Mustangs, part 1

"Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene."- Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act, 1971

I took these photographs, and others from the set that will be shared in the following weeks, of mustangs at a BLM adoption event back in 2005. With my old manual Pentax camera around my neck and pockets full of film, I trekked down to Shelton, excited to see first hand theses symbols of the west, and of course, dreaming of taking one (or two, or four) home. The prints were shuffled away not long after I developed them, but a few days ago I remembered the photos and dug them out of my archives. I was surprized at how much they spoke to me! They're imperfect and rather outside of my usual equine photography box, which I think is why I like them. ;-) I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed rediscovering them!

On a personal note, it's been a dream of mine to photograph the mustangs of the American West in the wild. Right now these horses are at risk of being "managed" into extinction in the wild by the very organization assigned to keep them safe - the BLM. There are many reasons the BLMs treatment of the mustangs raises my hackles, but instead of getting on my soapbox I'll direct you to The Cloud Foundation's Website to learn more about whats going on and what you can do to help.

I'll be sharing more mustang photos next Monday so stay tuned!

Mustangs, part 1