals. The backdrop for photographing these horses is spectacular! Mountains and desert range dotted with the few surviving wildflowers from spring, provided a breath taking runway, diner, playground, and sleeping quarters for the horses. I have really grown to love this type of scenery, so prevalent in the west. It is filled with so much diversity of textures, layers, and colors.
I find you in the solitude of the desert,
stretched out before me like a painter’s masterpiece,
I listen for your guidance in the chorus of nature’s voices,
silencing the noisy chatter in my head.
I look for inspiration in the fragrance of the wild mustard plants,
purple and golden flowers randomly dotting the landscape.
I stand before you with my heart wide open,
ready to give and
ready to receive.
I am forever grateful,
when I search for you
you never fail to appear.
Beauty take me away
from the mundane routine of an orderly life,
from the things that distract me from my life’s purpose,
to a place where I can breathe and rest and be,
just be.
How lucky am I to have a front row seat
to observe first hand the secret life of wild horses?
And just like that,
my worries were trounced beneath
the rhythmic pounding of the horses’ hooves,
and left for good to decompose in the earth beneath me.
The herd dynamics is so interesting to me! Although I have had my own horses for over 35 years, Ive never had more than 3 and with the exception of an occasional mare I have pretty much only had older geldings, certainly none were stallions. With nearly 500 wild horses the drama could get pretty intense at times. Having an understanding of what was going on gave me direction in where to position myself and so increasing my chances for safety and better images.
A good lead stallion of a band protected his family at all costs. We observed a stallion with what looked to be a 6" wound, the flesh partially ripped away from his body exposing a bloody raw patch of skin. Even still he dutifully protected his family, chasing away and battling if necessary, any stallion who sought to take advantage of his vulnerability and steal one of his mares. It was brutal at times to watch. This is their life and as painful as it was at times to watch I felt a great deal of admiration for their bravery and a greater appreciation for the power of the survival instinct.
There were frequent desert dust storms while I was there. I had never experienced such a thing. It made for amazingly mysterious images but its power and sudden eruption was a little unnerving. Not only could I not see more than a few feet in front of me, neither could the horses! This created a potentially dangerous situation but we always remained safe. As often is the case, I had ideas of images that I wanted to create and a herd of horses running just ahead of the dust storm was one of those images I was hoping to achieve. I had several opportunities to improve on my composition with a little coaching from an expert and the luck of being in the right place at the right time.
Playing is such an important part of a horse's life and although it's apparent in our domestic horses, it's probably even more so in the wild. Playing allows bachelor stallions and colts to sharpen their fighting skills. Chasing each other, whether its back and forth across an acre of desert landscape or in a circle as if playing ring around the rosie, the horses are strengthening their muscles, coordination, balance, and speed. Nipping and kicking each other tests the social and hierarchial boundaries while giving them confidence and courage. Even playing in water and rolling on the ground serves the purposes of not only cooling them off and protecting against insects but is strengthening their coordination and agility. We were lucky to be able to observe on 3 different occasions, the wild horses at one of their water sources. It was here that they splashed and even lay in the water, sometimes smothering their entire bodies in mud. It was comical to watch!
The babies were so much fun to watch. They nursed and slept a lot! But who could blame them? Life as a baby in the wild is hard. They have many challenges to deal with...keeping up with mama as she runs full speed with the rest of the band on their way to a watering hole or away from a stallion snaking her to another location or from a stallion attempting to steal her from her band.
