A Morning With Missouri's Wild Horses (Shannon County)

A Morning With Missouri's Wild Horses (Shannon County Pt. 1)

Originally submitted November 26, 2010.

October 20, 2009 on yet another photography day trip to my favorite county in Missouri to photograph, I had the privilege to experience the type of photo shoot that I will fondly remember forever. In a county with a plethora of photographic opportunities such as, Alley Mill, Round Spring, Rocky Falls, Sinking Creek C.A., Angeline C.A., Peck Ranch C.A., and two of Missouri's designated National Scenic Riverways, the Current and Jack's Fork, any day shooting there is sure to garner a memory card or two filled with great shots. My initial destination on this day had been to start at Rocky Falls, a gorgeous spot in Missouri that for whatever reason isn't all that well known. I will blog more about the falls at a later date.

Having left home late and missing the chance to catch the sunrise at Rocky Falls, I decided to stop by Shawnee Creek, a tributary of the Jack's Fork that is used by campers, as well as, the trail riders that make Eminence so popular with horse lovers. On a previous trip a few months prior, My son Robert and I had come across some odd looking tracks in the gravel bottom of the small creek. Later while getting a soda at the local gas station, was a picture posted to the cash register dated the day before of a mother bear standing in Shawnee Creek. This solved the mystery of the strange tracks. I've made it a habit to always check that area, even if the chance of ever spotting a glimpse of a bear are slim.

On this day, I had just taken a few shots of the morning light and Autumn colors along Shawnee Creek and was heading back to my car when I looked across a very large river bottom field, and just above the extremely high grass saw the distinct head of a horse flip up just above the tops of the grass. It took me a moment to realize that I had stumbled upon one of the two small wild horse herds that roam the areas along the Current and Jack's Fork River.

As I began walking though the field toward where I had seen the head pop up above the grass, I could see numerous well traveled trails that lead through the tall grass. All of these paths seemed to lead to small short grass meadows, that you couldn't see until you were basically upon them because of the surrounding taller grasses. As I got closer to the small herd, my excitement grew. I had planned my day out the night before, but the thing I've come to learn about plans, is to be flexible. Rockey Falls and Alley Mill can always be found in the same spot every day. As I got closer and could finally see the horses better through the grass, it was apparent they were very aware of my presence as well. I've had a lot of experience with domestic horses, but a wasn't sure the best approach to interacting with a wild herd. I opted for what I hoped was a nonchalant approach just short of twirling my thumbs and whistling while intentionally looking away. I finally reached the small circular short grass opening. Ok so it wasn't a Dianne Fossey/Jane Goodall moment, but nonetheless, I was excited that the herd hadn't ran off at my approach. I did quickly find it was easy to discern who the herd stallion was when he trotted between me and the rest of the herd, then shook his head a few times, with his ears slightly pinned back. At this point I decided to avoid direct eye contact with him, and sit down at the edge of the clearing.

That tactic proved effective and soon I was able to scoot around to snap some shots of the herd. The herd had two babies, a black colt, and a little chestnut filly. While the herd in general seemed tolerant of my presence, the little filly was very inquisitive and tried repeatedly to walk towards me for a closer look. Sometimes her mother would step in and herd her away, other times one of the other members of the herd would step in and do the same. It was obvious that there is a difference between tolerance and trust, and because of this I was only able to shoot a few unobstructed shots of her. The photo above is my favorite capture of her that day.

I followed the herd for over three hours that day. I would have continued to follow, but while walking along the narrow path following them to yet another clearing, I was stopped short when the White Stallion re-entered the path. This time his intention was clear. His pinned ears and his head shake were communication enough to know that it was time for me to go. I look at everyday in the outdoors as a blessing, but some days are so special that you'll never forget them. This experience would have to rate somewhere near the top of my most memorable photo shoots.

Now for a little background on how Missouri wound up with two small wild horse herds. Though no one knows for sure, the theory that is most widely accepted is that somewhere near the end of the 1920' to early 1930's, that do to the depression, farmers began releasing horses because they could no longer afford to feed them. There are two small herds, and to keep the population manageable, males are occasional captured and then offered up for adoption.

There has also been much controversy concerning the wild horses in Missouri. The National Park System considers the horses to be feral and not truly wild, and by definition I would agree that no wild horses in America are true wild animals. That distinction belongs solely to a small threatened population in Mongolia. Wanting to remove the horses, but facing a backlash from concerned citizens who went on to form the Missouri Wild Horse League, and case wound up in litigation that went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. The opinion of the Court was the National Park System had the right to remove any feral animals at their discretion. Alas all seemed lost for those wishing to see the horses remain running free along the National Park Lands along the Current and Jack's Fork National Scenic Riverways. Then in stepped United States Congressman Bill Emerson. In a last ditch effort to keep the horses along the National Scenic Riverways permanent, he proposed a bill and was soon supported by Missouri senators Kit Bond, and John Ashcroft. After the bill was passed, it was later signed into law October 3, 1996 by President Bill Clinton. The horses are now federally protected animals.

I'm enclosing the information on the Missouri Wild Horse League should anyone want to contact them. The website says they can help you possibly locate where either of the herds might be located. The information on the site is a few years old, and in recent years a couple of horses have been shot and left killed, so I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't a little more guarded with such information. To me that seems as senseless as the fact every year in Missouri, a few bald eagles are found shot and left to rot. I will enclose future blog entries on Shannon County. For those who have never been there, it is a Missouri gem. The current proposed project  that has me excited is, a plan to re-introduce an Elk herd in the Peck Ranch C.A. covering parts of Shannon, Reynolds, and Carter Counties. Arkansas has already re-introduced Elk along the Buffalo National River, and in my opinion, I would love to see free roaming elk once again in our wonderful state. 

© Tommy Burgess

Missouri Wild Horse League

P.O. Box 301

Eminence, MO 65466

573-226-3492 or 573-226-3339