Am’rous Causes

“What dire offence from am’rous causes springs,
What mighty contests rise from trivial things,…” ~Alexander Pope

(Two wild stallions fight over a yearling filly on the range in southern  Wyoming.)

Ahhhh yes, am’rous causes for sure in this battle of giants, although the ‘trivial thing’ was that sweet little bay yearling filly. Mr. Palomino was determined to lay claim to her, which he did and next year about this time she will potentially provide the western range with a wee, new life.

The circle of life begins young and runs long for these wild mares. From two to twenty, each year, they can produce a new, wee life! Amazing to me given that their body condition is well on the poor side. Lots of ribs, sharp withers, protruding spines, jutting hip bones hiding under long winter hair, with many new foals running next to those same mares, some weeks old already! Not a fat mare anywhere to be seen out here in the southern part of Wyoming. The beloved TRNP wild mare, Chubby, who died in March at seventeen years of age from potential complications of birth, would have been shunned because of her tendencies to the opposite extremes of these southern Wyoming wild mares. The range is a tough life.

Ms. Jamie of This Mustang Life flies in today from New Jersey! This next week Stallions will be on hold as I am excited to assist Jamie on her dream project called “Take Back the West”! Her video crew also fly in today from California, and this afternoon we will hit the ground running, heading west from Salt Lake to our base camp in Tooelo.

Have an amazing hump day in your part of the world! What have you come up with to solve America’s wild horse adoption crisis? I would love to hear any idea, no matter what it is!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all your support and encouragement, and for spreading and sharing the word of your heritage, the wild ones of America!