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<\/a><\/p>\nThere was lots of tension in the herd while I was there and fights were a\u00a0common occurrence.\u00a0 These two went at it more than once.\u00a0 These first four images are a single fight sequence.<\/p>\n
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I was very close to\u00a0the altercation\u00a0when it erupted and I instinctively reacted in a way that severely tilted my camera\u00a0to the point that in order to level the horizon I lost much of each frame to rotation.\u00a0 So several of these images had to be\u00a0signigicantly cropped but I think the tightness allows an interesting perspective on the action.\u00a0 The flashing hooves can inflict serious damage, particularly to the face and the scars on the head of the darker horse from previous fights are obvious.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact the horse on the left was probably the most heavily scarred individual in the entire herd.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being this close to fighting wild horses was an experience I won’t soon forget.\u00a0 I’ve posted this final image before but I decided to\u00a0use it again because it conveys the intensity so well.\u00a0 Obviously I did not rotate this photo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The same two horses had a serious scrap an hour and a half earlier – perhaps they\u00a0really don’t like each other!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It may almost\u00a0look like they were kissing but I can assure you they were not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though fighting in the herd was fairly common most of the\u00a0horses, most of the time, were involved\u00a0in more peaceful and mundane activities.\u00a0\u00a0 There were several young colts in the herd and usually they stuck close to their mothers as they grazed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But occasionally they wandered and played together.\u00a0 Cuteness personified!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dust baths were an important part of their regimen at the watering station.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The dust load they could carry after such a bath…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n was impressive as it drifted away in the breeze\u00a0after a good shake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Management of wild horses on public lands is a huge headache for the BLM, partly because the herds increase in size so fast.\u00a0\u00a0 The old way of dealing with the problem, rounding them up and trucking those not adopted out to long-term pastures in the Midwest, is fast losing its effectiveness.\u00a0 Last year the BLM spent 64% of its budget\u00a0caring for 50,000 pastured wild horses.\u00a0 So they’re about to try something relatively\u00a0new with the Onaqui herd and a few others.<\/p>\n It involves using dart guns to vaccinate mares with a fertility control drug in the hopes of slowing down reproduction.\u00a0\u00a0 Such methods have been effective in a few trial runs – only 5% of the mares in the Cedar Mesa herd that were vaccinated six years ago and given a booster\u00a0in 2012 had foals last year.<\/p>\n However there are difficulties with vaccinating wild horses.\u00a0 Many of the herds are\u00a0 extremely skittish and run away\u00a0when anyone’s within a\u00a0half mile of them so vaccination is problematic.\u00a0 The Onaqui herd is an exception – they’re acclimated to people and allow close approach (as my experience with them demonstrates) so they’re an ideal candidate for this type of effort.<\/p>\n Wild horse management on public lands is a complicated, hot-blooded issue and I have strong opinions about it but this isn’t the place for that.\u00a0 I simply wanted to report the basics of this relatively new attempt at population control and provide a link<\/a> (Salt Lake Tribune\u00a0article)\u00a0to a source of more detailed information for those who might be interested.<\/p>\n I hope the BLM finally gets off its collective duff and does something\u00a0effective and practical about this issue.\u00a0 And that the\u00a0final solution, whatever it is, isn’t just at the expense of wild horses and in favor of all those damned cows…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last month I spent some time photographing the Onaqui herd of wild horses in Utah’s west desert. Management of wild horses on public lands is a contentious issue and the BLM has now proposed the use of a relatively new management tool in an attempt at reigning in the population increase of the Onaqui herd. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n