Mustangs
Spirit of the American West

Wild and Free

Mustangs on the Pryor Wild Horse Range

These are pictures that I took of wild horses on the Pryor Wild Horse Range.
It was an unusual herd as it had 2 grown stallions in it.

75 horses from the Pryor Mountain herd were blood-tested by Dr. Gus Cothran of the Veterinary and Genetics Department
of the University of Kentucky. Dr. Cothan remarked, "The Pryor horses are primarily derived from horses with Spanish ancestry."
Dr. Phil Sponnenberg of the Veterinary College of Virginia Tech says,
"The range of colors of the Pryor horses is consistent with a Spanish origin."
Only a few of these original Spanish type horses brought to our country are still in existence today.

The Mustang

A darkened hill, and a crimson West,
And silhouetted against the light
A black mustang on a tawny crest
Rears aloft in a sudden fright.

Startled perhaps by a coyote's cry,
Or a scent on the wind; a moment there
He is a marble chiseled on the sky;
He is motion captured on the air.

Sinewed power and strength and grace,
And wild, wild beauty, and the hill
Is only a canvas on whose face
An upreared muscled form stands still.

A moment only, and then a hand
Has swept the canvas clean, to leave
A lonely barrenspace, a hush-
And something lost for which I Grieve.
-Gracw Noll Crowell-

The older of the 2 adult stallions in the herd.
He was a beautiful stallion.

The younger adult stallion in the herd.
Had a roman nose.

With flowing tail and flying mane,
wide nostrils, never stretched by pain,
mouth bloodless to bit or rein,
and feet that iron never shod,
and flanks unscar'd by spur or rod
a thousand horses - the wild - the free -
like waves that follow o'er the sea,
came thickly thundering on.
-Lord Bryon-

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE

Let me teach you.
When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
When you are self absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater things.
When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
When you are tired, let me carry the load.
When you need to learn, let me teach you.
After all, I'm your horse.

~By Willis Lamm ~

©Willis Lamm, KBR Horse Net. Reprinted with permission.

"Congress finds and declares that
wild free-roaming horses and
burros are living symbols of the
historic and pioneer spirit of the
West; (and) that they contribute
to the diversity of life forms within
the Nation and enrich the lives of
the American people ..." Public
Law 92-195, December 15, 1971

I recieved this post card from the BLM It read: We Need Your Help! Severe drought conditions and recent wildfires throughout the western United States have destroyed thousands of acres of habitat for America's wild horses and burros. The Bureau of Land Management is conducting emergency gathers to save animals in the stricken areas. Please call toll free 1-866-4MUSTANGS www.blm.gov/whb for more information concerning the Wild Horse and Burro Program

Check out our other horse pages:

Equine Pages with Poetry:

Photographs On This Page
By A. Olsen
This site was created in 1999-2012 by A. Olsen ©Copyright 1999-2012, A. Olsen. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site or any material within this site may be used without the expressed written permission from the author.
All graphics and poems on this site are copyrighted to their original artists.