Gladiator on left and Ender on right.
Dear Wild Horse and Burro Fans,
This past weekend my friend Rachel Reeves and I headed to the White Mountain herd near Rock Springs, Wyoming. We had emailed about it for months, but I had only met Rachel in person once before and my excitement grew as we started the drive.
We arrived Saturday morning and right away we saw Rachel’s favorite horse Gladiator. Rachel’s been documenting these horses since 2011 and is very knowledgeable about their history. The dominant color in White Mountain is sorrel and I was in awe of Rachel as she identified their subtle differences in order to ID each band. It’s not like the Pryors where there’s a good chance that you’ll see the band later in your trip. Often we needed to ID the bands quickly from a distance before they had enough of us and moved away.
We were lucky Saturday morning, for another bachelor named Ender joined Gladiator and soon they were making their way to harass some of the band stallions in the area. Ender especially would not give up on one mare. At one point she had at least six different stallions after her. She was cranky and the constant attention did nothing to improve her mood. Even when her own stallion tried to snake her away she would kick at him. He would then be forced to confront the stallions himself.
Eventually, we tore ourselves away in the hope of finding more horses. Later in the day we did find some horses peering at us behind the sea of tall sage. I think this is a typical behavior for these horses. The horses are tall enough to see above the sage, and the sage is tall enough to make a barrier between them and the perceived threat. They can either then decide to leave or stay put. Rarely do they get closer. As the sun set, we said goodnight to the bands and headed to camp.
The next morning, on the way out we spent a couple of hours with the horses we had seen the previous day. I was beginning to get a handle on some of the names, but it was easiest to ID horses that are Curly. It’s one of the things that make the herd unique. As much fun as it is to visit a new herd it is underscored with a slight feeling of sadness. For such a large HMA there did not seem to be as many horses as I would have expected. Yet, the BLM is determined to make this herd non-reproducing.
The math does not add up. The White Mountain Horses bring tourists to Rock Springs, so the BLM should work to enhance the herd, not limit it. Many of the bands had only one foal and some mares had lost their foals since Rachel was last there. Clearly PZP and natural selection have been working well for this herd. I would like to see the herd become more publicized and the BLM needs to commit more to the White Mountain horses. At the very least, the BLM needs to add more signage to promote the herd. Not just for the horses, but for the community of Rock Springs. Until that happens I will take all the time with the White Mountain horses I can get and I will enjoy telling stories about the amazing experiences I do get to have.
Yours,
Livi Martin
Livi Martin is a natural resource student at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Before studying at Crookston, she called Burnsville, Minnesota her home. She visited the Pryors for the first time as a teenager and is now interning at TCF. She started her internship in May and will be heading home in August.
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