We gathered up our carts, wagons and horses and
set out for a fun day driving in the beautiful Oregon Cascades. That's hubby Joe and I driving the single dark bay Standardbred behind the lead wagon.
Less than 20 minutes out I heard a rustling in the brush. There maybe 25 feet from us, peering through the trees was a magnificent wild buckskin stallion!
In a flash I realized he must be a very lonely bachelor stallion looking for mares--and our group had two! I jerked my camera up and took a quick shot thinking this would be the only glimpse we caught of him before he melted back into the forest. The stallion however, had women on his mind! He trotted close beside my gelding, then trotted up to the lead wagon and went nose to nose with a big western Chunk-type gelding. They squealed and struck! Everyone realized we had a serious problem. This poor lonely stallion wanted a companion and his broken heart overcame his fear of humans as he attempted to make a new friend!
We tried to keep moving. One of the outriders tried to drive the stallion off. He would not be driven! No amount of shouting or hat waving would force him away for long. He kept returning and returning to try and capture an equine friend. Several times he came close enough to our carriage that we felt we could reach out and touch him. Thank heaven we all had well-behaved carriage horses!
Finally the horse got in front of our little caravan and trotted along ahead. Ocassionally he'd dodge the outrider to try for another carriage horse but his efforts were always foiled. The poor BLM representative was caught between trying to conduct a day-long tour, trying to protect her clients, and trying to protect the BLM mustang for which her organization was responsible. It was a very dangerous situation but good equestrianship kept the matter in hand.
Two hours later we stopped for lunch. The little stallion circled and circled trying to get the now unhooked carriage horses to follow him. Our trusty outrider kept him just far enough away that he was totally demoralized. He watched us for a while, then wandered off into the trees.
We saw him no more that day.
Unfortunately his bold behavior and publicity generated by members of the group brought the wild stallion into the public eye and to the attention of the BLM (he was reportedly here in the mountains alone for the last two years--ranging close by but not with members of two small wild horse herds). There is talk of capturing him and gelding him to be raffled off to the public. I hope this doesn't happen. I hope the Barb-type Snow Star (because we saw him near the townsite of Snow) will always run free in the Cascades and I hope someday the lonely stallion will have mares of his own.
In the fall of 2003 Joe was driving in the forest, and far off spotted a small band of wild horses.
As he approached closer he saw there were four mares and a stallion.
Three buckskin mares, one bay mare and the buckskin stallion.
Joe could see all the mares and the stallion were barb-looking and all had the same white star that Snow Star had. Could this be Snow Star's family herd? They were only a few miles from where Snow Star was first seen the year before!
Joe got out of his truck and approached closer. He could see there was a yearling filly, two young mares and an older mare. Strangely there were no weanlings with the mares but this is lion country so perhaps they just didn't make it. The young mares, unconcerned about this intruder, moved off to graze but the oldest mare let Joe approach a little distance from her.
"We saw your son, Snow Star" he told the old mare. She watched him unmoving. "He's a fine young stallion" Joe explained. The mare stood very still and watched Joe. Perhaps she understood his words in some horsey way. At least she knew this was one human who would not chase or hurt the little herd.
Finally the stallion decided it was time to end the close encounter and he moved quietly and confidently off into the forest driving the mares before him. Fortunately Joe was armed with his camera. Somehow we believe we will be always intertwined with this little band of buckskins. We look forward to seeing their golden coats between the trees again some time.
On a pleasant summer day we were driving in the forest, and again through the trees came nose to nose with three wild horses! These were a blaze-faced mare, obviously due to foal any minute, a stallion and a young filly. We stopped for pictures but didn't want to get too close and disturb the mare. These were also buckskin horses but we were unable to tell if the stallion was Snow Star. Now we have identified 9 individuals there in the Cascades; all buckskin but one bay! We believe that these horses may have been isolated just like the Kigers and may carry a large amount of Barb or Iberian DNA.
Only testing will tell.
In October of 2003, my daughter, Elizabeth, adopted her first wild horse--a Kiger filly she named "Sage". Pictured above is Sage at 18 months participating in her first horseshow. One can see the typical Kiger characteristics of a frosted mane and tail, ear tufts, barred legs and the Iberian head (she also has a dorsal stripe and shoulder barring). We hope the wild buckskin horses of Klamath County will some day receive the protection that the Kiger Mustangs enjoy! They are a valuable part of our western heritage and a resouce of hardy genetics; Mustangs--built by mother nature, approved by father time!
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