It took until almost the end of November before snows started to blanket our wild horse country. The late arrival of the snow allowed the horses the opportunity to easily find forage and thus build up their body condition going into the colder months. Right now until November 30th the annual hunting season is in full swing and the back roads are extremely busy with this extra traffic. This tends to keep the horses on high alert and away from easily accessible areas.
One of our observations is that the horses have started to gather together again. This behaviour allows for better protection and survival against all elements including predators in the harsher period to come.
As the horses begin to gather, the younger horses follow the more mature herds into wintering areas. It is in the huge cutblocks where the replanted trees are well established that it is still easy to find exposed grasses under them. If the snow accumulates deeper, these resilient animals will change their feeding ranges to different areas. Always on the move, the horses are adept at surviving in sometimes very hostile conditions.
Moving into the winter season, you will also find the younger bachelor groups starting to hang out on the fringes of the established dominant stallion herds. Here these 2 boys were found trying to join up with one of these established herds. The stallion will allow them stay within close proximity so long as they don’t cross the “invisible line”. For these young horses, is quite important to allow them to learn and survive as they mature.
At this time of year the horses tend to cover more territory in their quest for adequate feed. This beautiful stallion is leading his family through this cutblock.
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