Protecting Horses In the Wild: Meet Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

April 2, 2008

Through the global community of the internet, I have had the distinct pleasure of “meeting” TJ Holmes and learning more about the plight and lives of American horses in the wild. TJ grew up with horses. And since 2002, she has visited the wild mustangs living in the Spring Creek Basin of the Disappointment Valley region of Southwest Colorado.

There’s are often disagreements between the Bureau of Land Management and advocates for the welfare of these wild horses who want to keep them in the wild. BLM continues to favor domesticated livestock in determining land use, and frequently disregards the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (PDF). Thousands of wild horses are rounded-up or “gathered” each year and put up for adoption, put in long-term holding pastures, or sent to slaughter. They are relegated to the most inhospitable lands and their numbers are thinned to a point where they no longer carry a big enough gene pool. Yet those left free continue to thrive.

This is the beginning of a “Protecting Horses in the Wild” series in which I will unpack the issues surrounding wild horses living free (or not so free) on US soil. We will learn about wild horses living in the US, and the politics and issues surrounding wild horses. I’m really looking forward to researching and learning more about this topic, and I hope you will follow this journey with me.

Horse In the Wild Living In Colorado’s Spring Creek Basin
TJ has been following the wild horses of the Spring Creek Basin since 2002, and has been actively involved in documenting them since August 2007. In that time, she’s observed them as they eat, play, sleep, fight, change family groups, and live as wild horses. Fortunately for us, she has started documenting the lives of these horses on her blog, Spring Creek Wild. Her stories are fascinating, and give an incredible glimpse into these unique equines.

TJ has identified a variety of small bands of horses and each one of their

• herd stallions (the boss, protector, and daddy)
• lead mares (the lady in charge who is second in command and protects the other herd members)
• mares and babies (the followers)
• and the bachelor stallions (boys without their own herds who wander alone, with other bachelor stallions, or join a band when allowed by the herd stallion)

Steeldust’s Band
Steeldust is a gray herd stallion approximately 8-9 years old. He has 8 horses in his band. They include three mature mares, one young mare, two foals, and two bachelor stallions.

Bruiser’s Band
Bruiser is a beautiful paint stallion. His herd includes two mares and two fillies.

Seven’s Band
Seven is a seven-year-old grey stallion with three mares and two foals.

Bounce’s Band
Bounce is a black stallion who some say is around 20 years old (others say he’s younger). His herd consists of two mares.

Traveler’s Band
Traveler (known as Grey to TJ) is silvery grey stallion. He was gathered in 2007 and was held in quarantine for three weeks before being released back into the wild. After his return to the Basin, he ran around with a band of bachelor stallions for a while before stealing a mare and some foals from Seven, who is thought to be his son.

Poco’s Band
Poco is a bay stallion with one mare and one bachelor stallion.

Bachelor 7 (now 6)
This is a group of 6 bachelor stallions who hang together since they don’t have herds of their own. There are also a bunch of other bachelor stallions who are fluid with their allegiances.

If you want to meet the rest of the wild horses (with pictures) that TJ is tracking in the Spring Creek Basin, check out her Find Wild Horses page, and follow her blog for their ongoing stories. Also, check back in next week for the second installment in the Protecting Wild Horses series.

Posted in Horses In The Wild, Jackie's Thoughts, Making a Difference