Northernhorse.com Blog

I am not sure how many of you have been following the plight of the American Wild Mustangs but 33,000 of them just got a temporary reprieve on their death sentence. Sounds like they mismanage their wildies down south even worse than we do.

WHOAS, The Wild Horses of Alberta Society, have been reporting on this catastrophe and have lots of interesting details on their website. They also do their best to care for and protect our little herds of wildies in the westcountry. Continue Reading »

A New Zealand study on wild horses has revealed that breeding specifically for a filly or a colt may be more than just a 50-50 chance for horse breeders.

In a six-year long study funded by the Department of Conservation, researchers Elissa Cameron and Wayne Linklater found that it was the change in condition of the mare around the time of conception, as opposed to her actual condition, that better predicted the sex of the foal.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/breeding/foalsex-121.shtml

There are some pretty scenes in this film made for Radio-Canada.ca. Doreen and Bob Henderson who work tirelessly in their endeavour to preserve the wild horses are featured in the movie. The audio is in French but it is quite enjoyable for the graphics and overall quite understandable. Continue Reading »

I had the incredible experience of going out west with Bob & Doreen Henderson last weekend to watch and photograph wild horses. If you love horses it is a thrill like no other. Many of my photos are a blur because of my excitement and the vibration from my pounding heart. We were blessed with the rare opportunity to see a few herds all in one day. From snorting stallions to shy babies it was a day I will never forget. We even got to witness a bachelor stallion trying to lure away a mate from a herd stallion. These herds owe there very existence to the efforts of Bob & Doreen. If you would like to help them, you can purchase a beautiful 2008 calendar with photos of the wildies. Only $20.00. You can visit their website at http://www.northernhorse.com/wildhorses/ or email me lynn@northernhorse.com and I will forward your request.

The trapping season is now on for the Wild Horses in the west country. I’ve only heard of one horror story so far about the government licensed horse trapping but even more worrisome is the number of wild horses that are being shot. There is no government endorsed season for shooting horses. But since the beginning of 2007 we have found 8 horses shot. Does this mean we have quite a few people who get a thrill from shooting a horse? Or one person who needs to do it really often? You can visit the Wild Horses of Alberta Society website for more info and photos.

Who to contact if you would like to see this cruelty ended.

Honorable Ted Morton, Minister
Sustainable Resource Development
420, Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Ave.
Edmonton, AB Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 415-4815
Fax: (780) 415-4818
Email: foothills.rockyview@assembly .ab.ca

Premier Ed Stelmack
307, Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Ave.
Edmonton, AB Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: 780-427-2251
Fax: 780-427-1349
Email: see website and fill out form
http://premier.alberta.ca/contact/

Thank you for your comments regarding horses in the west country. The horses you refer to are introduced species and are not indigenous to the area. It’s believed that these horses originated from domestic stock in the early 1900s during logging and mining operations in the area. There have also been cases where domestic horses have either gotten away or have been turned loose into the West Country and subsequently reproduced and adapted to living in the wild. The horses you refer to are considered feral horses. Continue Reading »

The three-week-old foal struggled hard against the current to keep up abreast his mom and family herd that were making the perilous journey across the Red Deer River. The water was running high and icy-cold the rapids merciless battered against the tiny horse. The foal being too young and weak was unable to keep swimming against the onslaught of the white water and drifted away from his herd and down steam. Somehow he managed to climb out of the river onto dry land, but his herd was no longer in sight. The foal whinnied for his mare but could hear nothing but the roar of the river. Exhausted the young horse laid down on his rock covered island and went to sleep. Continue Reading »