The next morning we were up early…I opened the shade to find dozens of wild turkey playing on big round bales of hay and dancing along a nearby wooden fence! They were chasing each other and jumping around playing…quite comical to watch!!!
We were outside early to watch them feeding the horses & cows!
There were only four camp sites at the Sanctuary and only one other occupied other than us. There was a lady next to us in a small motor home…she was volunteering at the Sanctuary for the months of September and October. She was driving the truck that was dispensing feed for the livestock. After the mares had finished eating, they came to the fence still looking for their foals and we petted them and took pictures. Our tour was to start at 10 AM. Bill was our guide and he herded us up and got us all loaded onto a small school bus for the tour. Bill was great and had many stories and interesting points to add to the tour. The bus traveled back into the hills a few miles and Bill was talking to us all along the way pointing out places of interest like the ancient Petroglyphs that had been verified by National Geographic:
Bill also shared many interesting facts about the local Sioux Indians and how they are allowed to come to the lands of the Sanctuary to hold their sacred ceremonies each year.Our first stop was high on a butte that looked out over the Sanctuary and the Cheyenne River below. Then there was a stop further along on the same high butte where it looked down at the abandoned site where the refilming of Crazy Horse had been filmed several years ago. The movie company had left all the buildings but Bill said that the Sanctuary had not been able to afford to do anything with them or even keep them up and the buildings are now infested with Rattlesnakes! If you look close at the next photo you can see buildings in the big open field.
Then we were off to find herds of horses. These horses are not wild in the sense that we think of wild horses from days of the early west. They are used to humans and in many cases have been abandoned or sent to the Sanctuary to live out their remaining years. Bill pointed out one horse that had been retired from the Marine Corp. – he was a beautiful Palomino gelding in his late 20’s that would spend the rest of his life running free with the herds! Most of the horses came from the Bureau of Land Management and had been relocated from areas in California, Nevada and Arizona where they could no longer live for one reason or another…mostly because of urban growth and expansion. Most of the horses at the Sanctuary had never been broke for halter or riding but had become used to tour groups coming through daily. All of the horses on the ranch side of the Cheyenne River did receive additional grain and nourishment from the folks at the Sanctuary. All of the horses we saw appeared to be in great condition and were beautiful. There were horses of all colors and they were separated into different groups according to which stallion had been with them. There were Playboy’s mares and foals that were in the pasture directly across from where our camper was parked. Out in the hills were the mares and foals of Painted Dessert, Don Juan, Hawk and Frost that we visited. The mares and foals were all colors and sizes! Foals (as well as Registered Santa Gertrudas cattle) are sold year round to help support the Sanctuary.
Then across the Cheyenne River there were 9,000 acres of land where hundreds more horses ran free…some of them occasionally came to the ranch side of the river, but most did not.
Since I have been home I have read Dayton Hyde’s last book…The PASTURES of BEYOND…he is a great storyteller and made me feel like I was right there in the “Old West”…it was based on his own life. "Dayton O. Hyde is a cowboy, rancher, photographer, essayist, and conservationist, and the author of fifteen books for adults and children. He has been the subject of several nationally televised documentaries and was named an Amazing American by People magazine."
Dayton Hyde is now in his 80’s…I wish we could have met him while we were at the Sanctuary! It seems to me that he has done a wonderful thing for all of these beautiful horses…many of which would have been killed if he had not of established this Sanctuary and managed it so lovingly. Check out their site at www.wildmustangs.com ...
and donate if you feel inspired…it is a wonderful cause and all the money clearly goes for the care and comfort of the horses!
Our visit to the BLACK HILLS WILD HORSE SANCTUARY was over all too soon and we headed to Colorado to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park and find the big BULL ELKS...check back soon for our next adventure!
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