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Patti Mosbey: The lucky ones

Patti Mosbey/For the Saturday Morning Press
Former Sand Wash Basin horse Sunka Wakan enjoys his time in the area. He currently resides in Moab, Utah.
Courtesy Photo

As many of you know Sand Wash Basin has recently undergone a small gather of horses. A total of 43 horses were removed. Many of you would bemoan their removal and insist that they should all be allowed to remain wild and free. In a perfect world that might be possible. But, keeping with agreements and land management it is necessary that horses be gathered and removed.

So, with that being said, I am choosing to believe these few horses may be the lucky ones in time. You see, most of these horses have already moved into new, forever homes. They are adapting at amazing rates, finding the loving touch and friendly scratches from the creatures that have followed them around the basin comforting now. They are learning that we bring comfort, food and shelter.

The daily positive feedback we are receiving from adopters brings solace to hearts that were saddened to see them removed from their family bands and wild life. We see little Carousel, who made her way all the way to Missouri, freely accepting scratches. Wanda Walker can’t get enough attention from her new handler and has already enjoyed an outing as she has been ponied along with domestic horses. I could go on and on with such great reports.



One of my favorite stories comes with a different twist. Several years ago a beautiful pinto mare showed up in the basin. Without a doubt she was a domestic horse. No brand and no explanation to how she got there, we may never know. Demi, as she was named, became a favorite and a concern as each winter became harder for her. Demi is now in residence at Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary where she is receiving top care and will live her life out in safety. For whoever may be reading this and may know her full story, rest assured, she is loved.

So, why do I think these are the lucky ones? A smaller gather like this gives us more opportunity to find homes for these horses. Should a full-blown helicopter roundup happen the number of horses removed in one fell swoop will stagger the already overcrowding in the BLM facilities. Many of those horses will remain in holding for the rest of their lives. There is no easy answer for the management of the overwhelming number of wild horses in our country. In a time and age where fewer people need or want a horse we are faced with a dilemma.



The Sand Wash Advocate Team, SWAT, currently has volunteers in place to administer PZP darting to reduce the foal rate in Sand Wash. Great news is we have several more willing to train and join forces with the Team.

If you would like to follow along with updates of the newly adopted horses you can find us at: Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Advocate Team – SWAT. There are still a few of the Sand Wash horses available for adoption, so let us know if you would like to own a Living Legend.

Patti Mosbey is a regular visitor to Sand Wash Basin. Photographing and documenting the daily lives of the Sand Wash herd is a passion for her. For more of her photos and adventures find her on Facebook at Sand Wash Adventures.Patti Mosbey is a regular visitor to Sand Wash Basin. Photographing and documenting the daily lives of the Sand Wash herd is a passion for her. For more of her photos and adventures find her on Facebook at Sand Wash Adventures.Patti Mosbey is a regular visitor to Sand Wash Basin. Photographing and documenting the daily lives of the Sand Wash herd is a passion for her. For more of her photos and adventures find her on Facebook at Sand Wash Adventures.


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