Mission Accomplished!
A Report on the Pryor Mustang AdoptionDear Friends of Cloud’s Herd;
The adoption of the Pryor wild horse one to three year-olds took place on Saturday, September 8, 2012, and I'm relieved to report that no young horses will go into the adoption pipeline or the black hole of BLM short term holding! Every single horse was adopted and I believe that every youngster will have a great home.
Bidders awaiting the start of the auction
Nevertheless, we continue to work toward a time when there is a natural balance on the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range and a removal of so many animals who only wish is to live free with their families in their mountain home will not take place.
Thirty-one individual young Pryor horses as well as seven mare and foal pairs were offered and all received bids from a relatively small but committed group of adopters from Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado. Lauryn and I, as well as TCF board members Lisa Friday, Linda Hanick and Susan Sutherland were present. Two of the most outstanding volunteers any organization could wish for, Effie Orser and her partner Robert Burns, of Emigrant, Montana were also in attendance. After two rounds of bidding two mare and foal pairs remained. I adopted one, and Effie the other.
Ginger, Susan, & Effie talk strategy
BLM's Wild Horse Specialist, Jared Bybee, making some announcements before the bidding started
Lisa Friday in the Pryors earlier this summer
Kayenta, just before bidding on her began
Kicks-A-Lot (Autumn x Bolder) & Agate (Feldspar x Flint)
were among the horses Lisa adopted
Our friends at Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park are the proud adopters of two darling yearlings, Lancaster and Longstockings (BLM name LaSalle). Chris Rahn, Cheley’s ranch manager, was present to bid on them. You may recall that Sax and I visited Cheley in July, and both of us had a ball meeting hundreds of campers from all over the country. Thanks to Linda and Vic Hanick who connected us with Cheley and suggested that Pryor mustangs would make a great addition to their horse herd.
Lancaster (front) before he was removed this summer
Longstockings in the corrals
Our new friend, Roger Burkowski, drove all the way from Mountain Home, Texas (with his friend Walt) to adopt the spectacular coyote dun two year-old, Kybir (BLM name Kodiak). Lauryn and I met Roger and his wife in Fort Worth, TX at an event in early June. Teresa Strickland and her family trailered their Freedom Family horses, Freedom (Annie) and Patriot (Diablo), up for one of my talks and when Roger and his wife saw these two beautiful, calm, well-mannered two year-olds (trainers Kristi Unsell and Sue DeLaurentis) Roger knew he had to have one.
Kybir, just before he was loaded into Roger's trailer.
He walked right in!
Rosellen Westerhoff, a Pryor wild horse adopter in 2009 andoutstanding artist from east of Billings, and her husband drove over without a trailer and adopted the lovely bay filly, Katrina. BLM very kindly said they would deliver the filly for her. Funny how things work out the way they are supposed to, isn’t it Rosellen?
Colorado residents Rachel Reeves and her father, Bruce, spent over a month pouring over each and every horse as they were captured, creating flow charts and graphs, investigating the parentage of each animal, and watching the Cloud films over and over. After creating lists of their favorite horses that changed on a daily basis (including the day of the auction), they adopted Breeze, the adorable daughter of Cloud and Aztec, and Leo, the yearling dun-roan son of Custer and Felicity.
Rachel & Ginger discuss Rachel's final selections
Breeze (left) & Leo (right)
The Pryor Mustang Center in Lovell built a lean-too shed and put up a pipe round pen in their acreage next to the Center just so they could adopt. And in a selfless act their president, John Nickle, adopted little Liesl, who is nearly blind. They adopted as her companion, the beautiful grullo colt, Kaibab. Sandy Elmore, saddened over the death of her favorite band stallion Lakota this summer, adopted his son and daughter, Kootenai (TCF name Koda Wakan) and Kiowa (TCF name New Moon).
Bess Carnahan, a long-time Pryor wild horse adopter, teamed up with Steve Smith, Program Supervisor of the Equine Assisted Learning Program at the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Juvenile Detention Facility. They adopted Kaycee, and her foal, and Juneau and her foal to help not only troubled kids, but their parents as well. I hope the healing power of wild horses will help change the lives of these human families.
Juneau's beautiful grullo colt
Kaycee & her foal
(Photo by Rachel Reeves)
For all of us the wondrous journey begins—the privilege of bringing the wild into our lives. Your help allowed us to play a role in finding homes for these young Pryor horses. Thanks so much!!
Happy Trails!
Ginger
P.S. I have left some wonderful adopters off of this list and for this I apologize. But you know who you are, and how much your commitment to the wild horses is appreciated.LeDoux (Firestorm x Jackson): Cloud's grandson in foreground with his father - adopted by Cathy Bryarly of Colorado
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