Latest Instagram Photos
       
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Ghost Dancer: this mustang mare survived First they took her freedom and family. Then, they put her in the stallion penI was on the range in January 2010, not far from the home land of Wovoka, the Paiute prophet whose vision began the Ghost Dance movement, when an ivory and adobe-colored Medicine Hat mare was taken from her home by a BLM helicopter round-up.
I saw her transferred to a government facility called Broken Arrow -- an ironic symbol for peace -- where she was accidentally penned with young stallions.
At this time, the Broken Arrow facility was open to the public. I visited the mare whenever I could and  brought her sage leaves, the scent of home. On days I couldn't go, friends checked on and photographed her (photos by Cat Kindsfather)  The mare bonded so quickly with a black and white pinto, I wondered if they'd known each other when they both ran free. Maybe their reunion, in captivity, was a bittersweet surprise. 
Eventually the Medicine Hat mare was moved to BLM's Palomino Valley facility and put up for sale. She was
not eligible for adoption because she was over 10 years old. This meant
she could be sold “without limitation”. That meant she
could have gone to a kill-buyer, but I was fortunate enough to outbid
everyone in an online auction. She was mine, but a bidder in Texas won her best friend, and the mares parted again.
The Medicine Hat mare was captured not far from the lands of the
prophet Wovoka. Inspired by the Ghost Dance religion and poem “Ghost Dance” by Sara Littlecrow-Russell, I named this resilient mare Ghost
Dancer.
The history I've read -- always iffy when it documents the lives of Indians -- says a dream showed him a circle dance which would cause the disappearance of the Whites and return the land to the way it was before their invasion, Wouldn't a wild horse, captured and ripped from her home, have the same dream?
=
I freed Ghost Dancer in a 5,000 sanctuary with a young sorrel mare captured on the same day, in the same place.
 Labels: BLM, Broken Arrow, Fallon, Ghost Dance, ghost dancer, Medicine Hat, Nevada, sale authority, wild horses, Wounded Knee, Wovoka Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:43 PM 9 comments  
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Calico filly's adventure: where was Sage?
Here's what probably happened next according to Dianne Nelson and Jill Broughton of Wild Horse SanctuaryWhen Ghost Dancer Sage were released together, we assumed they “headed for the hills”. It isn’t uncommon for them to head out and not look back – especially if they haven’t had much human contact and/or the contact has been traumatic.
Because I assumed that the mares would stay together, I
always kept my eye out for both of them with more emphasis placed on spotting
Ghost Dancer because her coloring makes her more identifiable.
We have a stallion we RARELY see. He’s a dark bay from the
Sheldon Hart Wildlife Refuge and aside from Phantom has been the most
elusive. I’ve been a regular at the WHS
for almost 8 years and just saw him for the first time last winter. I think I
mentioned that we were too far away and I didn’t have a camera but I thought I
saw a mare with coloring similar to Ghost. What I didn’t see was a sorrel mare.
Last summer I saw our older red roan stallions with his 2
grey girls and a sorrel mare. We were closer to the western boundary of the
property and the four of them were just hanging out under some shade trees. Because
they were just relaxing I left them be and didn’t approach.
Again, it didn’t occur to me that the sorrel was Sage because:
1. No Ghost with her 2. That stud had a sorrel mare before. I did note that
day, that the sorrel looked to be younger
That particular day we had gone off our normal trail ride
route and had stopped for lunch in a different location than usual. Since I’ve
been helping at the WHS, I’ve noted that he’s had a smaller harem than most of
the other stallions and he doesn’t come around very often. I recall feeling
happy to have found his hang out and that his girls looked good.
Without realizing it, I’d already found Sage.
Because of lighter rain fall this past winter and spring,
much of the natural grasses that are available in t remote parts of the
property have been consumed, forcing some of the bands that don’t usually come to the feed ground to come in.
So, now that I know who she is with, I can continue to
follow /track her. That is as long as they continue to come into the areas we
feed or ride through.
AND, that stud is older… not sure how old. It will be
interesting to see what happens – will another stud try to take the girls from
the “old man”? Who will Sage end up with if he passes away?
I do know she hasn’t foaled since she’s been at the WHS. I’m
involved in the sorting and during our first sort, mom’s and babies stay
together.
If her family didn’t come in at all in the past few years,
she/they would very likely have a yearling or a 2 year old with the family and
they don’t - just one pinto foal born this year that belongs to one of the
greys.
I believe there is a good chance Ghost is with that dark bay
guy from Sheldon. They are just terribly difficult to find. Dianne (Nelson) said
she just stumbles upon them once in awhile and although she knows the general
area in which he resides with his harem, they don’t have a set location where
we can count on finding them. I will keep looking for her!
.jpg)
click the link below for
Margaret's photos of Sage & Ghost Dancer on their independence dayLabels: ghost dancer, Sage, Wild Horse Sanctuary Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:16 PM 0 comments
Thursday, September 19, 2013 Flashback to Ghost Dance & Sage
Dear Readers,
A little more than three years ago, I released Ghost Dancer and Sage, mares from the ill-fated Calico Mountains round-up, into the 5,000 acre Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, California.
The article below is from the Shingletown newspaper & I'm reprinting it today because Sage was finally spotted this summer and I'll share that story with you soon.
Until then, enjoy this flashback.
Happy trails, Terri
Calico Mountain Mustangs Newest Residents of Wild Horse Sanctuary
Posted on 30 August 2010 by editor
 The two wild mustangs once roamed public lands near the tribal lands of the Shoshones in northern Nevada. “I was determined to rescue an adobe and white pinto mare with the rare Medicine Hat markings. Such horses were held sacred to some Native American tribes,” explains Farley. Because the Shoshones last stand against invaders included the Ghost Dance, a ceremony of rebirth for fallen warriors, Farley began thinking of the Medicine Hat mare as Ghost Dancer. Terri Farley also rescued Sage, a sorrel filly who was captured on the same day as Ghost Dancer. With a handful of supporters looking on, Wild Horse Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Dianne Nelson opened the gates at 11:00 a.m. and Ghost Dancer and Sage scampered into the Sanctuary, joining a herd of wild horses munching on hay from their morning feeding. Terri Farley is the author of the popular Phantom Stallion series of books set in the Calico Mountains in northern Nevada and her fictional herds are based on the mustangs that roam there. Labels: Calico mountains, ghost dancer, Sage, Wild Horse Sanctuary Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:13 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Blood Legacy of Outgoing Secretary of Interior Dear Readers,Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar ran the Bureau of Land Management for 4 years and stripped the Western range of 35,000 wild horses.One-third of the captive horses were adopted, but at least 1,000 of those went to slaughter.Fewer than 32,000 mustangs remain in the wild, today.
This is your reality : another careless Secretary of the Interior, another 4 years like the last four mean there will be no more mustangs.Please watch and care,TerriLabels: adoption, BLM, Cat Kindsfather, Department of Interior, ghost dancer, horse slaughter, Ken Salazar, mustangs, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:24 PM 0 comments
Monday, December 24, 2012 Cast of PHANTOM STALLION novella Dear Readers, Some of you get to open ONE Christmas gift on Christmas Eve, instead of waiting until tomorrow. So, I'll answer one question I'm getting from a lot of you. Which PHANTOM STALLION characters will return in the novella that begins HERE tomorrow? Horses: the Phantom, Dark Sunshine, Ace, Tempest & more Humans: Sam, Jake & other Ely brothers including a first look at Seth* , Brynna, Gram, Linc Slocum (from prison!) and more.
Holiday Hugs to you, Sage, Ghost Dancer &Terri * from my notes: Seth Ely – paralegal, long braid and glasses is going to college at Great Basin College studying tribal law Labels: ghost dancer, Phantom Stallion novella, Phantom the Protector, Sage Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:54 AM 0 comments
Thursday, September 23, 2010 Mustangs, wild horse helpers & VOTE on your favorite cover  Dear Readers, I hope you feel the September newsletter was worth the wait! My poor website designer was very patient while I kept adding things and disappearing out on the range between edits! In this edition you'll see >photos of Ghost Dancer & Sage tasting freedom for the first time since they were captured almost a year ago  >an interview with MAKENDRA SILVERMAN of the Cloud Foundation and find out why going to college really does prepare you for a life with wild horses! >VOTE on your favorite of three PHANTOM STALLION covers >visit wild Nevada & California through new web cam links >ENCORE edition of Sam's blog! COME VISIT, HERE: SEPT newsletter Hugs to you and those you love, Terri Labels: Cloud Foundation, ghost dancer, Makendra, phantom stallion, Sage Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:27 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 From a friend of wild horses Dear Readers, I hope you'll enjoy the photos and notes from Margaret, a wild horse advocate from the San Francisco, California area. Best, Terri  Hi Everyone I had the most fabulous weekend with Terri and her horses. Watching Ghost Dancer and Sage regain what was taken from them last winter was an awesome experience. To see Dancer and Sage turned loose in a 5000 acre field was inspiring. I'm not sure what Dancer and Sage thought. They walked out and trotted a few steps. They sniffed and looked around together. Could it be because they thought we humans had another awful trick up our sleeves? Were we going to turn them loose just to bring them back in?  These two mares hung together not because they were tethered together but for safety. There really is safety in numbers. Sage needed Dancer to tell her that it was okay.    Thankfully Terri was able to find a mare from the same HMA as Dancer who actually was caught the same day. Could it be that they are mother and daughter? I don't know. What I do know is they hung out because they knew they could rely on one another. I wonder what that says about us humans? Wild horses can teach us so much if we just allow ourselves a chance to open up and listen to the still quiet voice. For instance, about 20 minutes after they were turned loose, Dancer and Sage started back towards the pen they had just come from. Here they were out in the middle of a huge field and they came within 15 feet of me on their own! I was overwhelmed with gradititude that I was there much less a part of this big huge day for them. I want Dancer and Sage to move on to having other horsie friends. To not need us. To be wanted needed and loved by their own. I hope that whatever stallion takes one will take the other. I hope for them long days with peaceful grazing, babies if and when that time comes. I want them to know that the other friends they make will never cause me to betray the love and compassion I feel for them.   Labels: ghost dancer, Sage, Wild Horse Sanctuary Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:50 AM 3 comments
Sunday, August 08, 2010 We're Going Where?   Dear Readers, These two mares, born in the wild Calico Mountains, have traveled a long, sometimes sad road. They've run the range, drinking the scents of sagebrush and cool water of desert springs. They've fled helicopters, watched as their families were torn apart and listened as some died. They've been shuttled from corral to corral, from a Fallon feedlot to the Palomino Valley wild horse center and their photographs have been on the Internet in hundreds of countries. This time tomorrow, they'll no longer wear red cords and tags around their necks and be known by numbers. Sage and Ghost Dancer will move to their new home at the Wild Horse Sanctuary and meet other wild horses. The real Phantom Stallion lives there, hidden from human eyes, but I like to imagine them meeting him. Maybe they'll snort, flicked their ears and roll their eyes as they discuss the odd two-legged who got them there. People have asked if the horses need financial help. YES, any donations would be most appreciated. The Wild Horse Sanctuary has a button you can click here CALICO HORSES specifically for Sage and Ghost Dancer. Or make a donation (both are tax deductible) to Wild Horse Mentors of Stagecoach, Nevada, the organization which will be gently trailering the Calico Mountain mares to their new homeWILD HORSE MENTORS Most of all, we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the safety of our wild horse journey. Best, Terri p.s. if all goes as planned, photographer CAT KINDSFATHER, who took these photos last week, will be coming along to document the Calico gals' moving day! Labels: Calico mountain horses, ghost dancer, Sage, wild horse mentors, Wild Horse Sanctuary Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:40 AM 4 comments
Sunday, August 01, 2010 Letter to BLM  Ghost Dancer, photo by BLM Dear Readers, Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in Ghost Dancer's mind? What knowledge of water holes, cougars and shelter from storms does a 15-year-old mare carry in her brain? I can only imagine, and I'm writing new stories about it. Below, is a different kind of writing I'm doing for Ghost Dancer's still-free friends and family. This was published today: August 1, 2010 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to clear the West of 6,000 wild horses between July 1 and Sept. 30. How many will be left? BLM's figures vary, and when those who speak up for the horses ask for the science, they're brushed aside as the equine equivalent of crazy cat ladies. Ten years ago, I was writing for Nevada magazine, researching my books and observing BLM roundups. Gather days started at Bruno's café in Gerlach. Before dawn, I drank coffee with BLM staffers, then rode with them to the gather site. Helicopters drove the horses into the corrals. They fought the confinement but were rested before being trucked to pens in Palomino Valley. Not anymore. In January 2010, BLM stampeded Calico Mountain herds onto a private ranch, where the public was locked out except on designated observation days. On Jan. 16, we met at Bruno's again, but my nostalgia vanished when I saw the guns. Most BLM staff were armed. The gather was on fast forward. Two helicopters, not one, chased panicked horses. Horses were sorted by gender. Stallions fought. Mares screamed for foals that clustered together as their mothers were taken away. BLM's daily updates show the contractor's concern for speed, not safety. The hooves of two foals separated from their legs. Adult horses suffered broken necks, skulls and pelvic bones. BLM says 109 mustangs died and 40 wild mares suffered miscarriages -- from pre-existing conditions. This summer's roundup hasn't made the BLM look very good. The agency reported no endangered horses on the range before the roundup, but scores died afterward. The roundup was halted until the BLM's Alan Shepherd insisted most of the remaining horses would die if they weren't gathered immediately. Judge Larry Hicks believed him. The roundup could go on if humane observers were allowed. When they showed up, the roundup had been moved to private land, and they were threatened with arrest. BLM reports describe a palomino: "bleeding from the mouth ... disoriented and unaware of his surroundings. ... He apparently had sustained a serious head injury and possible jaw fracture during the night ..." Supposedly, the young stallion wasn't run to death; he just woke up mortally injured. That's why we need a moratorium on wild horse roundups until the BLM clears its name through an independent evaluation. While we're waiting for results, make plans to let the horses earn their own ways. Consider eco-tourism plans, like those proposed by Soldier Meadows Ranch and Madeleine Pickens. Partner the BLM with the first lady's Let's Move Outside program, letting city kids appreciate wild animals. Introduce middle-schoolers already using terms like "compensatory reproduction" in discussion of BLM's herd management to Sally Ride's science program. These are cheaper, win-win solutions. Our land, our children, our wallets and wild horses will benefit. Terri Farley has a secondary teaching credential, 36 best-selling books and two Calico Mountain mares. * * * An opinion piece under the by-line of Bob Abbey, Director of the BLM ran on the same page. Here's a link: BLM's Goal I hope you'll read it, too, because we all need to keep working with our hearts and HEADS. So, stay informed. Best to you, Terri p.s.  Some of you wanted to see a more complete photo of Tassel. Here's one. High bidder on this sweet horse is from Pennsylvania. Hope it was one of you! Labels: BLM, Bob Abbey, ghost dancer, Op-Ed, tassel Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:56 PM 1 comments
Friday, July 30, 2010 Auction Day: Calico Mountain Mustangs  Dear Readers, Ghost Dancer will be traveling with me to the Wild Horse Sanctuary in California. Shell Flower won't. I'd never been part of ANY kind of auction, before (except fictional ones!), let alone an EBay style Internet auction, but my friend Anne advised me to hang back. I made initial bids on Ghost Dancer and Shell Flower to make sure my computer worked on the Auction website, then waited 'til the last minutes of the auction to bid again. That doesn't mean I wasn't WATCHING from the minute my eyes opened Wednesday, and I noticed (so did lots of you!) that a Texas bidder -- if you're reading, wow, you have fast fingers! -- had replace me as high-bidder on both horses. My hands were shaking. My neck got stiff. I spoke harshly to Sherlock the cat when he sat on my lap and tapped the computer keyboard with a gentle gray paw. And I worried. It wasn't likely, but what if the other bidder had Bad Intentions? I decided I had to make GHOST DANCER my first priority. At fifteen years old, she was listed as a sale authority horse. BLM discourages bidders from selling such horses for "commercial purposes" but she could legally be headed for out-of-the-country slaughter as soon as she was in the wrong hands. BLM, in theory at least, is supposed to keep an eye on adoption horses like SHELL for a year. But Ghost Dancer won't be traveling to California alone :) ! At the advice of a nice woman in BLM's Eastern States office, I picked a "safety net" horse. I narrowed my choices down to mares no one had bid on. Among them, I searched for one captured on the same day, in the same place as Ghost Dancer. I found her! Little sorrel #0795, is now named Sage. Hug your horses, Terri  p.s. GHOST is 15 and SAGE is 2. Who knows? They might even be mother and daughter. Labels: Calico mountains, ghost dancer, Internet auction, mustangs, Sage, Shell Flower Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:09 PM 5 comments
Saturday, July 24, 2010 Ghost Dancer and Shell Flower in PV  Photographer Cat Kindsfather captured Ghost Dancer's open curiosity -- in spite of all she's been through  Shell Flower lipping up some civilized chow  Terri telling Ghost Dancer plans for a jail break Labels: ghost dancer, Palomino Valley, Shell Flower Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:42 AM 1 comments
Friday, July 23, 2010 Ride along with me ?  Dear Readers, My application to bid on Calico Mountain horses during the Internet adoption has been approved! This is a bittersweet moment. Ghost Dancer and Shell Flower shouldn't have human names. They should be free. While freedom on their home range is out of reach, though, I'll bid on them, and if I'm successful, purchase their transportation to a sanctuary and sponsor them for their lifetimes. They'll have a website page for right away ; even if I'm unable to keep up with the bidding (they're glorious mares & I'm certainly not the only one who thinks so) the process will be interesting. This is a brand new experience for me, and I hope you'll ride along. Hugs, Terri Labels: bidding, BLM adoption, ghost dancer, Shell Flower Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:00 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 Palomino Valley Tuesday  Dear Readers, Today I returned to the Palomino Valley wild horse holding corrals. Approximately 80 "special" Calico Mountain horses have been taken from the Fallon facility to Palomino Valley. Unlike my last trip there, the Calico horses have the place almost to themselves. According to manager John Neill, most of the other horses have been taken to Broken Arrow in Fallon to make room for MORE WILD HORSES which will be rounded up this summer. Shell Flower is back in the "special mares" pen with Ghost Dancer and her bald-faced, white-streaked back leg buddy. They are all alert and interested in what's going on around them, though they only flick their ears when the heavily pregnant burros bray. Best, Terri Labels: Calico mountain horses, Fallon corrals, ghost dancer, Palomino Valley, Shell Flower Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:28 PM 0 comments
Saturday, May 08, 2010 Beauty in Exile  Ghost Dancer photo by Elyse Gardner Dear Readers, This isn't the first time I've shown you a photo of this beautiful Medicine Hat mare from the Calico Mountains, but it's certainly the worst. I'm going out to BLM's Fallon facility to check on her today. Best, Terri Labels: Fallon corrals, ghost dancer, Medicine Hat Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:58 AM 3 comments
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Home | Books | The Author | Connect | Education | Wild Horses © Terri Farley |
