Hello and Happy Sunday to everyone!
I had the pleasure of being in the park yesterday and got to witness the two horses on this post.
Who are they?
First, let’s talk about who these two are.
I didn’t realize that a lot of people didn’t know who the two horses in this photo were. They are Stallion Frontier and Stallion Arrowhead. This photo was taken in 2020 when Frontier decided to come out from the middle of the park and mingle with the other stallions in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. That move that summer. no doubt, taught the young stallion A LOT. In time, coming out of the center of the park would cause him to end up losing his band to his brother Flax, spending the winter alone as a bachelor and then gaining MOST of his band back. This “brotherly” love (NOT!) has continued and there were a few times that Frontier was even able to get Flax’s #1 Mare Mischief from his brother!
As our Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands evolved, I was looking for an image for a shirt that captured those words. I was working with a local company, so I sent her a bunch of different images as she worked on her design. This one of Frontier & Arrowhead is the one she chose.
That image has become more to me than just the evolution of a band stallion. It represents our fight for the freedom of ALL these amazing horses.
Yesterday I got to watch 2021 Colt Flyer (Firefly x Frontier) and 2021 Colt Cadet (Justice x Arrowhead) sparring with each other. Yes, these are Frontier and Arrowhead’s boys!
I remember these two when they were the new foals in the park. Watching them grow over the last couple of years is a blessing!
Watching the two of them now coming into their own is simply incredible.
As I sat there and watched them yesterday, I could not help but think of the day I watched their parents back in 2020. These two would have been nothing more than a small peanut inside their moms at the time.
In 2020, to Frontier and Arrowhead, they were worth fighting for even then.
In 2023, these boys and ALL of the wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home are STILL worth fighting for.
Only the fight has changed.
This isn’t just some simple sparring between a couple of colts or two stallions getting acquainted with each other.
THIS is a Fight for the Spirit of the Badlands.
Their spirit.
Their freedom.
Their lives.
I keep saying it…
WE GET ONE CHANCE to save them.
If the park is able to carry out their proposed action: TOTAL elimination of this herd from the park, it is a GUARANTEE that there will NEVER be wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park again.
Flyer & Cadet along with all of the wild horses that call the park home deserve better than that. They need us to be their voice to make sure that this herd is not only allowed to stay, but that there is a management plan in place that allows a genetically viable herd of horses to stay in the park. We are also working hard on getting federal protection for these horses.
We are working on some NEW Calls to Action to help this herd. Be sure to watch our website and our Facebook page for updates.
You can also help by sharing our posts or by making a donation to help support our advocacy work: https://chwha.org/support-chwha/
Remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
THIS is NOT a time for silence! Silence IS acceptance! If total removal of these horses from the only home they have ever known is NOT ok with you, NOW is the time to speak up for these horses before it is too late!
We have a video of Flyer and Cadet from yesterday that we posted on our YouTube channel. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RED6BYudzE
We also added more photos from yesterday to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChasingHorsesWHA/
Thank you for your support!
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates is committed to advocating for a wild horse management plan and protection for these unique wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home! We are fighting for a management plan that is guided by science especially when it comes to decisions regarding the removal of horses and the administration of birth control. Many other wild horse management plans have proven to be successful with their science-based plans. We are asking for the same for this amazing group of wild horses that call Theodore Roosevelt National Park home.
