Born Free
I have been in love with horses since I was 4 years old.
As a girl I always envisioned fields of painted ponies and huge black stallions, just like the one in the movie Majestic, strong, & free. It had always been a dream of mine to see wild horses.
As a girl I always envisioned fields of painted ponies and huge black stallions, just like the one in the movie Majestic, strong, & free. It had always been a dream of mine to see wild horses.
One night I was watching Netflix and as I normally do, I was searching out anything with horse in the title.
I came across a documentary Wild Horse Wild Ride. Little did I know at the time how much my life would change after that night.
I made a bucket list one day and fulfilled #1 on the list almost right away. See Wild Horses .
I think that's where I really started taking a love to photography.
Feb 28, 2015 is a day I will never forget. A couple weeks before, I had heard there was going to be an auction where wild horses that were rounded up from Sundre, Alberta by the government were going to be for sale.
I couldn't believe it! My dream was coming true. I could now have the wild horse I've always wanted!
Ever since I had watched that movie on Netflix I was infatuated with the idea of having and training a wild horse.
Of course, at the time, all I was thinking about was having the mystical creature I had imagined for so long in my back yard. I wasn't thinking about all the "minor" details that it would take to to get her here. The thought that I would be tearing her away from her family and her freedom wasn't even considered at the point. I'm sure it was mentioned in the documentary how they came to be captured but I must've been so enthralled with the end result that I missed that part. Of course it was not until shortly before the auction did the reality really set in.
Scarlet in the wild with her family summer of 2014
Photo courtesy of June Fox ( www.fotosbyfox.com )
(3 other horses in this photo were captured as well)
(3 other horses in this photo were captured as well)
At the auction after being rounded up.
I knew she was the one I would take home no matter what the price. She wasn't the stallion I envisioned but she was black and beautiful. That was good enough for me.
*I cant imagine how she was feeling standing in this pen alone, with her 3 month old foal not far away, locked up with the other babies that were tore away from their moms. I imagine her whinnying for her mamas comfort and "Scarlet" feeling so frustrated not being able to get to her. *
*I cant imagine how she was feeling standing in this pen alone, with her 3 month old foal not far away, locked up with the other babies that were tore away from their moms. I imagine her whinnying for her mamas comfort and "Scarlet" feeling so frustrated not being able to get to her. *
The video of her going through the sale can be seen here. Still breaks my heart every time I watch it.
https://www.facebook.com/helpalbertawildies/videos/517648055042349/?hc_ref=ARR6Qku0VaVJlgOkuCISKd-oYXiplutu3-gz8NIy460xZkJ5QwNXsez-VCOpOM5Ry2s&pnref=story
I had done a bit of research on the Alberta Wildie, as we call them before the scheduled date of the sale. Where did the horses come from? How were they captured? How many were there? Why was the government so set on removing them?
I wanted to know as much as possible about them and the more I learned the more in love with them I became. But with that came disgust and contempt for the people so set on taking them away from their home.
I wanted to know as much as possible about them and the more I learned the more in love with them I became. But with that came disgust and contempt for the people so set on taking them away from their home.
The drive home from the auction was nerve racking. I couldn't believe I actually did it. I had a wild horse in my trailer.
What would I name her? It seemed like Scarlet came to me almost immediately. I wanted something western of course, something regal sounding, and what is more western and regal than Scarlet from Gone with the Wind? So it was. Scarlet the Mustang.
What would I name her? It seemed like Scarlet came to me almost immediately. I wanted something western of course, something regal sounding, and what is more western and regal than Scarlet from Gone with the Wind? So it was. Scarlet the Mustang.
Being a mare, and a wild one at that, chances were she was likely pregnant. She didn't look very fat when I took her home but that was only late February. I guess time would tell.
In the meantime I worked on starting the gentling process. I had no idea what I was doing. I had been around horses most of my life, but never a wild one! This was all new to me and to her. And I quickly learned that traditional methods I knew were not going to work with this particular horse!
If this mare was in foal, I had never had a newborn horse before and was very worried if something were to happen during birthing and we needed help I would have to be able to either handle her, or get her to help, so the first thing we started working on was trailer loading. There was no way she was letting me near her at this point so walking her into a trailer wasn't an option. Instead I backed up the trailer to the gate and put up panels around it and built a chute system where she could just walk in. I put her food in there and made that her "safe space".
It worked great. Within 3 days she was going in the trailer on command. No more panels either! I thought wow, this horses is SMART!
I started handing her while she was in the trailer with the separators closed and there were times where she would try to literally eat me!
God, what have I got myself into? This horse is crazy, she'll never be tame enough to handle, never mind ride!
In the meantime I worked on starting the gentling process. I had no idea what I was doing. I had been around horses most of my life, but never a wild one! This was all new to me and to her. And I quickly learned that traditional methods I knew were not going to work with this particular horse!
If this mare was in foal, I had never had a newborn horse before and was very worried if something were to happen during birthing and we needed help I would have to be able to either handle her, or get her to help, so the first thing we started working on was trailer loading. There was no way she was letting me near her at this point so walking her into a trailer wasn't an option. Instead I backed up the trailer to the gate and put up panels around it and built a chute system where she could just walk in. I put her food in there and made that her "safe space".
It worked great. Within 3 days she was going in the trailer on command. No more panels either! I thought wow, this horses is SMART!
I started handing her while she was in the trailer with the separators closed and there were times where she would try to literally eat me!
God, what have I got myself into? This horse is crazy, she'll never be tame enough to handle, never mind ride!
But patience and persistence paid off and slowly she started to realize I wasn't like the only other humans she had ever had contact with. She could trust me. I was her friend and would never hurt her.
This whole process was amazing to me and I felt I needed to document this, so I set up a Facebook page for her and the progress we were making and I faithfully posted updates about her. Good and bad.
https://www.facebook.com/scarletthemustang/
There were a lot of people interested in seeing what became of these wild horses. Too bad that's as far as it went. Not many were/are ready or prepared to actually commit to owning and caring for one but they sure wanted a say in how they are raised, trained and otherwise taken care of.
This whole process was amazing to me and I felt I needed to document this, so I set up a Facebook page for her and the progress we were making and I faithfully posted updates about her. Good and bad.
https://www.facebook.com/scarletthemustang/
There were a lot of people interested in seeing what became of these wild horses. Too bad that's as far as it went. Not many were/are ready or prepared to actually commit to owning and caring for one but they sure wanted a say in how they are raised, trained and otherwise taken care of.
A couple months after Scarlet was home from the auction, I received a message from another buyer who asked if I wanted another wildie mare.
He had purchased her at the same sale and for whatever reason didn't want her anymore. She had given birth a couple weeks earlier and he was keeping the colt but she had to go.
He had purchased her at the same sale and for whatever reason didn't want her anymore. She had given birth a couple weeks earlier and he was keeping the colt but she had to go.
Of course by this time things were going great with Scarlet so I jumped on the chance to have another one. Especially one whom I believed was her daughter! (pictured on the left of her in the June Fox photo at the top of page) After 2 1//2 hours and 4 broken fences! "Wildfire" who she would be suitably named, came home to rejoin part of her family.
From the look on her face, Scarlet did not share in my joy to this new addition!
She had another baby on the way and this one had already been kicked out and not welcome back.
She had another baby on the way and this one had already been kicked out and not welcome back.
On June 11, 2015 Scarlet did produce a beautiful little filly. Tundras Whispering Rain she is called. It was a foggy misty morning at 6 am when I went out to feed and found this little head looking up at me from the ground! How exciting!! 3 wild horses! Could life get any better?
Over the course of about a year and a half since Scarlet came into my life, I had met many amazing people through her page followers, wild horse organizations, and by joining different wildie pages that were created by others who also bought horses that day. I had been in contact with a fellow horse lover/owner who had a 3 year old wild horse she got from a rescue organization we have here. He was captured by the organization who received a call saying he was being a nuisance to the farmers mares. He was captured and gelded at the facility and then put up for adoption.
She had this horse for a while and had asked me a few times if I was interested in taking him. I wasn't sure I wanted a boy horse here messing with my girls. I finally broke down and said OK in Feb 2017 and went to pick him up. Of course being a "mare" person we didn't really hit it off at first. He sure was pretty, but what a JERK! And so dramatic about everything! He hadn't been handled much and was not very cooperative with my requests. And he was SO mean to the others!!! I wasn't sure he was going to last long at all here.
While not working, it gave me lots of time to spend with "Corie" this summer (who was originally called Buck. No thanks, that got changed right away! ) He was nick named Corie by one the regular photographers before capture and I thought it would be fitting to keep the name.
She had this horse for a while and had asked me a few times if I was interested in taking him. I wasn't sure I wanted a boy horse here messing with my girls. I finally broke down and said OK in Feb 2017 and went to pick him up. Of course being a "mare" person we didn't really hit it off at first. He sure was pretty, but what a JERK! And so dramatic about everything! He hadn't been handled much and was not very cooperative with my requests. And he was SO mean to the others!!! I wasn't sure he was going to last long at all here.
While not working, it gave me lots of time to spend with "Corie" this summer (who was originally called Buck. No thanks, that got changed right away! ) He was nick named Corie by one the regular photographers before capture and I thought it would be fitting to keep the name.
Anyway, time and persistence paid off! He had a breakthrough moment one day not long after and just said, OK. what would you like me to do? That was it. He has been the best horse I've almost ever had since.
He is so gentle and kind. With less then 6 months of work he has 3 year old children that ride him with no problem!
I hate to say it but I have not even rode my domestic horse since I started riding him! Thank goodness I have others who love riding her.
He is so gentle and kind. With less then 6 months of work he has 3 year old children that ride him with no problem!
I hate to say it but I have not even rode my domestic horse since I started riding him! Thank goodness I have others who love riding her.
Working with Scarlet and the others wild horses I have here has taught me so much patience and control, and humbled me in many ways. She was a hell of a a lot smarter than me when it came to this stuff and she let me know when I was doing something wrong. Good thing she did too. It made working with Wildfire and Corie that much easier. It has also increased my success with my training of domestic horses.
The things Scarlet taught me have transcended into so many other areas in my life as well: Patience dealing with (most) people, kindness, and compassion are just a few of them.
One thing I realized very quickly is these are generally one person horses. They bond with the person they are with and that's it.
They learn to trust you, but others are still considered in their minds, captors, wranglers, danger, etc.
Many people came over to see Scarlet and Wildfire but nobody but me could get close to her for a long time.
Scarlet, a year after she got here! First time she felt comfortable enough to actually enjoy a scratch from someone else. And this was someone who was here on a quite regular basis as she also boards a horse here.
A few of my friends tagged me or sent me the link and told me I should enter the Horses in Need Project. When I read the project description the thing that spoke to me the most was where it said "beauty is not always visible upon the first glance, beauty is found in places most people would avoid looking." That is something I have really learned through this journey with the wildies.
I also chose to write this story because I believe there is a need to help these wild horses. Especially here in Canada where we don't have the resources, facilities and amount of people able and willing to take one on.
I don't consider myself a "rescue" or some big operation. I am one person trying to make a difference in the life of a few horses who may not otherwise have a chance. I live alone and it is very hard sometimes to say no to the ones that need help. Its difficult to manage feed and expenses and time but I will never give up on them. I board and train client horses to make ends meet and live on a very small property with my 5 dogs, 6 horses and 2 cats.
I would love to have a huge piece of land where I could save more wild horses and start a training program for them such as the BLM has. But unless I win the lottery I don't see that happening anytime soon :(
I also chose to write this story because I believe there is a need to help these wild horses. Especially here in Canada where we don't have the resources, facilities and amount of people able and willing to take one on.
I don't consider myself a "rescue" or some big operation. I am one person trying to make a difference in the life of a few horses who may not otherwise have a chance. I live alone and it is very hard sometimes to say no to the ones that need help. Its difficult to manage feed and expenses and time but I will never give up on them. I board and train client horses to make ends meet and live on a very small property with my 5 dogs, 6 horses and 2 cats.
I would love to have a huge piece of land where I could save more wild horses and start a training program for them such as the BLM has. But unless I win the lottery I don't see that happening anytime soon :(
I only have one butt and cant ride them all so I did adopt out Wildfire. (with a very lengthy contract of course, so I can do my best to protect her future) She went to a lady who is 52 years old and also had a dream of having her very own horse. Who would believe her very first horse would be a wildie! They are a match made in heaven.
Our story is not so much of abuse and neglect, but of greed, and I believe something needs to be changed.
If it wasn't for ranchers wanting the land for their cows to graze on I don't think the wild horses we have here would have much to worry about other than predators., injuries, natural death, etc.
Just before the Feb 2015 auction there was a huge outcry from the public to do something and stop the cull.
Some people say they need to be managed but lets check the facts here. Alberta's land mass is estimated at 150,000,000 acres (60,702,846 hectares)
There is about 8 million acres (3.3 million hectares) of Crown grazing land in the province of Alberta. Within that, 5,700 grazing leases covering an estimated 5.2 million acres (2.1 million hectares) The average lease in Alberta is just over a section and supports approximately 50 cows and 20% of Alberta's cowherd is dependent on these Crown Lands.
So, you do the math. 1000 Wild horses vs how many cows? Something doesn't seem right. There is a complete lack of balance. But of course people aren't making money of wild horses, but they ARE making money, and a lot of it, on cattle. $12.7 billion in 2014!!!
There is about 8 million acres (3.3 million hectares) of Crown grazing land in the province of Alberta. Within that, 5,700 grazing leases covering an estimated 5.2 million acres (2.1 million hectares) The average lease in Alberta is just over a section and supports approximately 50 cows and 20% of Alberta's cowherd is dependent on these Crown Lands.
So, you do the math. 1000 Wild horses vs how many cows? Something doesn't seem right. There is a complete lack of balance. But of course people aren't making money of wild horses, but they ARE making money, and a lot of it, on cattle. $12.7 billion in 2014!!!
Some people say they need to be managed to avoid over population but in reality over 60% of the horses born out there don't make it through their first winter. An very informative article on how grazing leases work can be found here : https://albertawilderness.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/20161000_ar_wla_cowboy_welfare_kvantighem.pdf
Just before the Feb 2015 auction there was a huge outcry from the public to do something and stop the cull.
In this article. http://cvewc.org/?p=202
it states, "Some of those were sent to a no-kill auction in Innisfail" which is a very incorrect statement. Innisfail auction definitely has meat buyers there and they were there the day of this particular sale on Feb 28th but there so much media coverage and so many people there that day, they would not dare bid on these horses. The people would have been outraged. That was only that sale though. ( and 90% of the domestic horses that day did get shipped for slaughter because once the wildies went through, the "show" was over. Everybody left) And what about every other auction that happens every month all over Alberta that doesn't have the publicity this one had? You don't think wild horses are captured and sent there? They very well could be. Unless you know them, watch them and follow them. How would a regular person know if it is a "wildie" going through the ring or just an untouched horse from some guys farm. You wouldn't!
Thanks to HAWS (Help Alberta Wildies and other groups) there has been a massive amount of news media and social media coverage to bring awareness to the plight of these animals. I hope to help change the way people think and act towards them.
Whats most frustrating is the capture and cull has been happening regularly in Alberta, almost every year as the number of wild horses fluctuates. With NO scientific evidence that has been brought forward showing that they have damaged the landscape here in any way. They say there is a number of horses that should be allowed to roam free but nobody from the government has ever given what that number is or should be. Its a mystery number.
Many people that day at the auction took home wild horses. Sadly, most don't have them anymore, folks have either gotten bored or lost patience with them and they have been re-homed again, some have died and god knows what else has happened to the rest. It saddens me so much to know that when these animals are not rushed and given a proper chance they can become the best friend you've ever had, but often they are discarded so easily. Its not always sunshine and roses when dealing with any animal, especially a wild horse, but when you take the time and persevere, the rewards and satisfaction and sense of achievement outweigh the bad tenfold.
Scarlet and the other wild horses I have, and the ones out west, have inspired me to do so much and brought so many great people into my life. They are the reason for starting my photography career, and of course being the reason it is named Mustang Photography.
This story was really hard to write, ( in part, due to having to shorten it because there is so much more to tell and I could go on for days) But mostly because I had to stop numerous times writing this because every time I think about what, Scarlet and the other wildies went through, and will go through, it would bring tears to my eyes.
And, by only being able to put in a limited amount of pictures. How do I choose the best ones? These are not my best quality pictures per-say from a photographers standpoint, but I feel they tell the story the best. I am truly blessed because I've had the opportunity to work on my photography skills through Scarlet and the rest of the wildies. They have really given me so much to be passionate about.
If there is no other option than capture for them I will always be here to help them anyway I can and give them a home they can be safe in.Is it ideal? No, but I guess it is better than ending up in an auction pen awaiting certain death, but I believe these horses should be left alone to live as they were intended to be - Born Free
You can help and learn about our wild horses and sometimes adopt one here: https://www.facebook.com/helpalbertawildies/?ref=br_rs
Adoptable wild horses in Alberta can also be found at WHOAS : https://wildhorsesofalberta.com/
For more information on how you can get a BLM Mustang if you are in Canada here is a great resource. https://www.facebook.com/BLM-Wild-Mustangs-available-for-Canadian-adopters-1746009785711375/
And don't forget to write your local MLA, Premier or government official to let them know how you feel if you believe they should stay free.
And of course for your horse training and photography needs there's me!