Wild Horses - South Steens No. 1

These are two of the horses in the South Steens Wild Herd located in Harney County, outside of Burns, Oregon, and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The... more

by Belinda Greb

Title

Wild Horses - South Steens No. 1

Artist

Belinda Greb

Medium

Photograph - Photographs, Photography, Photograph

Description

These are two of the horses in the South Steens Wild Herd located in Harney County, outside of Burns, Oregon, and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The Bureau of Land Management manages 37 herds in Oregon and there are about 11 herds in the area.

I had stopped by the BLM on my way down for tips on locating them, but a birder at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge later told me that the herd had been moved the day before to an upper pasture on Steens Mountain as the BLM was concerned about the health of the herd and the lack of grass on the pastures where they were at. The upper Loop was closed due to snow, but we were able to see two horses in the distance. Whether they got separated from the herd or we were given misinformation, I don't know. I drove up past them in the direction they were heading, then got out of the car. I looked down the valley where I saw a pond, but no horses. As I was coming up across the rocky sagebrush-filled terrain, I spotted them on the ridge and they spotted me. They moved a little closer and tolerated my presence for a little while, before moving away again.

The herd ranges from 159 to 304 head and is made up of pinto, buckskin, sorrel, bay, palomino, gray, brown, black-colored horses. The horses in this herd are between 900-1200 lbs and between 14-16 hands. The acreage this herd of wild horses is on is over 130,000 acres or a little over 200 square miles.

�Belinda Greb
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Nature, animals, beauty have been a source of nourishment throughout my life. Photography allows me to capture, interpret, and share that world of wonder I see about me, and sometimes use what I capture as an inspiration to create something new, by incorporating other exposures, textures or brushwork.

I currently reside in Oregon, an environment rich in nature's graces. I have lived in California and New York, too, and everywhere there is a world of beauty around us, if we care to take the time and look for it.

Uploaded

May 18th, 2013