We are looking forward to 2021. Consider joining us for a camp trip of a lifetime!
Deposit is fully refundable if cancellation is due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. At this time I am not accepting any new guests.
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.
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. Sandy is willing to help you position yourself for the best photo opportunities, offer tips on lighting and settings. And if you want to stay up late, she will even offer a bit of night time photography tips in the amazing very big and dark Montana sky.
The many stories that Sandy shares 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 can give you a better understanding of what it is like to live wild on the range. You will also be able to experience first light, blue hour, incredible sunsets and dark starry skies with an opportunity to do some night shooting. All tours may include light to moderate hiking.
The camping trips are 4 days/3 nights on the mountain top. This trip includes: comfortable transportation up and down the mountain, all food, snacks, tents, sleeping pad and expert personal guiding. (last night dinner is on your own once we return to Billings). Each tent and sleeping pad will be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly between guests.
Below are the tour dates for the summer of 2021.Cost of the trip is $2295.00 per person. A deposit of 50% ($1147.50) is due at time of booking. Contact me for payment options (I accept Venmo or check) or hit the PAY NOW button below. (a secure payment that accepts most credit/debit cards throughout the world.)
1. June 25-28
2. July 1-4
3. July 7-10
4. July 13-16
5. July 19-22
All payments are considered non-refundable, EXCEPT: Refunds will be issued if we are not able to go due to Covid-19. Refunds may be made if cancellations can be filled ( if cancellation is due to anything other than Covid-19 travel restrictions) 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
Contact Sandy with any questions: 406-360-8959
All tours will start and end in Billings, MT.
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 SandyPhone: 406-360-8959 email: wildinthepryors@aol.comWild 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.
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.
Unity and Umatilla
Thank you so much Brittny for the use of your beautiful photos and the text letting me know of her birth.
The Billings Field Office is initiating public scoping and encouraging input on a Joint Management Area Plan (JMAP) for the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. The planning area includes public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service which comprise the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.
Implementation of a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) or a Joint Management Area Plan (JMAP) is consistent with the authority provided in 43 CFR 4700 and the 1971 Wild Free- Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA). The JMAP is needed to manage wild horses within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Joint Management Area to maintain the wild horse herd as a self-sustaining population of healthy animals in balance with other uses and the productive capacity of their habitat and attain the objectives outlined in the Billings Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan.
The Billings Field Office will begin accepting public scoping comments regarding long and short-term management objectives for an updated Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Joint Management Area Plan (JMAP) through the ePlanning website at http://eplanning.blm.gov . Public comments will be considered in the development of an Environmental Assessment that will be prepared to analyze and recommend a decision regarding long and short-term management actions for the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range
Substantive comments and recommendations should focus on long and short-term herd and habitat management objectives and goals. Please refer to the Preliminary Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Joint Management Area Plan on the ePlanning website at http://eplanning.blm.gov for the preliminary plan. Examples of substantive input includes comments regarding:
Population control, method and techniques, sex ratios and growth rates.
Removal criteria such as characteristics and age structure.
Achieving appropriate management levels for the attainment of a thriving natural
ecological balance.
Maintenance of existing developments.
Healthy populations of wild horses including her characteristics and age structure.
2
Electronic comments may only be submitted via e-Planning however, if you prefer to submit hard copy comments you can mail to:
Preliminary Pryor Mountain Joint Management Area Plan can be found at: BLM e-Planning website – https://eplanning.blm.gov Click “Text Search”
Click “Advanced Search” in the NEPA #: Type DOI-BLM-MT-C010-0004-EA
Click “Search” Click “Documents” Click “Comment on Document”
Mail: Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101-4669
The BLM will consider any substantive comments and include as appropriate. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Comments must be submitted no later than close of business on Friday, May 15, 2020 in order to be considered. If you have questions, please contact Jerrie Bertola at (406) 896-5223.
Sincerely,
David Lefevre Field Manager Billings Field Office
Here is a link that will take you to the proposal details. Click on BLM
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at my email: wildinthepryors@aol.com.
All comments must be submitted by May 15, 2020. You can submit on line or via mail.
When commenting, please remain courteous and try to back up your comments with educated reasons.
2020 Pryor Foal # 2 was born to Phantom and Johnston. Phantom is the 2015 daughter of Icara and Fools Crow. Johnston is the 2009 son of Cascade and Seattle.
The foal is a filly and has been named Unity.
Johnston
Thank you Brittny for the use of your beautiful photos.
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!
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.
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!
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.
2019 Pryor Foal # 4 was born to Morgana ( Father unknown). Morgana is the 2012 daughter of Icara and Merlin. Thank you to Brittny for the use of her beautiful photos.
Morgana and Titana
2019 Pryor Foal # 5 was born to Paris (Penn) and Jesse James. Paris is the 2015 daughter Audobon and Hamlet. Jesse James is the Seneca and Admiral. The gender is unknown at this time due to the remoteness of this band. Name has not been given. Thank you to the BLM for the use of their photo.
Photo by BLM Paris and her foal are in the middle of the photo.
Penny (Pele), daughter of Fools Gold and Coronando. June 2015
This will be the 6th year that I have made this post. This is a “fun” only post where any of you can suggest names for the 2018 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.
In 2000, the BLM started using a letter for each year of foals, starting with A. This year is the S 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 last in 2013. Click on Name Game to go there. Or you can go to the Center’s latest post and read more about it as well. Click on Center 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!
If you haven’t already read my post about “who will foal in 2018”, click on FOALS 2018. That way you can get an idea on who may foal. Thank you!
Moenkopi with Cappucinno and a young Patterson, July 2015
Mares within the Pryor Wild Horse Herd, are given PZP (birth control) every year. Each year there is a group of mares that are in the “window” of possibly being able to foal, meaning that they have not been given PZP. And every year, there will be some surprises from some, despite being vaccinated, and even though the below horses have not been vaccinated, it is not a guarantee that they will foal. Some have never conceived.
Because some of the horses were vaccinated later than normal last spring/summer, it is possible that they may have already been pregnant, (before given their vaccination), but will not be “officially” listed here.
I will start the list with the possible horses in the Dryhead. There are only two mares that fall into that window this year, and one has already had her foal!
Jewel, 2009 daughter of Waif and Corona, currently in Fools Crow band.
2. Morgana, 2012 daughter of Icara and Merlin. She was discovered by Bill Picket, NPS with a new foal last week. The foal is supposedly a colt and it has been named Sorcerer.
Morgana and her new foal. Photo by Bill Picket, NPS.
Mountain Top Horses
Jasmine, 2009 daughter of Aztec and Cloud. Jamine gave birth to a healthy colt named Ryden in October of 2017. If she conceived right away, she may have a foal in September of 2018. Jasmine is currently in Doc’s band.
Jasmine
Jasmine and Ryden, October 2017. Photo by Pryor Wild
2. Juniper, 2009 daughter of Sapo and Bolder. Another late foal (Ruby) was born to Junipter the first part of November, 2017. Again if she did conceive right away, she won’t have her foal until October, 2018. I’m hoping she skips this year and gets back on track with a foal earlier in the season in 2019. Juniper is currently in Horizon’s band.
Juniper and Ruby, November 2017. Photo by Jack Sterling
Juniper, summer of 2016
3. Kohl, 2010 daughter of Quelle Colour and Lakota. Kohl is currently in Garay’s band.
Kohl, 2016
Kohl, 2014
4. Ketchikan, 2010 daughter of Gold Rush and Two Boots, currently in Jasper’s band.
Ketchikan, July 2017
5. Limerick, 2011 daughter of Ireland and Prince. She is currently in Galaxy’s band.
Limerick, summer of 2016
5. Labrava, 2011 daughter of Blue Souix and Coronado. She is currently in Irial’s band.
Labrava with her look alike daughter Pilar, June 2016.
6. Lariat, 2011 daughter of Madonna and Duke. Lariat is currently in Jasper’s band.
Lariat with most of her band. From left to right: Oklahoma ( Lariat’s 2014 colt), Jasper, Okiotak and Lariat
7. Maia, 2012 daughter of Hera and Prince. Maia is currently with Hamlet.
Hamlet, Maia and Sapo, July 2017
8. Manuelita, 2012 daughter of Dove and Coronado. Manuelita is currently in Irials band.
Manuelita (middle) with Dove on the left.
9. Moenkopi, 2012 daughter of Galena and Jackson. She is currently in Cappuccino’s band. I hope this is the year that she gives birth to a foal that lives.
Moenkopi nuzzling a young Patterson. June 2015.
I am looking forward to seeing some new foals this summer. I am sure there will be some surprises!
Below are the available Tour Dates for 2016. For questions and reservations: Contact Sandy At: Phone: 406-360-8959. Email: wildinthepryors@aol.com
Pryor Horses running in Lupine, July 2014
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.
Wild In The Pryors is also licensed to give tours within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
Stallion Action, July, 2013
Sandy has been coming to the Pryors Range for several years, spending weeks at a time camping with the horses.
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.
The stories she shares about the horses and the range, make this trip more than just a chance to view them, she makes this a trip more about knowing the horses, giving you a brief glance into the life of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses.
All tours may include light to moderate hiking.
Guests taking in the 360 degree view and the wild horses.
You will be camping at 8,500 feet, under the Big Montana Sky, with wild horses.
4 Day Camping Trips: $ 1998.00
These trips will be 4 days/3 nights on the mountain top, and also included is a two night stay at Monster Lake Ranch in Cody, Wy. (night before and night after). Also included is: transportation up and down the mountain, all food, snacks, tents, and expert personal guiding. (last night dinner is on your own once we return to Cody). Pick up at the Cody Airport can be arrange with for a small fee.
All payments are considered non-refundable. Refunds may be made when cancellations can be filled. Here is a link to travel insurance purchase. This insurance is not through Wild In The Pryors. Please explore this or another travel insurance company for your trip. TRIP INSURANCE
Camping trips will be limited to 4-5 guests. Sandy will have an assistant with her who will do the camp cooking 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
Bachelor Stallions playing, July, 2014
June
This trip may be a bit colder than the others, but to be some of the first people to see the horses reach the mountain top for the summer, makes it all worth it.
1. June 21-24. 4 Day/3 Night closed
2. June 26-29. 4 Day/3 Night closed
July:
This month is the most popular and also the prime wildflower season.
1. July 1-July 4. 4 Day/3 Night closed
2. July 6-9. 4 Day/3 Night 1 opening
3. July 11-14. 4 Day/3 Night closed
Maybe a chance to catch a rainbow. View of the Bighorn Canyon from the mountain top.
All trips leave from Cody, Wyoming (unless other arrangements are made). Airports nearby: Billings, Montana. Cody, Wyoming. Arrangements can be made for pick-up at the Cody Airport.
A 50% down payment is required upon booking with the remainder due one month prior to your trip.
All payments are considered non-refundable. Refunds may be made when cancellations can be filled.
Anyone interested in a trip will be asked to complete a Pre-Screening Health Questionnaire, and those who book a trip will be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Responsiblity and Assumption of Risk document, as per Montana State Law.
Cloud, June 2014
Be sure if you book a trip with someone, that they have the proper permits in place. This is required by law for anyone giving tours on Public Lands. Please click on PERMITS to read my blog post about this.
Sandy
Horses near our campsite. Summer 2014
Reviews: Go to my past camping date posts to read more reviews. Click on the year to go there. 2013,2014
Feldspar and Ohanzee, August, 2014
The absolute best adventure I have ever had in my life. We loved every minute of it and I will have the memories of the beauty in my head forever! Thank you Sandy, Wild In The Pryors is the Best of its kind, hands down!
Laura O., Chicago, Ill.
2014 foals, July 2014
If you find yourself in Montana near the Pryor Mountains and you want to see these horses, go with Sandy Palen. I cannot say enough good things about her. She knows the range like the back of her hand and she is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to this herd.
Because she spends so much time on the range, she knows all of the approximately 170 horses by name and can recognize them by sight. From what I understand, she has been visiting the Pryors since 2009 but to me it feels like she has known these horses her whole life.
She understands the dynamics and connections between these horses so well. She doesn’t mind repeating for the millionth time which horses you are looking at or explaining how they are related. She knows how to approach the horses and will make sure you are at a safe distance, respecting the horses’ need for space. And even when all the horses seem to have vanished into thin air, she knows where they like to hide and is really good at spotting them.
Amelie L., New York, NY.
Logo designed by Amber Bushnell. Wild in the Pryors and this logo is copyrighted.