Today, we found the main Shawnee Creek herd of 11 horses and Band # 1 of the Rocky Creek herd with 10 horses.
It was a cool and cloudy day with a cutting wind, but we enjoyed every minute we had with the wild horses today. It is always a good reminder when you have conditions that make you uncomfortable about how hardy and strong these horses truly are. These wild horses in Missouri endure everything from 110-degree heat in the summer to negative 10 to 20 degrees below zero in the winter. When I am in my house all comfortable, I think about how strong these horses truly are and what it must take to survive in Mother Nature.
SHAWNEE CREEK HERD
The main Shawnee Creek herd of 11 (with 2 foals/colts) was back at the main Shawnee Creek field today, next to the Jacks Fork River. This is the second time we found the main herd back in their regular area in a week. Maybe this is a new trend. However, we did not find the other 4 horses, the two old ladies, the Broadfoot mare, and a foal that have been in this area for the last two months.
Historically the two old ladies don’t travel far because of their old age, and the visiting Broadfoot mare and foal have bonded with them. The four have been inseparable over the last two months, so I wonder where they could be.
Within the next week, if they don’t appear somewhere, I plan to go deep in the woods and try other areas that are only accessible on foot.
The herd looked good, and the foals were playing and looked healthy.
Click on any of the images below to view them in the lightbox.
All images and text on timlaytonfineart.com are the © of Timothy P. Layton and Tim Layton & Associates, LLC 2000-2023. Please review the copyright notice.
If you would like to know about simple ways that you can help me ensure our horses remain free, take action today and make a difference.
The best way to stay up to date on everything happening with our wild horses is to be part of the Wild Horses of Missouri Facebook Group, where I post my latest photos, videos, tips, and news.
ROCKY CREEK HERD (BAND # 1)
We were very fortunate today and were able to find Band # 1 of the Rocky Creek herd. This band has 10 horses with 1 foal. We hiked for over two hours, and no sign of Band # 2 (8 horses).
The Rocky Creek herd is the wildest of all herds. They don’t tolerate anything or anyone in their environment very well. The moment they sense or see you, they either run away at full speed or observe and monitor you for a few moments, then start moving away slowly.
While this makes it very difficult to get good photos and videos of them, I am glad they are this wild. This is how it should be; they live like they were designed to live. Fifty million years of genetics have wired them to be very aware and suspicious of anything or anyone in their environment. They think like prey animals because they were hunted and targeted until recently. The wild horses out west are now hunted by the people who are supposed to protect them under the law. No wonder wild horses run at the sight of human beings.
Enjoy these images of the Rocky Creek wild horses from today. You can click on any of the photos to view them larger in the lightbox.
All images and text on timlaytonfineart.com are the © of Timothy P. Layton and Tim Layton & Associates, LLC 2000-2023. Please review the copyright notice.
The best way to stay up to date on everything happening with our wild horses is to be part of the Wild Horses of Missouri Facebook Group, where I post my latest photos, videos, tips, and news.
If you would like to know about simple ways that you can help me ensure our horses remain free, take action today and make a difference.
Wild Horses of Missouri History
Shannon County is home to a beautiful herd of wild horses in Southeast Missouri in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways on public land about 130 miles from Springfield and 150 miles from St. Louis.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first national park area to protect a river system and the only state where wild horses still roam free. It hasn’t been an easy path for the wild horses over the last 100 years, and it would be foolish to think current conditions couldn’t change and put them back in danger again.
During the 1980s, the National Park Service announced a plan to remove Shannon Counties’ wild horses, and people were outraged.
In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal to protect the horses and gave the National Park Service the right to remove the horses from federal land. The national park service started removing the wild horses in a profoundly upsetting way to residents and horse lovers around the country. The people of Shannon County and horse lovers around the country rallied together, and the Wild Horse League of Missouri was formed.
Luckily, by 1996 the Wild Horse League of Missouri, which was formed in 1992 to save the wild horses, received help from the people of Shannon County, congressman Bill Emerson, Senators Kit Bond, and John Ashcroft.
Their tireless efforts paid off, and President Clinton signed a bill into law on October 3, 1996, to make the wild horses of Shannon County a permanent part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, with conditions. You can read more about the law.
Reading and understanding the law referenced above is essential because these wild horses’ freedom relies on compliance with the law. The national park service or any entity at any time could claim the horses are causing harm or being a nuisance, and the removal process could start again.
People worldwide visit Shannon County in hopes of seeing these majestic wild horses.
In accordance with the Ozark Wild Horse Protection Act, the Missouri Wild Horse League works with the National Park Service to capture some horses when the herd exceeds 50. The captured horses are taken into care and evaluated before being adopted by loving families for permanent homes.
If you want to support and protect the wild horses of Shannon County, Missouri, the best thing you can do is donate to the non-profit Missouri Wild Horse League. Your gift will be tax deductible and go a long way to helping ensure we have resources to protect the horses in the future.