Horses Wild and Free

It had been a long, hard day’s work riding the fence of the Triple Bar Ranch, fixing the posts and wire that needed repairing as he went along. But, John Samson was no stranger to hard work and, if you asked him, he preferred the solitary work, just him and his horse, Shadow, riding the range under a beautiful blue sky on a sunny autumn day.

Shadow had been his horse ever since he picked the beautiful black stallion out of a corral in town a dozen or so years ago when he was just a young, free-spirited colt. The two-year old mustang had been caught up as part of the roundup the year before and had ended up alone in the stockyard outside of town after all of the other horses had been purchased. The young colt was a fighter though and he grew up strong, fast, and stubborn.

It took John a lot of time and patience, but he was able to calm the horse down and earn his trust, and in time, the two became a good team, rider and horse.

John found a nice place to camp for the night. It was one of his favorite spots on the ranch and he, Shadow, and Sparky, his pack horse, had been there a few times before. It was situated on the far-side of the 10,000-acre ranch on the side of a hill overlooking a small valley that had a wide stream running through it. There was grass for Shadow and Sparky to graze on and plenty of trees to shelter under if needed. There was also a small creek nearby that flowed down to the stream, which gave him and his equine companions all the water they would need for the night.

He took care of his two horses first before doing anything else. He unsaddled shadow, gave him a nice brushing, which the black horse always seemed to enjoy. He walked him over to a nice grassy spot where he began munching on some grass almost immediately.

He then did the same thing with Sparky, removing all of the gear the old boy had been carrying, then gave him a nice brushing, too, before walking him over to the grassy spot so he could graze alongside Shadow.

He didn’t stake or tie either horse up, as the trust between him and his horses that had been developed over all the years they had been together was complete. John knew Shadow or Sparky would not run off, and even if one or both did, he knew he could simply call out to them and they would return. Such was the bond between the three companions.

After his horses were settled down, John began putting his campsite together. He set up a bed of sorts with his saddle as a pillow and a blanket as a mattress to try and cushion the hard ground when he lay down. He got some water from the creek and collected some sticks for a fire.

Soon, the small campsite felt a little bit like home, with the smell of coffee brewing in the air and the crackle of beans and meat cooking in a pan over the fire.

It was beautiful and peaceful in their little campsite, John thought to himself. The sun was getting low, as the soft, late-afternoon sunlight bathed the campsite and the valley below. He sat back and relaxed as he watched the shadows grow longer as the time passed slowly while his little meal cooked. Close by, Shadow and Sparky munched contentedly on the grass. It was a nice way to close out the day.

Suddenly, John heard a snort from Shadow. He turned quickly and saw the black stallion standing with his head up high, his ears forward, and he was staring intently toward the far end of the valley. Sparky didn’t seem to notice anything for a moment, but then he too became alert, and stood tall next Shadow, looking into the distance.

John knew his horses sensed something coming. A horse’s sense of smell, hearing and eyesight were far superior to a man’s. For Shadow, and then Sparky, to react the way they did, there had to be something close by.

John watched and listened, but couldn’t see or hear anything in the direction that his two horses were looking. But then, gradually, he heard a sound. It was a rumbling sound like thunder, but the sky was too clear for a storm to be brewing. Yet, the rumbling sound kept getting louder and louder.

He got up and walked closer to his horses.

“What do you think it is boys,” he asked Shadow, who seemed the most agitated by the sound, as his nostrils were flaring as he breathed in the scent of – something, which had him very excited.

And, then, John saw something. Down on the valley floor, the source of the “thunder,” which continued to get louder, was finally revealed.

Coming out of the trees was a herd of wild horses, maybe 50 head, running at a full gallop. The power in their legs left no doubt of their strength, as their hooves pounded the ground making the thunderous sound and kicking up dust as they moved across the valley floor. Their power was in stark contrast to their beauty and to their gracefulness, as their manes and tails trailed behind them in the wind as they ran. 

The thundering herd followed their lead horse across the wide expanse of green grass in the valley and they ran directly toward the stream. It was a beautiful sight to behold, as horses of all different colors – roan, gray, brown and bay – just trusted their leader, a strikingly beautiful pure white stallion, as they followed him towards the cool crystal blue water they all seemed to know awaited them just ahead.

Soon the horses reached the stream and they all stopped. Some of the horses went straight into the water to cool off, while others stood on the bank and began to drink. All the while, the white stallion stood off to the side, standing guard over his herd. He was their protector, always on the lookout for any sign of trouble. That was his job, what nature and instinct taught him to do a long time ago.

Up on the hillside, John, Shadow and Sparky watched the herd at the stream below together. John enjoyed the beauty of what he saw unfold. Sure, he had seen a herd of wild horses running before, but there just seemed to be something different this time. Maybe it was just the culmination of a good day, or maybe it was watching it with his two companions, or maybe it was the beauty and majesty of the white stallion who stood watching over his herd.

All the time he had been watching, his hand had been resting on Shadow’s side. His horse definitely seemed to have a keen interest in the scene below. He began to notice how Shadow’s disposition and demeanor was changing. How his muscles began to tighten, his breathing became stronger, as his nostril’s flared. He began shaking with excitement as if some primal instinct within the black beauty was being drawn to the herd of horses below.

John wondered if maybe the scene of the horses running below brought back distant memories for his horse from a time before he had found him. Whatever it was, Shadow started to take some steps forward as if his instinct was drawing him to run down the hill and join the herd.

John sensed what might be happening and was not sure what he should do. His first thought was to try and stop Shadow from moving ahead. But, in the back of his mind, he also wondered whether he wanted to stop him or not. Sure, he loved Shadow and wanted his horse to stay with him, but then he questioned himself – was it right to hold his horse back from a chance to possibly return to the life he once knew and a chance to just be a wild horse again and be free.

Shadow took a few more tentative steps forward, as if trying to decide what he should do himself. But, then he stopped looked back at John, the person who had taken such good care of him all these years, and he stopped. It was as if he had made his own decision. He was going to stay.

John stepped up closer to Shadow again, reached over and stroked him along his neck. The gesture was returned with a quiet nicker. Sparky, who had been watching everything unfold, gave a quiet nicker, too.

Down in the valley, the white stallion finally took his turn to take a drink of the cool water, while his herd stood around relaxing, grazing, or lying down.

Shadow took one more look at the herd down below, and then from a place deep within himself, he let out a long, almost primal whinny that John had never heard his horse make before.

Down in the valley, every horse snapped to attention, as they lifted their heads, almost in unison, and looked in the direction from where Shadow had made his call. The white stallion looked intensely for a moment, then snorted, turned, and took off at a full gallop heading away down the valley. His herd wasted no time and followed.

As before when they first appeared, John marveled at the beautiful scene unfolding in front of him as the horses galloped off into the distance, leaving a trail of dust behind. They were wild and free; the epitome of what freedom was all about.

While Sparky only seemed to have a curious interest in all of it, Shadow continued to intensely watch the horses as they faded into the distance, and John wondered what his companion might be thinking. Did he miss the freedom of his former life, or was he happy and content living with him?

When the herd of horses finally disappeared into the distance, the three companions settled back down into their camp for the night. Shadow took one final look into the distance, then walked over and began grazing on the grass next to Sparky, while John settled in for some sleep.

It was the end of their day, and what a magnificent day it had been.

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(Photos used courtesy of Creative Commons)