horses Archives

We were headed off to another area of the Sanctuary where a band of Spanish mares and their stallion, Don Juan hang out. Krista told us that Don Juan was small but mighty, keeping a loyal band of followers in line.

She said the Spanish Horses all have bloodlines that go back to the horses brought to the New World by the Conquistadores which is how they got the name “Spanish”. They can be recognized because they all have distinctive markings on their legs similar to the stripes you see on Zebras. Some also have lines on their rumps similar to buckskin markings and many are dusky colored although that is not a color requirement.

Run Wild, Run Free

On the way we had the thrill of seeing a small band of horses doing what you dream of wild horses doing, running. Krista pulled over so I could get out and try for a picture. The horses were way out of range of my zoom but even so it is one of my favorite pictures right up there with the Prairie Dog with the flower. I am sharing the original which gives you some idea of the scale of the land and the cropped version that features the horses. I like both! What’s you favorite?

Race the wind

We stopped at one point so we could admire a beautiful dun colored mare that seemed to have all the markings Krista had been telling us about plus a little bird. Sometimes everything just comes together!

Mare & Bird Friend

If you look closely you can see the stripes on this mares rear legs.

Spanish Mare

We found Don Juan and his band of mares at one of the artificial watering stations that are set up around the sanctuary. Krista said they have tank trucks that make the rounds and fill the water tanks daily. The color segregation continued in this band too.

Don Juan's Band At the water trough

Best Friends

Don Juan

As you can see, Don Juan has the spanish markings too.

That wrapped up our tour and we headed back to the welcome center. In the process we drove by the spot we had seen the loose horse when we came in. It was gone so the wrangler must have rounded her up. Nearby a tiny Western Bluebird fluttered to a stop and I was lucky enough to get a picture. We heard the meadowlarks here too. It’s such a beautiful area.

Western Bluebird

Back at the parking lot I spotted a chicken coop but the chickens were different than any I’d ever seen. Loads of fluffy little chicks were running around.

Little balls of Fluff

There was also a coop of albino peacocks. Krista had pointed those out when we started out. I wasn’t interested then. I just wanted to see the horses so I said I’d get a picture later…but I forgot. So you’ll just have to take my word for it. Krista said they were mean anyway J

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the Sanctuary we turned our sight toward Mount Rushmore, the main reason for the trip. We would be driving Iron Mountain road to get there. That was fun!

　Interested? The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary can use our support. Check them out at www.wildmustangs.com

Finally there they were! The main event! As we came out of a stand of trees and a field opened up in front of us we couldn’t miss them. They were everywhere.

Krista slowly drove the SUV right into the midst of them. I was surprised that they didn’t run or stampede or something. Krista said the recent rains had finally broken the drought and the hoses were gorging themselves like they were at an all you can eat buffet. With this banquet in front of them, they paid no attention to us as long as we moved slowly and quietly.

Krista pointed out that the horses seem to segregate themselves. The herd had many different colors and patterns from roan to pinto to white or black but within the herd each color pattern seemed to stay close to others of the same pattern.. I had never heard that before but as I looked I could see that Krista was right.

Krista let us get out of the car but told us not to approach the horses so we stayed close to the SUV. We didn’t want to disturb these beautiful animals. We just wanted to enjoy the sight.

Eventually Krista said we should move on. There was another herd she wanted us to see so it was back in the car. Over another hill and we slowly pulled into another herd. Here is where I got some of the best shots. These horses were busy eating too but they also showed more interest in us.

Some of these horses had birds riding on their backs. The birds eat the bugs and flies from the horses’ coats.. The color/pattern segregation continued in this band too.

Back in the SUV we followed tire tracks past more horses to a lookout over the Cheyenne River Valley. Krista explained that the Cheyenne bends back and forth 7 times so is considered sacred by the native people. She said some of the herds never cross the river. They stay in the rugged “wild side “ of the sanctuary and only come down to drink from the river. Today we didn’t see any. The river valley was quiet.