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[RC] Wild Horses - tom noll

Greetings:
 
Today Frank (my horse) and I went for a ride in the Owyhee Mountains of Southwest Idaho.  It was a special day to be out.  I got an early start and headed out on the trail. 
 
When we got to the Wilson Creek water tanks we saw that they were dry but I decided to do the trip anyway.  On my way up Red Canyon I couldn't believe how many unshod horse prints I saw in the trail. 
 
On my way up to a drainage divide I saw seven bands of wild horses.  I had never seen so many bands on one trip.  Some were old favorites that I had seen on other trips on other days.  Others were new horses that I had never seen up close before.  At one part, two bands had joined together with over 20 horses and two stallions keeping watch.  Otherwise, most of the groups were between six and twelve horses with one band stallion.  There were a lot of chestnuts. 
 
At one point a band stallion gave us the look and Frank and I diverted off cross country.  The wild horse band was right in the trail and I did not want to get into a wild horse gallop cross country through the sage brush.  We saw a few young horses and no bachelor stallions.  I have never seen any other people on this trail and it was a great day to be out.
 
Between the wild horses, the deer, the chuckars, and the solitude, I thought I was living a dream.  I am so lucky.
 
 
Best Regards,
 
Tom Noll
SW Idaho
 
PS:  The pesky four-wheelers keep pushing further back into the backcountry and widening trails and leaving debris and litter.  I know that others may disagree, but the tracks and litter reinforces my opinion that we need more non-motorized areas and more wilderness.  Enough of the world has been yielded to the internal combustion engine.