THE FERAL HORSES

Feral horses, South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

While driving on the Scenic Loop Drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park many visitors try to see the feral horses that live in the park. Sometimes you can watch quite a few of them and sometimes you may not be lucky at all. We spent a little time with parts of the herd again this year. Feral horses are fun to watch and there is a good chance you get carried away and make way too many clicks (oh, is there such a thing like too many clicks…? 😉).

Of course you make your safety shots that will serve as a memory, but you want to make that picture that sets it apart from the rest. I’m talking about the photo that includes a nice gesture, a background that tells the story about location, and maybe a soft light, which is not always guaranteed. The horses often stood very close together and that’s nice, but I tried to find a position with the camera where I could separate individual animals, or like in this photo a foal with its mother.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO400

LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD...

Wild Horse, Theodore Roosevelt National Park ----

It is a summer full of lushness. I don’t remember any other year when the leaves on the trees around here have been so much full of green in August as we still have it right now. Sure, the first leaves come down already, but I remember other years when the prairie grass along the roads was already yellow and dry and many of our trees gave up on keeping the leaves green. This may be totally different in about 18 days when we will return from our vacation trip. I usually don’t reveal where we go, but let me give you a hint. We will head north and we go in a circle. Got it? 😉 I don’t know if I will be able to post here in the blog, we may not have internet connection most of the time, but I assure you that the cameras and gear is packed and that we will have our eyes, ears, and mind open for everything that may cross the path of our journey…

For today I leave you with a shot from last year’s trip through the badlands of the Dakotas. This is one of the feral horses, roaming free in the grasslands and valleys of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. The colors blended in to each other, making it not more than a snapshot, but the light had a quality that was hard to resist. Black & white tells the story so much better in my humble opinion. The highlights on the horse’s back tell you that there has never been a saddle placed and continuing the observation on the prairie grass, you may certainly recognize this was not shot in a farmer’s back yard… As always, click on the image for a better view!

THE BURROS OF CUSTER STATE PARK

One animal in Custer State Park in the Black Hills is hard to miss. Known as the “begging burros”, the herds can be encountered along the Wildlife Loop Road. The burros in the park are feral. They have been introduced by humans to the area and have reverted to a semi-wild state. The donkeys descend from pack animals that were once used for treks to a summit. They often block the road and pander for food from tourists. Because you have to stop anyway, you can’t help but take some pictures of these charismatic relatives of the horse...