Revisiting the Onaqui Herd

It’s early November. The first snow fell in the mountains around Salt Lake City this week.  With the shorter days (sunset at 5:30-6 pm), I only have one opportunity to go to the Tooele Valley to look for the wild horses on this trip.

The Search

Mid-day Sunday, I headed out along the Pony Express Trail. I drove past Simpson Springs, and the watering hole with nary a beast seen.  It’s hunting season which probably accounts for the absence of deer, pronghorn, and coyote. They always seem to know and head for the hills.

I backtracked to Dugway Road at Davis Mountain to follow Rober Hammer’s directions to a different watering hole. I find myself on a two-track road primarily traveled by ATVs. I’m in a Rogue Sport, a “mini-SUV.” (I’ve learned some things after my matchbox car experience in southern Utah!). But…some of the ruts are too deep for me to navigate without the undercarriage scraping along the ground. I drove with two tires on the berm and two on the high center, which worked well where the track was reasonably straight and level. There is fresh horse scat all around. This is promising!

The Adventure

I approached a narrow draw and paused.  It’s steep.  I’m not sure the rear bumper will clear the downslope before the front bumper hits the ground on the opposite side. I consult my map.  It looks like the water hole is just past his draw, where the “road” will flatten out. I decided to give it a go.  Starting on the left high side, I crossed diagonally to the right when the vehicle tilted precariously. I stopped. I’m concerned that I’m going to roll the SUV.  I backed up in precisely the same track I followed in. I figured if it didn’t roll then, I wouldn’t move even an inch off that track. Once I was back on level ground, and my heart rate returned to normal, I took this picture and promptly turned around.

Near the main drag, I took a flat side trail along Davis mountain, where I encountered one lone horse. It’s odd to find a solo mustang. But I only saw cattle in the distance. I watched him for a while before I noticed that there were horses among the cattle! I raced back to Dugway Road to get closer to the resting herd.

The Onaqui Herd

They began to stir—some of their own accord, some with prompting.

A dapple gray stallion was a bit too interested in a mare. A competing stallion approaches the interloper, posturing to show his displeasure. The dapple retreated without a word.

The stallion then pursued the same mare. She’s clearly not interested. Maybe it’s the tumbleweed matting into his mane? Surprisingly, the dapple comes to her defense by placing himself between the two horses. Situation defused.

Now a third stallion tries his moves. He approaches, and the dapple again moves in to protect or claim the mare. It almost comes to blows. For some reason, the dapple does not kick, and the gray stallion retreats. Both of these stallions have recent wounds on their faces. They have a history with one another.

I love how the manes and tails speak to the motion of the altercation.

A car pulled in behind me after I’d been watching the herd for a while. They brought more than one barking dog in their vehicle. That got everyone’s attention – heads up, ears perked, and nostrils flared. Fortunately, they only stayed a couple of minutes before continuing on. The herd immediately went back to browsing.

Within the band, there are alliances. These mustangs tend to have one or two besties that they stay close to.

I didn’t anticipate that horses and cattle share space like this. The horses were pushing the cattle. The livestock would move off whenever a mustang got within about thirty feet or so. They peacefully maintained that spacing as they all grazed across the valley.

The dapple gray was having a bad day. He spent most of the time with his ears flattened against his head, a sign of aggression or annoyance. He yawned a few times, which is also a sign of stress.

The white horse (I think this is the mare known as Snow, Katniss, and Jailbreak) stayed by the roan mare after the previous altercations, and there were no more scuffles. Her best friend helping her out, perhaps?

I’ve chosen to capture and tell the stories of the dramatic interactions in this band. Most of the time they are grazing peacefully along the valley.  These skirmishes are short-lived and quickly forgotten.

I drive back as the sun sets behind the mountains. It took me about an hour to find this group once I got out there, and I spent about an hour with them. Another enriching visit with the Onaqui herd!

If you’re interested in purchasing or licensing any of the images you see here, please email me: SNewenham at exploringnaturephotos.com, and I’ll make it happen.

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