2020 Pryor Foal # 4

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Pryor Foal # 4 was born to Morgana and Johnston.  Morgana is the 2012 daughter of Icara and Merlin.  Johnston is the 2009 son of Cascade and Seattle.  The foal is a filly and has been named Umatilla.

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Unity and Umatilla

Thank you so much Brittny for the use of your beautiful photos and the text letting me know of her birth.

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Morgana and her beautiful offspring!
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Umatilla with Morgana

 

 

2020 Name Game, The “U” Year

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Penny/Pele, June 2015

With the “stay at home” order in many parts of the world right now, due to the Coronavirus, we all have a lot of extra time on our hands.  This year we will need that extra time, because the letter U is a tough one, that will need a lot of research and thought!  I look forward to your ideas.  Have fun!

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Oceana and Tecumseh, May 2015

This will be the 8th year that I have made this post. This is a “fun” only post where any of you can suggest names for the 2019 foals born in the Pryors.  Of course, like on all the previous years, I can not guarantee that they will be used, but it will be fun to list them, and I do know that whenever a foal is born, I come to this post to look at all of the suggestions.  And if you can, please include the meaning for the name, it would be very helpful to know that.

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Pegasus with her mom Ireland, July 2015

In 2000, the BLM started using a letter for each year of foals, starting with A.  This year is the U year.  So please feel free to list your ideas in the comment section of this post.  To read more about this system and why we use names, please refer to my Name Game post that I did in 2013.  Click on Name Game to go there.

I am looking forward to reading all of your suggestions.  If someone else has already posted your name idea, please list it again anyway.  It will be fun to see what the most popular name suggestions are!

Please stay healthy and safe!

Sandy

2020 Pryor Foal # 1

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The first known Pryor Foal was born to Nova and Hickok.  Nova is the 2013 daughter of Kitalpha and Bristol.   Hickok is the 2007 son of Belle Starr and Starbuck.   The foal is a colt and has been named Uinta.

Thank you Diane Granger for the use of her photos.

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2019 Pryor Foal # 15

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Pryor foal # 15 was born to Maia and Hamlet.  Maia is the 2012 daughter of Hera and Prince.  Hamlet is the 2007 son of Delilah and Pierre. No name or gender has been announced.

Thank you Phyllis for the use of your beautiful photos!

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Hamlet and Maia surround their new foal

2019 Pryor Foal # 14

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2019 Pryor Foal # 14 was born to Greta and Garcia.  Greta is the 2006 daughter of Belle Star and Chino.  Garcia is the 2006 son of Topper and Tony.  The foal is a colt.  No name has been announced yet.

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Welcome to the mountain little one!  Thank you Dennis for the use your photos!

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Greta 4

2019 Pryor Foal # 13

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2019 Pryor Foal # 13 was born to Jewel and Fools Crow.

Jewel is the 2009 daughter of Waif and Corona.  Fools Crow is the 2005 son of Strawberry and Cortez.  The foal is a colt.  No name has been chosen yet.  Thank you Brittny Budde for the use of your beautiful photos!

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It’s a boy!

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Jewel 3

 

2019 Pryor Foals # 8 and # 9

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Quahneah and her new foal Taiga

Pryor Foal # 8, was born to Quahneah and London.  Quahneah is the 2016 daughter of Washakie and Baja.  London is the 2011 son of Gold Rush and Doc.  The foal is a filly and has been name Taiga.

Quahneah has always held a special place in my heart.  Abbie and I were blessed to have seen her a few hours after her birth.  The following year, Quahneah put on a special show just for us, making us laugh at a time really needed it.  She is a special horse.

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Quahneah shortly after she was born with mom Washakie, sister Bacardi and father Baja. July 2017

Pryor Foal # 9, was born to Jacinta and Garay.  Jacinta is the 2009 daughter of Rosebud and Tecumseh.  Garay is the is the 2006 son of Mariposa and Conquistador. The foal is a colt and has been name Tapadero.  Tapadero joints his other two full siblings on the range, Rue and Patriot.

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Jacinta and her new foal.

 

2020 Camping Tour Dates/ CANCELED

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Due to the on going Cornovirus, I have decided to cancel this years trips.  I will be doing 2021 and will release those dates at another time.  Thank you.  Sandy

 

Have you ever wanted to photograph wild horses in their nature setting?  The Pryor Mountains in Montana offers you an amazing opportunity to do that with an equally amazing backdrop.  You will have full days loaded with the opportunity to capture the horses in action, starting with the first light and ending with the blue hour and sunset.  And if you choose, you can stay up late and capture some of the dark starry skies in photos and then fall asleep with the horses near by. 

Whether you bring a professional camera, or just a cell phone to take photos, Sandy goes out of her way to make sure you leave the mountain with cherished memories of your once in a life-time camping trip. 

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Sandy has been camping in the Pryors since 2009, spending weeks at a time with the horses, and has been providing camping tours since 2013. Abbie Branchflower will be joining Sandy  for part of this season, as her assistant. Abbie also has a vast knowledge of the horses and loves to share it! 

Sandy is unsure how many more years she will be doing these tours, choosing not to do tours in 2019.  Don’t miss the opportunity to join her.

The many stories that Sandy and Abbie share about the horses and the range, make this trip more than just a chance to view them, it makes this a trip more about knowing the horses, giving you a brief glance into the life of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses.

Experience living with the horses 24 hours a day and in doing so, this will give you a better understanding of what it is like to live wild on the range.  All tours may include light to moderate hiking.

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Below are the tour dates for the summer of 2020. Cost of the trip is $2125 per person. A deposit of 50% ($1062.50) is due at time of booking. Contact me for payment options, or check out by hitting the PAY NOW button below. (a secure payment that accepts most credit/debit cards through out the world.)Below are the tour dates for the summer of 2020. Cost of the trip is $2125. A deposit of 50% ($1062.50) is due at time of booking. (balance is due April 1, 2020). Contact me for payment options, or pay now by hitting the PAY NOW button below.  Accepts most credit/debit cards all over the world.

1. June 28-July 1  2 Openings
2. July 3-6 Full Moon!  Full
3. July 9-12  Full
4. July 14-17  2 Openings
5. July 19-22  Full

All payments are considered non-refundable. Refunds may be made if cancellations can be filled.  THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS, so please consider purchasing travel insurance on your own!!  Here is a link to travel insurance purchase.  This insurance is not through Wild In The Pryors.  Please explore this link for cost comparisons of several companies.   TRIP INSURANCE 

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Contact Sandy with any questions:  406-360-8959
All tours will start and end in Billings, MT.

 Your camping trip will be 4 days/3 nights on the mountain top.  This trip includes: comfortable transportation up and down the mountain, all food,( the food is top quality, no freeze dried camping stuff!)  snacks, tents, sleeping pad and expert personal guiding. (last night dinner is on your own once we return to Billings).

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There are many great hotels in Billings, MT.  You will be responsible for making your own arrangements before and after the trip.  AirBnb is also a great source to find some lodging.  I can pick you up at your hotel the morning of our first day, or you can meet me at my house in Billings. Feel free to contact me for hotel recommendations. Camping trips will be limited to 5 guests.  Sandy will have an assistant with her who will assist her and help you with any camping needs.  Sandy will personally be doing all of the guiding. For reservations:  Contact Sandy
Phone: 406-360-8959 
email:  wildinthepryors@aol.com

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Wild in the Pryors is permitted by the Bureau of Land Management to conduct small group tours within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range from January to December. Wild in the Pryors is one of a handful of businesses that have the federal permits necessary to guide clients onto this federal property.

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2019 Pryor Foals 6 and 7

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Talia

Pryor Foal # 6 was born to Juniper and Horizon.  Juniper is the 2009 daughter of Sapo and Bolder.  Horizon is the 2007 son of Felina and Morning Star.  The foal is a filly and has been named Talia.

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Pegasus and Traveler.  Photo by Jack Sterling.

Pryor Foal # 7 was born to Pegasus and Missoula.  Pegasus is the 2015 daughter of Galaxy and Ireland.  Missoula is the 2012 son of Half Moon and Teton.   The foal is a colt and has been named Traveler.

This foal is very special to me.  Both Pegasus and Missoula were discovered and named by me.  Missoula was the very first foal that I had the privileged to find.   I am looking forward to watching this little guy grow into a stallion. Thank you so much Jack for the use of your photo and the discovery of this very special foal.

Has a Missing Horse Reappeared?

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Issaquah

A couple of weeks ago, there were some photos posted on the Pryor Mountain Mustang Center’s Facebook page.   These photos, were taken by Dennis McCollough.  It showed  three dark-colored horses, two of which were easily identified as Orlando and Oglala.  The third was not as easily identified.  Another wild horse follower, Dawn Ness,  was also in that area and took some photos.

This black horse appeared to be solid black.  There are only two horses in the Dryhead that are solid black.  Seattle and his son Issaquah.  Issaquah has not been officially seen for a couple of years now.  But not surprising, the Dryhead is a huge and vast area, and anyone that would see him from a distance would possibly make the assumption that it was:

1.  Seattle, the son of Tacoma and Three Bars, was born in 1997.  He was reported to look very thin this past fall and also has a very distinct swollen knee on the right side.  This horse was not him.

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Seattle, photo taken by Laura Curtis.

2.  Chief Joseph, son of Bakken and Seattle, born in 2009.   Without spotting his back right hind, he could easily be thought to be his full brother Issaquah.  But this horse had no right back hind, (as seen in Dawn’s photos below).

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Chief Joseph, 2012.

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Issaquah, February 2017  Photo by Dawn Ness

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Issaquah, February 2017.  Photo by Dawn Ness

3.  Inniq, son of Sitting Bull and Ceceila, born in 2008.  Several people thought and think it was Inniq.  But Inniq has a very destinctive star, and this horse does not have one.  (Thank you Dawn for taking that photo of this horse with a clear shot of his forehead with out a star!

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Inniq, 2012

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Not Inniq!  Photo taken by Dawn Ness.

The first person to make the comment that it was Issaquah, was Alex Pitterman.  Alex has followed this herd for many years and is virtually a walking encyclopedia with what he knows about this herd.   At first I thought maybe it was not Issaquah, but then I began to think about the vastness of the Dryhead and how he could easily be misidentified for one of the other black horses.  I am convienced that the horse that was spotted is indeed Issaquah.  Thank you Alex for bringing it to our attention!

As a young bachelor, Issaquah was almost always seen with his 1/2 brother Hawk (they share the same sire).  In fact I would call them HawkandIssaquah, because they were rarely apart.

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Hawk and Issaquah, September 2, 2012

But when Hawk gained his own band, Issaquah was not allowed to join him and so this most likely started the mix up of his identity and the assumption that he was no longer with us.  Issaquah may also have decided to go off on his own and was not as visable.  I saw him once along Burnt Timber Road, about 3 miles from the bottom, by himself in August of 2014, and I am betting that once others start to think about their sightings of black horses over the last few years, especially at a distance, we may all realize that Issaquah was there all along.

Whatever the case, I am convienced that the horse that was spotted in late February is indeed Issaquah.  And with all of the death and disappearances of the many horses over the last few years, this news of yet another survivor is very welcome.  It’s great to see you Issaquah!

Sandy

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Issaquah, 2012