Adorable

Every year at around this time we receive calls about young wild horses that have run into difficulty. In some cases the outcome is not always positive. However, other young foals find themselves rescued by concerned individuals. We have reported this in the past, such as Wylie, River, Lucky and Gnu to name a few. Such is the case as the young colt pictured above.

Second Chance

Let us introduce you to Second Chance (Chance for short). He was found by his rescuers on May 27 abandoned by the herd and probably near death. Upon finding him a decision was made to try to save him and he was rushed to what is now going to be his new home to start receiving lifesaving care and attention. Since it was most likely he did not receive colostrum from his dam, this has been an uphill battle for his new mom, Tammy and her family.

Feeling frisky

Tammy has been so diligent in assuring that the young boy received the proper nutrition and care. She would get up throughout the night to feed him his bottle and to bond with him. For such a young creature, this attention and bonding is vital to assure their chances of being a healthy foal. This is quite obvious in the picture we took of Chance on our visit,  as he cavorted around his yard area. Tammy just has to call his name and little Chance whinnies and comes running to her.

Play time

Here is Tammy, Chance and Bella, their black lab playing and exercising in the sunshine. When first found, the poor young thing had open wounds, his eyes were dull and he could only stand with help. It should be noted that a vet was called in to make sure that everything was properly taken care of to assure his wellbeing.

I feel great now!

For those that wonder how this could happen, the first little while of a young wild foal’s life can be quite harsh. Some succumb to health problems and some to predators. In this case, however, we believe that what may have happened is that the mare’s herd was taken over by a new stallion. Sometimes when this happens, the stallion will not accept the male foal and will drive the mare away from it to ensure that only his genes survive in the herd. This may sound cruel to some, but it is the way of the wild horses and the way to make sure that only the strongest survive. This behaviour allows the wild horse herds to remain healthy and strong.

My new home

We sincerely want to thank Tammy and her family for saving and giving a new home to this precious new life.

Bob

Two young buddies

The snow is finally gone and fresh new grass is emerging. The heavy rains in the last few days are a blessing not only for the west country, but also for the creatures that call this land home. The new grass will definitely come quickly now. These two young bachelors we found while riding way back in one of the valleys. Their winter coats have been shed out and they are quickly putting on weight as this new forage emerges.

Our greeter

One day we had hauled our horses out west to go for a ride in wild horse country and at the location we picked to park we were met by an old friend, “Socks”.  Not too concerned about us, his herd continued to feed while we unloaded our horses. Upon seeing our mounts, the boy put on quite a show prancing back and forth between us and his herd. It is so great to see him in such excellent shape. His herd now has two young foals who are both doing well.

Sock’s offspring

In our travels we are starting to see some of the young bachelor studs confronting the herd stallions in an effort to start their own herds, by stealing a mare or two.  Sometimes, if they are strong enough they can dominate the old stallion, chase him off and take over the herd.

The confrontation

This light coloured stallion, confronts a young upstart who got too close to his herd, which watches on. In almost all cases that we have observed these battles are more bluff and noise than truly physical. Unlike wild horses in other areas, it seems that our Alberta wild horses have enough room in their territories that the battles do not have to go the extreme that sometimes TV portrays. This battle was very quick with the young boy being thwarted in his attempt. We did see him a week later where he had managed to pick up a mare from another herd and he had his hoofs full trying to protect her from the advances of another young stud. A few weeks before however, these two boys had been together.

Good looking boy

When you spend a lot of time observing the wild horses, you always come across other wildlife that inhabits our Eastern slopes. As much as I enjoy researching and photographing the horses, it is always educational and entertaining to study the antics and behaviour of these other creatures too. The last time out close to muskeg meadow, we came across a pair of Sandhill Cranes who were taking a stroll down a logging road.

Sandhill Crane

I believe that this is same pair that has nested in these meadows for several years in a row as they do mate for life. Their calls through the forest are haunting and unique compared to other sounds that we hear.

Checking us out

Interest continues in the welfare of our Alberta wild horses in the last two weeks. We have given interviews to two Canadian horse magazines and a magazine writer from Switzerland about the wild horses. Then one rainy Thursday we also took a film crew from the Arab TV news network, Aljazeera, who are doing a documentary on Canada and wanted to include a segment about our Alberta wild horses. It was amazing how close the wild horses allowed their cameraman to approach, which enabled him to get some spectacular footage.

Rainy day

All this is very positive in drawing more public attention to the fact that here in Alberta we are privileged to have these beautiful and magnificent horses roaming free and wild.

Bob

Sunshine

April has been a long and cold month here in Alberta.  The snow has hung on in locations and often during the month new snowfall added to the wet conditions.   Many back roads are not in very condition as I travel through wild horse country checking on the herds.  This time I just wanted to bring you up to date on a couple of the foals we reported on last time.

Blondie’s baby

The last time we saw this little filly it was snowing, so cold and it had just been born hours before. Here it is now a week old, much stronger and beginning to explore on its own. The ability of this young one to survive such a harsh environment shows the resilience of the wild horses even at this tender age.

Cute boy

This is the other foal that we reported on last time and we’ve identified it as a colt. As you can see he too is doing exceptionally well. Being a few days older, he is much more adventuresome and loves to run around kicking up its heels.

Everything is so fascinating

He is not afraid to wander away from mom a bit to taste new things that he finds. The whole time he is exploring, mom is busy building up her body reserves again to ensure a good milk supply for her offspring.

Back off dad

Even though the mare appeared not to be paying attention to her young one, she is. Here the stallion of the herd has approached in a manner she did not appreciate. She moves in front of her baby, flattens her ears back and lets him know he is too close. Over the years that I have been observing wild horse behaviour, this is one that continually amazes me as I continue to learn about their herd dynamics. The stallion has his place in the herd, which is to protect them, but he still has to mind himself around the new foals.

Baby on it’s way

As we continued on our travels this day, we came across other herds where the mares appear to be so close to foaling as you can see by this beautiful young mare. She is so gorgeous and in such good shape considering the time of year. The likelihood of her having a healthy foal is strong. I can hardly wait to visit her herd again to see the foal when it is born because the sire is Napashini.

Napashini

This is the stallion, Napashini, a young boy we have watched grow and mature from the very beginning. His sire is the magnificent Raven.

Again this day road conditions dictated where we could explore to locate the different herds that we know about. Many of the herds we could see in the distance but could not get close enough to find out if they had new foals with them. Although our day out there was not that long because of this, as we were leaving we came across Tahatan’s herd. One of his beautiful mares had a new foal with her.

Tastes so good

Here the snow was almost gone, the sun was warm and the whole herd was enjoying the easy pickings in this meadow. Keeping a watchful eye on us, mom was still calm enough to allow the foal to nurse. As soon as it finished, it laid down to rest.

What a great way to end our day.

Bob

Spring time in the Rockies

March in wild horse country started out looking so promising for an early spring. In the middle of the month we even found the first wild horse foal of the year that we told you about previously. Hopeful that we would be able to find it again, we have travelled out many times to check on its welfare. Such is our love for these beautiful animals and their welfare. The only time our trips took us on a half decent day we were unable to locate the foal and its herd. Nonetheless we continued to check on the herds we knew about, but no other mares at that time had produced any foals.

The overseer

In our travels out there it is amazing to me, even with all the time I do spend out there what you do see and what you do run into at times. This includes the deer, elk, moose, bears, even cougars and so many different species of birds. On this trip however, with the only nice weather we’ve had in a month, we headed toward the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch. Travelling up the road, as has happened in the past, all of a sudden we were confronted by a herd of bighorn ewes and lambs.

The confrontation

Numbering about 30 individuals they came right up to the vehicle to obtain the salt that clings to the vehicle. So interested in this were they, that I could lean out the window and physically touch them without them getting alarmed. Next thing I knew coming from the other direction was a herd of bighorn rams. Caught in the middle all I could do was let my camera snap away in amazement and joy.

Road blockade

Since then we have tried a few times to check on the horses. On the weekend of April 6, 7 & 8th a spring snow storm hit the foothills west of Sundre with a vengeance. Travelling down the back roads at times we were pushing the snow over the hood of my vehicle. This type of weather is probably the worst thing that can happen to newborn wild horse foals. With this worry in my heart, I travelled many miles again checking on as many herds as I could find to see if there was any new foals. That day we could not even get into area where the foal we’d seen earlier in March was.

Setimika’s herd

Travelling through the snow it was nice to see that the herds we did find were all doing extremely well despite the despicable weather.

April showers?

Here are two young boys who are trying to make the best of it in an open meadow during another snow squall.

First snow, now sun. Oh, well.

These mares belong to the stallion I call Bear and they were pawing through the deep snow to get what ever forage they could find. During the next week the weather did not improve at all and we were not able to travel forth until yesterday, April 15th.

We left home with the sun looking like it was going to break through the clouds which would be welcome after two more days of heavy snow. By the time we reached the end of the pavement, guess what, it had started to snow again. Many of the side roads were impassable and even the main forestry road had not been plowed  yet. Undaunted, on we went and it was as we were checking the location of one of the herds we knew about, the gloominess of the day was suddenly lifted. In this herd we found two of the mares had foals with them.

Brand new

This young foal was still very wobbly on its feet having just been born hours before into this terrible weather. It was still amazing to watch it follow its mom through the meadow and the willow thickets as she secured a safe distance from us.

Trying to follow mom

Despite it being so young, you can see it was able to leap over some brush and through the heavy snow to stay close to her. It is sights like this that continue to endear the hardiness of these beautiful horses to my heart.

Wait for me

A couple of days older, this young one would follow its mom wherever she went for feed. It was amusing to watch it, as every once in awhile it would run around jumping and kicking as young foals do when they are feeling happy and secure.

On the go

On the warning of the stallion off goes the mare, the foal and the protective other mare. We noticed in this herd that when one of the mares with a foal would wander, another mare would follow closely and stay by her and the baby. No wonder we love them.

The weather person is predicting warmer temperatures and sunshine over the next few days and this may be all these young ones need to gain strength and improve their chances drastically of survival. You can be assured where we will be going again in the next few days!

Bob

Can you see us

It turns out that although skeptical of the government numbers in the past, their totals for this year’s count are more indicative of the true numbers.  In the past my estimation of the numbers were lower than their’s and it is through this collaborative effort that we can now have a true tally of the wild horses roaming in our Alberta foothills.

High above horse country

Aerial counts were done in four different areas:

Kananaskis Country – #1 Highway south to Ware Creek – 66 head.

Ghost River north to the Red Deer River – 174 head.

Red Deer River north to the Ram River – 485 head.

Sundre west to Eagle Lake and north to the Clearwater River – 128 head.

Areas further to the north, Nordegg country are yet to be counted as I write this.

A good view

On my behalf I have to say that these areas were thoroughly covered and I felt accurately indicated the true number of wild horses. I just want to thank the ESRD staff that I flew with who were very professional and enlightened in regards to knowledge of the areas and other factors that affect wild horse country.

On the fly

With fresh snow on the ground and sun shining, the ability to locate the wild horses was made a lot easier. Upon locating herds we would circle a few times to assure the number of horses in each group and to also identify how many of the 2012 foals were still with these herds. On this point as we already knew, but as this count confirmed, mortality rate for these foals was extremely high last year.

A large herd

The numbers between all areas that were counted total 853 wild horses. This number appears to be even above the numbers given by the government but I must admit, in my case for sure, the search for the horses was extensive and thus maybe why the numbers are higher for this count. I want to thank the ESRD staff for assuring that the counts were as accurate as reasonably possible.

We still have to continue to work to assure that the wild horses are protected adequately and that previous methods of dealing with them are changed to allow a more humane way of managing these herds. I continue to ask for your support in letting the Alberta government know that you too want this to happen.

Bob

Sunshine meadow

Saturday, March 16th here in Olds was cold, foggy and snowing. Wind chill -32C. Not wanting to sit at home, we decided to head into the west country to check on the wild horses. First checking on some herds in some of our normal areas, we found the temperature had warmed up but the skies were still cloudy with snow. These herds are still doing quite well. Leaving this area, we decided to move further to the west into some valleys we hadn’t visited for awhile. Here we found sunshine and temperatures around zero degrees and this certainly lifted our spirits. We found this herd with several pregnant mares feeding in this meadow. The snow here was certainly less than that on the areas just to the east.

Flying

Here you can see that there is little snow cover making it easier to the wild horses to move about and forage for feed. This young stud came flying out of the trees and across the road to join his herd in the meadow below. Glossy, shiny and in excellent shape, he exemplifies the beauty that I find in the wild horses.

First born found

As we continued in our travels checking on the herds, lo and behold high up on a ridge we came across a familiar herd and there standing next to the mare was this beautiful young foal only a few days old. Mom and babe both looked in excellent shape. The rest of the herd were helping the mare to protect its young one. Feeding below the mares was the stallion, which is a common trait of wild horse behaviour, but they are always on extreme alert for dangers to their herd.

How dare you!

 Upon seeing us he just came a-flying to put himself between us and his herd. Nostrils flaring he issued a loud snort to warn us off. Upon hearing this the lead mare also took this as her signal to vacate and she led the rest of the herd, including the young baby off into the forest.

Keeping up with mom

As we continued our journey that day, we found no other mares with foals however we there were several that were extremely close to term. This calls for another trip quite soon again to check on them. We especially want to check on this young foal as waking up Sunday morning, the weather was worse than on Saturday at home.

Who’s tougher?

We came across these two young stallions engaged in showing off their fighting skills. In March I’ve found that this is quite common with young bachelor stallions to exercise their future skills needed to gain their own herds. What I found fascinating about these two is that there was a pregnant mare and yearling with them and all appeared to be living harmoniously. After their little skirmish as if showing off for us, they all went back to peacefully grazing together.

Bob

Oh that sun feels soooo good!

The sun is starting to warm up and hopefully winter is on its last legs. The horses are using the open hillsides to enjoy the warmth that the early spring sun brings. A recent couple of weeks have brought an onslaught of new snow which has covered areas that had been exposed for a period of time. This has caused the horses to roam a little bit more foraging for feed. As the sun rises higher it will not take long for the grasses to be exposed again for the horses. This is especially important for easing the stress on the pregnant mares, many appear close to term, as their feeding will be a lot easier.

Scruffy, but healthy

We are still grateful that there was not capture season this year where young ones like this one had to be taken away from their natural range and their families. As you can see they are fat, healthy heading into their second year of life. It is hoped this year that Mother Nature will cooperate to help the foals that are born this year to survive their first few months. In our travels it is quite obvious that many herds do not have foals from last year with them.

Itch, itch!!

Another sign that spring is on the way is that the wild horses are starting to lose their heavy winter coats. In order to help alleviate the itching and to speed up this process, we find that every time we are out we notice a lot of the horses rolling in the snow. It is obvious to us by their body language that this feels so good for them.

This is delightful!

On our last journey out to observe the wild horses, we came across these three young bachelor boys who became so fascinated with us and the dogs that they came strolling down the road to see what we were all about.

Hi there.

It was fun to watch their antics, as they came within 20 feet of us then stood there cocking their heads as they watched our antics and the  dogs. They made no attempt to move off and instead it us that finally moved down the trail. It is moments like this that keep the wild horses so precious in our hearts.

Strolling along

Take a close look at this young boy’s hoof and notice how perfectly shaped it is. This is a fantastic trait that has evolved in the wild horses of Alberta. Due to the fact that they are constantly on the move and using their hooves to forage for feed, their hooves are naturally trimmed down. A wild horse without sound feet cannot survive.

One of the saddest things I see as a horseman myself are the number of domestic horses whose hooves are overgrown and in some cases deformed due to neglect. Due to the strength of the wild horse hoof and its perfection, a lot of farriers are looking at this and adapting their farrier skills to mimic this on the domestic horses they work on. All these physical characteristics that allow the wild horses to survive in such a harsh environment, show us that they do belong with all the other wild animals.

Standing guard

Probably one the behaviours of a wild horse stallion that still endures them to me, is the way they will always put themselves between their herd and perceived threats. Here is one magnificent stallion who is giving us the eye until his herd has found the safety of the forest beyond. Got to love them!

Bob

Winter sunshine

There was excellent news out of the ERSD today and that was that there will be no capture season this year.  For that I thank all of you who wrote your e-mails, letters or signed on line petitions.  I do strongly believe it was your voices that were listened to by the government.   That was the the main objective that we wanted for this year.  Now the work will continue in order to have the wild horses re-designated as a “Heritage Animal” .  There is still a lot of work to be done along this line and it will take a bit of time in order to convince the government of Alberta that this would be beneficial for all parties involved.

Truly wild

Some of the things that will have to be done includes having document proof  of the interaction that the horses have both with domestic cattle on the grazing leases and with all other wildlife that co-exist on the range that the wild horses occupy.  What impact do the horses really have on the natural grasses and forages throughout their range?  Only one study has been done in Alberta, (Salter 1972)  In my years of documenting the wild horses I have accumulated many binders of information and made notes on most of these points.  In order to hopefully protect the horses I am working on collecting the data and producing a paper. It is hoped that when completed I plan to present to the stakeholders committee where they can have a true understanding and the role that they play in the current ecosystem of our Alberta foothills.

On alert for danger

The other initiative that I am working on is the creation of a research and rescue facility for wild horses that may need it. One individual has offered for use for this purpose a section of land next to the forestry. This would be an excellent location to facilitate further research into the wild horse behaviour. It would also allow adequate range for horses that need to be rescued for what ever reason. It could become a focal point for the public to witness the wild horses first hand. This will take some funds but I am sure through e-mails that I get that there are donors out there who would readily help get this off the ground.

The other important task that is necessary is to have an accurate count done throughout wild horse country on the number of wild horses that inhabit it. There are individuals willing to help out with this too. So the work continues but with renewed optimism that we can succeed in our goals and objectives.

Open range

As you all may know this winter has been incredibly mild and lacking snowfall, which you can see in the above photo of Sandor’s herd enjoying the sun and the open grasses. His mares are heavy in foal and last year’s babies are thriving. It is good to know that the mares in foal that we do see will be able to carry through their pregnancies without worry.

Fat and sassy

Bob

It has come to my attention that there is a person on Facebook soliciting money for “whoas”.  This person is stating that the money will be used for DNA testing and saving the wild horses.  Alledgedly they are also selling pictures.  The funds are directed through a Paypal account.  This is not a legitimate fundraiser for WHOAS, as we only fund raise through the annual sale of our calendar and unsolicited donations.  When questioned by some this individual directs them to ask me.  This solicitation, site and person are not sanctioned in any way by our society.

Bob

Young wild one

The Calgary Area Outdoor Council have asked me to do a presentation at their headquarters building on February 11, 2013, at 6:30 PM.  There will be a slide show and talk on the horses.  It is open to the public however they would like you to phone to register for this free presentation at 403-270-2262.  The office is located at 1111 Memorial Drive NW in Calgary.

Bob