WILD HORSES

     I have always been fascinated by horses. I've never owned one unfortunately, but I have had the opportunity to ride a few and even fallen off of one. I've never been known for my grace, but that is a whole other story. There is nothing quite like riding a horse. One of the items on my bucket list is riding a horse on the beach.

How romantic. What can I say, I write romance novels. But for me riding a horse or just watching them is a thrill. There is just something about them, when they run, that is just breathtaking. Watching the movement of their muscles and the flow of their mane just stirs something within me. I've had the opportunity to see that up close a time or two.

     Since the old wild west is long gone, it is hard to believe there are such things as wild horses. Today there are only about 60,000 free roaming wild horses in the US and Canada. Nevada(Reno area) is home to nearly half the population while places in North Dakota(Theodore Roosevelt National Park), Wyoming, Montana(Pryor Mountain, Bighorn Canyon), Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina have smaller herds.
   
     Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia is the home to several hundred wild horses. It can only be reached by boat or plane and is considered one of the most remote locations of wild horses in North America.

     With the population dwindling, due to urbanization of their land and destruction of their habitat, several of the locations have become protected and many rescues and sanctuaries have been established.

   Where did I have my first encounter with wild mustangs? Oklahoma. The Hughes Ranch to be exact. The 12000 acre ranch, outside of Bartlesville Oklahoma is a refuge to over 2000 wild horses. Since 1988 it has served as part of the Prairie National Wild Horse Refuge. It was even used as the backdrop to the Terrence Malick movie "To the Wonder."

   It was the fall of 2010 just about dusk. We were driving down the back roads of eastern Oklahoma when the car slowed. Off to my left I saw it. A large herd of wild horses cresting a hill, running a full speed. I could almost hear their hooves thunder against the ground. 

If you like to read westerns and have a fondness for horses as I do, you might want to pick up "Tales From Big Country." https://www.talesfrombigcountry.com/

proceeds from the sale of this collection goes to The American Wild Horse Campaign.