The group is drinking from the spring-fed water troughs.


OOOps ! Someone stood up. And even though they were 250 yards away, a portion of the herd breaks off and runs.


We are quiet up front here and the herd settles down to drinking water again.


This magnificent Black Stallion is bold. He brings his entire band around behind us to have a look. We are antelope and the band seems to ignore us. Others behind us are noisy and the band is paying attention to them. If you enlarge the picture, you will see one mare has a freeze-brand. I think the BLM had captured her once before then returned her to improve genetics in this large grouping of different bands.

We check them out ... they check us out ... this is fun.


Here's a friendly chap who appears quite curious about us.

Ah...is he ever a stout one ! And just think, there is again attempted legislation to allow BLM to euthanize mustangs (Jul '08) all because of two things. One: government waste of money worldwide has reduced BLM budget to frightfully low numbers. Two: US cattlemen are, as ever, trying to run anything not cattle or cattle-owners, off all public lands. This has been a problem since cattlemen ran shepherds off in the 1800's .


 


We'd been here a long time now. The light was beginning to fade and the various bands of mustangs began to depart the watering place.