May 28, 2023
*Warning: loss and grief are portrayed in this post.
If you follow our page, you know that we spend a lot of time with the wild horses that live in Sand Wash Basin, Colorado. The basin has become our happy place and always gives us a feeling of incredible peace every time we visit. Exhilaration too, as wild horses are incredible and fascinating to watch! This story is no different, although it comes with grief and sadness as well. We don't often post this type of story on our page, although it's relevant to life in the basin. I have felt compelled to tell you Sagewood's story since this happened in May of last year.
It was one of those days with action all over the basin, the horses full of life and freedom. The weather was springtime stormy, with rainstorms blowing over throughout the day.
We decided to check out one of our favorite water holes. It's down a sketchy two track into a ravine and not visible from the main road. It's always exciting during the few minutes it takes to get there, as you never know what will be waiting for you at the water! As we drove in, we could see some horses off in the distance, leaving the pond. We continued down the two track when off to the left, motion caught our eye. A stallion came thundering across the basin, intent on stealing a trio of mares that were walking along the ridgeline. As the stallion approached them at a full gallop, the lead mare turned back and began running towards the pond we had left. Disner and I scrambled to get our cameras and stopped the truck just in time to see mares' white stallion, flying up the hill from the bottom of the ridge. He had been out of sight but saw the commotion the intruding stallion had caused and came charging to keep his band of mares.
The mares continued to run towards the pond. Knowing where they were going to end up, we quickly turned around and gunned it back down the two track to get in position at the pond. We passed by them on the way and ended up getting there ahead of them. As we waited and watched them off in the distance, a small brown bundle laying in the sage caught our attention. We suspected it was a foal laying there but with the horses running back in, it was too dangerous to investigate. We were hopeful it was alive but also realistic. Bands don't leave their babies behind.
The sound of thundering hooves was in the distance, with far off battles between the white band stallion and three other bachelor stallions, all vying for control of his band.
We finally see them cresting the ridge. After having battled with the bachelors, the band stallion brings up the back of the band, constantly looking back to check the status of his rivals.
After they put some distance between the pursuing stallions and themselves, the band slowed to a walk.
We identified the band as Glory's band. We knew lead mare, Sagewood, and later identified her bandmates. Sagewood was followed by Yellow Cat, then Spook, with white stallion, Glory, in the back.
As they made their way in, Sagewood watched us with long intent eye contact. The wild horses will often check us out. Some don't mind humans around and others are moving out the moment we arrive. Many wild horses will curiously watch us but continue about their lives unconcerned by our presence. But Sagewood was watching us differently somehow, sending off a vibe. We were a good distance away from the band with the small brown bundle in the sage between us and them. Sagewood continued in, coming right up to the little bundle and stopping, the other mares behind her. We knew then that this little bundle was hers.
Although the band wasn't there when we had passed by earlier, we knew they had just left and could feel that they had just been there. The other two mares in the band, Yellow Cat and Spook, both seemed patiently resigned that they would be there for a while. They didn't graze or drink, they just stood near Sagewood.
Sagewood sniffed and nuzzled the brown bundle. She stomped the ground and paced, always coming back to it. She kept looking up at Disner and I. It was if she was asking us to do something, to help her baby. Her eyes implored us to act in some way. We could only watch as frustration, sorrow, helplessness, and grief rolled off of Sagewood.
Spook came along beside her, offering a comforting presence. She lowered her head towards the little bundle but never got too close.
Glory was back and forth between his band and the three bachelor stallions that had caused all the initial chaos. We could tell that he wanted to gather up his band and leave, but rather than snake them out of there as most stallions undoubtedly would, he ran interference between them and the other stallions.
We could feel Sagewood's grief and Glory could too.
He stayed busy during this time, charging up a hill to challenge another bachelor stallion.
He battles the stallion before running back down the hill to put himself once again between his band and other bachelors off in the distance.
He approaches Sagewood a couple times but she is clearly not ready to leave and amazingly, he doesn't force her, he doesn't dominate, he doesn't snake, nor does he bite to get the band going. The other two mares in the band are waiting for a signal, either from Glory or Sagewood. They are ready, either to stay in this spot or to go.
But Sagewood stays by her baby, still looking at us, asking us with her eyes if we could do anything to help.
Spook and Yellow Cat stay close to Sagewood and as we watch, the sky opens up and a light rain starts to fall as if nature itself is grieving along with Sagewood.
After several long minutes of scrapping with the other stallions, Glory makes his way back to the band, pushing against them, encouraging them to move on.
Glory eventually gets Yellow Cat and Spook to move and Sagewood turns her head into the wind. The rain gently falling brings with it a feeling of change, of time passing somehow. The clouds overhead darken the basin and bring both calm and sadness.
With her band slowly leaving, Sagewood turns to follow.
Glory stops and waits for her to catch up. He knows she doesn't want to leave and moves in between her and the foal. He gently leans on her and nuzzles her face. He eventually gets her to continue on and follow the other mares as they leave the pond and the foal behind.
After the band leaves, I lower my camera and look over at Disner with tears in my eyes. We slowly walk through rain into the sage and pay our respects to Sagewood's little brown bundle, a colt named Candle Sparks, not even 10 days old.
I thought back to a previous visit a year prior to the same pond. Our blog post Ariat's Story talks about that visit, in which Disner had said, "Some lives just don't last that long."
We've seen life and death in the basin before and it's never easy. What has stuck with me from this day was the wordless communication between Sagewood, us, her band, and her stallion. We couldn't do anything for her, other than send her the most loving and comforting vibes possible. I know her bandmates were gifting her their calming, protective presence and Glory was showing compassion and patience, giving her time to mourn.
They all came around their bandmate to support her in the ways they could.
Life and even death, can be beautiful.
We photographed this band several more times throughout last year. They stayed together and Sagewood was well, gaining weight and leading the band.
