Shackleford Expedition:
After searching for wild horses 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., between the sea and the sound,
among sand dunes, sea oats and grassy swales is thirsty work. Chugging down water
came only after taking off hiking sandals and socks (better for wading). One harem,
led by alpha and beta stallions Abu and Larry, always show up at our camp at dusk.
Shackleford Expedition:
Ahh...there's nothing better than to be surrounded by horses on a wild island!
Q: What do I have my BACK to wild horses?
A: They come closer when they don't see staring eyes!
Morgan, of Midland MI, with her 7 year old Quarter Horse mare, Cheyanne
GREETINGS TO YOU FROM WILD HORSE COUNTRY
Terri had a GREAT time sharing her 3-day creative writing workshop THE IDEA FACTORY with 30 students -- 5th - 12th grades (during their Spring Break!!!). Her visit was sponsored by Lyon County Recreation Division and held in an incredible venue.
The Boettcher family of Stagecoach, Nevada, has a youth ministry called SOUL'D OUT in this rural area & their detached "living room" (a big barn of a place suitable for concerts, church, etc) was recently redone on television's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition".
If you move your cursor over the photo above, you can see the messages Nevada students are sending to the rest of the world!
Below, we sip hot cocoa and listen to a young writer (out of the picture frame!) read her work.
(photos by Bonnie Matton)
Terri was just off the plane and on her way to her Washington, D.C. hotel when she stopped in a Barnes and Noble to meet up with some of her readers! They had a nice Mexican dinner together, too!
From left: Margaret, Megan, Terri, Stephanie, Kirsten
Terri and the Dragons
Terri's Phantom Stallion Sponsorship Certificate from Wild Horse Sanctuary
Postcards from Hawaii
Lava rock -- there are two kinds, can you tell which this is?
BJ is a Hawaiian cowboy now but he grew up on the mainland. He gave me ideas for Black Lava
Inspiration for Two Sisters
Ku'uipo Nakoa -- an amazing young Hawaiian cowgirl (and student and soccer player)
Inspiration for Crimson Vale
Ku'uipo is the first rider on most of the ranch's horses. Here, she's getting to know Dandy
I took these photos when I first met Phantom, a white stallion I thought was imaginary. Just days earlier, I'd learned people near his wild horse territory had kept him a secret because they wanted him to roam free.
The stallion's friends called him the Phantom, just like I did, in my imagination and books.
When houses and traffic made freedom so dangerous that he had only one mare and foal left alive, the white stallion was captured and kept with his family at the Nevada State Prison. That's where I finally met him.
Watching Freedom
It's barely dawn when I arrive at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City and see the Phantom, his last mare and their foal. Carson City is about midway between my home near Reno and the horses' home range near Dayton, Nevada. This photo shows my first glimpse of the stallion. He seems to look past the green pipe corral, through prison buildings and beyond the highway, planning a return to the sagebrush-covered hills of home.
The stallion listens
It's been raining for several days and storm clouds hang low. Even though the sun is rising, it's pretty dark. I creep out of my car, barely closing its door, but of course the wild horses know I'm there. The mare and foal move away, but the Phantom stands still. Finally, he turns an ear toward me, listening as I tell him he's magnificent.
The Phantom and his family
When I move, so does the Phantom. I raise my camera and he knows I'm aiming at his family. At a gait that I can only describe as floating, he moves nearer his tiny herd. Then he and the small bay mare who's come to be called Shy, sandwich their son safely between them. Although I can see mud in the pen behind these horses, they've picked the driest footing in their corral to make their stand
Phantom and Shy
When I don't move away, the Phantom and Shy focus their attention on me. Of course they've seen humans before, but I'm a newcomer. Even though there's a fence between us, and no threat in their attitudes, they let me know they can protect their colt if they must.
Keeping watch while Raincloud eats
It's time for breakfast. When a crew stops a truck and throws hay to the horses, the Phantom lets the colt -- who'll be adopted and named Raincloud -- eat. The Nevada State Prison is one of a handful of prisons which matches inmates with mustangs for a training program that benefits both men and horses. I want to learn more about it.
Why are you still here?
The Phantom watches me, like this, for at least five minutes. I don't blame him. I am a stranger, even though I don't feel like one. The horse of my heart (and imagination!) stands right in front of me and I can't look away.
Phantom checks me out
At last, with the sun risen and clouds clearing, the Phantom walks right up to the fence where I am.
I don't think of trying to touch him. I'm close enough, but even if he allowed it, it would be disrespectful. Still, I like to think I feel communication crackling between us.
When I described this moment to my friend Charlotte, she said, "It was like two nations meeting."
Exactly! This stallion could be king of the Wild Horse Nation. Not me. Not an ambassador for the Nation of Humans, either. The people who saved him deserve that honor. But if I could be the stallion's scribe, and tell wild horse stories? That would be enough for me!
Just before he shied away
The Phantom's mane and tail are red from rolling in the red dirt & he seems to be relaxing from a life of protecting his herd from other stallions.
But the break won't last much longer. Soon, the Phantom and a small band of mares will be released on 5,000 acres on the slopes of Mount Lassen, in Shingletown, California.
(Photo by John Przypek 1/25/07 for http://wildhorsesanctuary.com/)
More Photos:
The Phantom Family, February 11
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Photos taken at the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, California by Palomino:
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