Tag Archives: horse

Photography of Onaqui Wild Horses and Lightning – July 20

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Wow!  What a trip we had in late July to the Onaqui herd of wild horses in Utah’s West Desert.  The herd was using the Simpson Springs watering hold on the Pony Express route.  They had already left the water when we found them.  After spending a couple of hours photographing them we left to find another herd to photograph at sunset.  We did find the other herd, but they were nearly a mile form the road and we were quickly running out of light.  There was a storm brewing, so we decided to “focus” (pun intended) on photographing the storm and hopefully some lightning.  We were not disappointed!  The lighting was once again remarkable.  The panoramic photograph of the sunset was made by stitching 14 photographs into one.  The panoramic photograph spanned over 180 degrees.  The lightning was another rare opportunity.  No rain and lots of lightning.  What a fantastic trip…

Latest Photographs of Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses

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Another great trip to Utah’s West desert to photograph this wonderful herd of wild horses.  I worry every trip out that the herd has been rounded up.  With so many foals this year they are really multiplying quickly.  I have herd rumors that the BLM will be using PZP on this herd rather than rounding them up and taking them off to holding pens.

I am no expert on any of this, but PZP seems like a better alternative than simply rounding them up and shipping them to massive holding pens for the rest of their lives (or until they are slaughtered).

The main watering trough that this herd uses regularly was dry!  I did find them nearby, but they were moving to an area that I have never seen them in throughout the 7 years I have been photographing them.  I hope to get back to them in a few weeks to see what has happened.  I will keep you posted.

Wild Horse Photographs – Black & White

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Here are some black & white photographs from my trip to the Onaqui herd of wild horses in late May.  We found the herd in two locations.  One closer to Dugway and one group at the main watering hole southwest of Simpson Springs.  Lots of new foals.  That is a concern.  With the herd growing so rapidly, the BLM will likely consider a round-up.  I personally believe this is not the best way to manage herd growth.  It is certainly a poor choice for those rounded up.  They are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in a holding pen with thousands of other horses.

Wild Horse Photography – Fight

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In this post of my wild horse photography you will see a series of photographs I shot a few weeks ago in Utah’s west desert.  In this series a roan stallion spots a black stallion that is “courting” his mare.  The chase is on.  When the roan finally catches the black stallion he almost takes the black stallion to the ground.  Then the black stallion gets his moment when he is able to pull off a solid kick to the throat of the roan.  This herd of wild horses along the old Pony Express trail near Dugway, Utah is such a treasure.  My biggest concern is how quickly they are growing in number.  I don’t believe the BLM has had a roundup of this herd for several years.  There must be near twenty new foals from this year!  I hope they can find an alternative to rounding up many of the herd and carting them off to huge pens in the mid-west.  I have seen the effects on those left behind and it is not a pretty thing.  Stallions that lost their mares and family band are never the same.  The BLM is certainly facing a difficult management task and I hope reasonable compromises can be found.

 

 

 

Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses – December

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Every time to get out to photograph this herd of wild horses I am inspired by them.  I wish I had the time to photograph these magnificent creatures every day.

On this trip it was as cold as I have seen it in Utah’s West Desert.  It was 13 degrees just after sunset.  The lighting was amazing!  We were lucky enough to spot the herd (it was HUGE) many miles from the main road.  The lighting was good when we got there but became better and better the later it got.  Another amazing opportunity to spend time with them….

Colorful Utah Desert – Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses of Utah

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Here are some photographs I took this spring when the Utah Desert was as colorful as I have ever seen it.  The Onaqui herd seemed to be in great shape, with foals just starting to be born.  To see the desert now, you would never believe it was this colorful.  The plant that is such a brilliant orange is called Globe Mallow or desert mallow.  It is native to Utah.

Sheep At Watering Hole – Onaqui HMA – BLM Controversy

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I have been photographing the Onaqui herd of wild horses for 7 years now.  There is a lot of debate about this herd and others in Utah, Nevada, and elsewhere.  The debate centers around the idea the herds are growing too big and eating up all of the feed and water.  This rhetoric comes from those that use the same land to graze their sheep and cattle.

Here is a photograph I took last year.  This is taken at a small watering hole that is used regularly by the Onaqui herd of approximately 100 horses.  Now, ask yourself, are the horses the problem or the sheep/cattle?  Pretty powerful photograph.  I wish you could see it in full resolution.  There are sheep EVERYWHERE!  By clicking on the first image you will be looking at a panoramic of pasted images of the scene at the watering hole.  The other images are five magnifications of this image, showing you exactly how many sheep were watering at this hole on this day.  I am in favor of limiting the number of horses in this herd.  I am not in favor of roundups.  I have seen the effects of roundups on the social structure of the herd.  The BLM is faced with a huge problem.  I hope we can find a workable solution for the benefit of the herd and future generations.