FEATURE STORY The Silver Lake by Rich Wininger M
averick is big. At 16 hands, many people step back when he trots up; they don’t know that all he wants is love and attention. He is curious and unafraid and a great trail
and mountain horse. Mountains are in his blood. Maverick is a son of the Silver Lake Wild Horses, the only wild horse
herd on the west side of the Cascades. These horses were originally turned out by a pioneer family in the 1920’s and now roam in an area southwest of Olympia, WA. You can see a mix of breeds within the herd — Quarter Horse, Morgan, and even a bit of draft horse. Horses were also brought in from the Yakima and Umatilla tribes. There are two family groups. The band led by the big red roan stal-
lion is the most wary. The other band is led by a white stallion; though not as big, he is built like a tank. Both stallions are on the alert, con- stantly looking for danger and guarding their families. They run in separate loops and do not normally mix: two families, two territories. The horses may be wild, but there has always been someone look-
ing out for them. First, it was the original pioneer family that turned them out. Then, for years, it was Hank. A quiet man, Hank loved the horses and watched over them. When Hank knew it was getting too tough to be out there every day he began looking for the next per- son who might help safeguard their future. Now Cleon watches over them; he can get close to the horses, they know him. There are many tricks to working with a wild horse herd like this.
If you do happen to catch a glimpse of the herd, your heart skips a beat; they are beautiful animals.
The Silver Lake horses are hard to fi nd. You may travel for miles
knowing they are close but, more often than not, they can’t be found. If you do happen to catch a glimpse of the herd, your heart skips a beat; they are beautiful animals. These horses are also healthy, which sur- prises people who are used to looking at the Mustang herds from the plains or the desert. Unlike those wild horses, the Silver Lake herds have plenty of food and water and few predators that an angry mare can’t handle. That can be good, or not so good. No predation, no population control. This story continues to unfold, bringing us to today.
40 April 2012 The Northwest Horse Source
Wild Horse Herd Meet the Only Wild Horses West of the Cascades
One of the Silver Lake herd sires PHOTO: DR. MEG BRINTON The wild horses range on land owned by a large timber com-
pany. Access to this area is restricted and for good reason. Herd pro- tection is one of them. While protection is nice, horse herds left to themselves will develop health and population concerns. The Bu- reau of Land Management has signifi cant wild horse population issues on their rangeland. Fortunately, the Silver Lake Wild Horse herd is much smaller and, so far, manageable. The main task to manage population has been to capture hors- es and place them in qualifi ed homes. Left alone, herd size doubles every four years and quickly can become a big problem. Many Sil- ver Lake horses have been captured and placed in good homes over the years. They are used in many different ways and are popular as trail horses. More recently, due to the severe recession and tough economic conditions, it has become more diffi cult to place year- lings/weanlings. It takes time and fi nancial commitment to prop- erly care for a horse, not to mention knowledge and experience to train a colt or fi lly. That brings us to a request: we need your help! Current herd size
is appropriate, given the range area, but we need to continue to fi nd good, qualifi ed homes for the weanlings as they are removed from the herd. We wish to get the word out to a broader range of horse enthusi- asts, people who would consider adopting a Silver Lake Wild Horse.
These horses are intel-
ligent, hardy and moun- tain smart. They deserve to be in homes where they are loved and prop- erly cared for. If you have taken time to read this you might be part of the audience we are looking for. For more information, and for photos of these unique horses, please visit
www.silverlakewildhorses.com and join me in becom- ing a friend of the Silver Lake Wild Horses.
NWHS
www.nwhorsesource.com
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