I have been doing DSLR photography since 2007. I love it, and I like being able to express certain passions of mine through the medium of photography. I have experience shooting all kinds things, including: weddings, newborns, birthdays, parties, family portraits, funerals (yes, funerals), MMA events, school portraits, etc... But my biggest passion is wildlife, and my specialty--if I have one--is wild horses.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Gandolf

This is my favorite member of the Onaqui Herd, and I have affectionately named him, Gandolf, after the great wizard in The Lord of the Ring. He is an old horse, and I'm not sure how much longer he will survive. The other members of the herd seems to revere Gandolf; he is one of the great elders, and they all respect and care for him.
Often, the herd will break up into smaller bands, where there is a breeding stallion, an alpha mare (who calls the shots), and any other offspring, or other mares. I have seen Gandolf hang in these smaller bands, but he seems to get passed around, from one week to the next; sort of like each family takes a turn at caring for an elderly parent.
No matter which band Gandolf is with, he always has a companion horse. And for the last several years, I have seen Gandolf with his companion horse, who I've named Three Socks. (That's the black horse in the photo). It has been a humbling, beautiful thing to witness Three Socks, always helping Gandolf to stay up, and not get left behind when the band or herd is on the move. Five or six years ago, I'd had no idea of the complexity of the social structure that plays out among these beautiful animals.

1 comment:

  1. What a treat to stumble across this page! I have spent 4 summers camping out with this herd and know them all well. When my daughter was born (4 years ago) I stopped the annual trip. I have often wondered how they are and who is still around. Gandalf is actually one of my favorites as well and funny enough, it is the same name I gave him. He used to have a black mare that was with him every year. Never any foals, but always that mare. I am saddened to see he no longer has her. I can probably fill you in on a lot of history of these guys. I started watching them when a lot of these stallions were just obnoxious bachelors! Anyway, thanks for posting these. It's nice to see some old friends.

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