Last summer, during our visit to Yellowstone, we took a detour to Cody because I wanted to photograph the wild horses. As you probably know, horses are not originating from America but were brought to the continent by the Spanish and then the British, so the ones we find today are descending from those first horses, probably groups left behind by the conquistadores or escaped and survived in the wild. Still, the wild horse has become such an icon of America and the wild west.
I heard about this group of horses not far from Cody, Wyoming, and thanks to the precious tips of Sandy Sisti we were able to spend some time with these wonderful animals.
That morning it was cloudy and we woke up with a light rain falling from the sky... the day was not starting in the best way. After driving for some time out of Cody, we reached a large kind-of-desertic area where we started our search. Our guide was driving a 4-wheel drive, the only possible way to reach the animals, but the rough terrain was giving everybody a hard time holding ourselves and trying not to bump our heads against the car roof because of the uneven "road" (if you can call it that way...).
Despite the flat appearance, the land was filled with small hills and valleys that made it difficult to spot the herd, so we drove up to the highest mesa to be able to have a good view, and from there we were able to spot them. It actually took some time to reach the horses, but after leaving the car, we got closer on foot. Our guide gave us some instructions and commented that, being the day not particularly hot, we would probably not encounter any rattlesnakes... While Denise thought "Thanks, God", I thought "Oh, too bad... I would have liked to photograph one!" Ha ha ha.
The horses were by a water pool, a precious spring to drink and resist the dry and hot climate of the area. Especially some of them were marked by a lot of scars, signs of the frequent hard fights among the stallions.
Unfortunately they moved pretty soon, and I wasn't able to take any particular shots... just a little fight, but from a distance, after they had already abandoned the water pool. At least the weather was getting better and we were gifted some sun and patches of blue sky. We tried again, got back to the car, and after another driving around, we were able to find the herd again, now calmly eating grass, under the attentive look of the stallion guarding the group.
It was already late and we had to leave soon. Too bad we had to go back without nothing really happening. Too short a visit to be lucky enough to get any dramatic shots, but I was happy anyway of the opportunity I had to see live these wonderful animals in the wild.
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