The post office of the Jasper Township in 1876 was named after the round spring, about 80 feet in diameter, and is now the focal point of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways campground area where wild horses are frequently seen.
Local legend says that a mad Indian chieftain stamped the ground until the hollowed basin formed from the sprint flows.
The best way to stay up to date with the Round Spring herd is to be part of the Wild Horses of Missouri Facebook Group, where I post my latest photos, videos, and tips on the horses.
The Round Spring herd is probably the second most popular herd because it is frequently found near the Round Spring Campground areas, as shown in the map below. Sinking Creek is south of Echo Bluff State Park and north of Round Spring campground.
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.
Echo Bluff is Missouri’s premier and newest state park, with beauty abound. Echo Bluff has spectacular accommodations and campgrounds. I frequent the grill there for lunch and dinner regularly.
The Round Spring area is home to a family campground, a picnic area, a tour cave, and the spring from which it takes its name.
Round Spring was a Missouri State Park from 1924 until 1970 when the people of Missouri donated it to the National Park Service. Wild horses are frequently seen in and around the campground area.
The spring is about 50 to 55 feet deep, rising in a nearly circular pool of water before flowing under a natural bridge to join the Current River. If you visit this location for the horses, it is worth seeing the spring.
The spring produces approximately 26 million gallons of water flow that feeds the Current River on an average day. The Round Spring area sets among two of America’s most beautiful spring-fed rivers that make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
The Round Spring herd is frequently seen on Highway 19 and the surrounding areas between Round Spring and Echo Bluff, so keep your eyes open during this part of the drive. There are few places to stop or pull off, so be alert and avoid an accident.
The members of each herd change over time because of several factors. Lead stallions are known for visiting other herds and bands to steal mares. Yes, that is correct; the stallions swoop in and steal mares from other herds. Also, because of the monitoring and management of the herd per the law, sometimes members are gathered to keep the size of the herds within the bounds of the legal agreement.
The best way to stay up to date with the Round Spring herd is to be part of the Wild Horses of Missouri Facebook Group, where I post my latest photos, videos, and tips on the horses.
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.
INFORMATION & DIRECTIONS
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 Round Spring Herd is the second easiest to find and your chances of seeing them are hit and miss.
Difficulty Rating: Easy
Frequency: Medium
Tips: Keep coming back, and you will eventually find them.
Directions: Located directly off Highway 19 at the Round Spring campground north of Eminence, this is the easiest location to find and look for wild horses. The horses are frequently seen in and around Echo Bluff State Park, so drive all the roads inside the park to try and spot them.
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.
Additional Tips & Helpful Information
If you are camping at Echo Bluff or Current River State Park, this is an easy location to be able to check every morning and evening during your visit. Just head back south on Highway 19, and you will see Round Spring on your left.
You don’t need a 4WD or special vehicle to access this location; you will not even get out of your car most of the time.
The two best areas to find the Round Spring herd are down along the river by the group campground area which is just past the main entrance for Round Spring and the second-best opportunity is right off of Highway 19 just past the bridge heading north.
The horses will tend to gather in these two areas from time to time. You can also look at the Sinking Creek campground area, which is just down the road a little bit.
All of these locations mentioned are shown on the maps in this guide.
The Round Spring area seems to either be hot or cold, meaning you will see them fairly frequently or nothing at all for a while. It is a very easy location to check, so enjoy the ride, and hopefully, you will get a chance to see and enjoy them.
The best way to stay up to date with the Round Spring herd is to be part of the Wild Horses of Missouri Facebook Group, where I post my latest photos, videos, and tips on the horses.
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.
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.
