Wild Horses: Discovering the Adobe Town Family at Rock Springs Corrals

Carol Walker, from Wild Hoof Beats, shares her experience at the Rock Springs Corrals, where she aimed to identify and help wild horses rounded up from the Great Divide Basin, Salt Wells Creek, and Adobe Town Herd Management Areas. Her mission was to find specific horses for adoption and ensure their safe transport to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary.

Arriving on a Sunday, Carol was eager to enter the BLM Short Term Holding Facility on Monday. Her primary goal was to identify the third mare in Bronze Warrior's family, Sabrina, and locate another appaloosa stallion and his mares. Despite weather concerns, the facility was not ready for transport until Friday, causing anxiety over travel conditions.

Carol quickly identified the last mare's tag number, thanks to her distinct markings. The mares in the corrals were skittish, and the pens were crowded, making it difficult to view them all. Two foals were born overnight, complicating feeding routines as staff carefully worked around the newborns.

Photographing the horses was essential for Carol to promote their adoption. She noted the geldings, recently castrated, were still feisty and beautiful. Many mares appeared extremely pregnant, raising concerns about the crowded conditions and the adoption process, which required waiting periods for foals to be weaned or freeze-branded.

Unfortunately, the Rock Springs Corrals faced staffing shortages, delaying the preparation of horses for viewing and adoption. While Canon City had their horses ready by early November, Rock Springs was delayed until the end of February, coinciding with foaling season. Staff responsible for adoptions also spent significant time feeding the horses.

Weanlings, like the bottle-fed filly named Cover Girl, were challenging to photograph due to their attention-seeking behavior. Weanlings and yearlings generally have better adoption prospects as they are easier to train.

Carol searched for a varnish appaloosa gelding seen in the wild but could not find him, hoping he evaded capture. She also looked for Snowfall and Diamond Girl's weanling, suspecting he might have been sent to the Axtell, Utah Burro facility due to overcrowding at Rock Springs and Canon City.

Returning the next day, Carol continued photographing the horses. Only one mare and foal were moved from the crowded pen, limiting her ability to capture images. She shared the photographs online to raise awareness about the adoption event.

On Thursday, Carol learned from Manda Kalimian that one of their mares had foaled. Rushing to the corrals, she confirmed it was Gwendolyn, a tall mare with a distinctive marking. Gwendolyn was a protective mother, keeping other mares away from her foal, whom Carol named Xena the warrior princess.

Despite the joy of a new foal, the timing was unfortunate. Gwendolyn and Xena were to remain at the corrals until the foal could travel safely. Manda ensured they would be reunited with Bronze Warrior and other mares at the Black Hills Sanctuary.

On Friday, the day of transport, Carol noticed Gwendolyn distressed in the mare and foal pen. Xena was missing, and staff explained the mare had rejected her foal, leading to bottle feeding. Carol decided to take Gwendolyn to the sanctuary, learning later that Xena had died due to insufficient colostrum.

Carol plans to write about the horses' arrival at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in her next post.

For more information, visit http://www.wildhoofbeats.com/news/wild-horses-checkerboard-roundup-wild-horses-now-available-at-rock-springs.