NEW video - Kigers on Kiger HMA

[prizmbluekigers]

I'm posting a short (60 seconds or so) video we took in September. You can get a look at the largest band we saw this summer - most of them anyway. We went out two weekends in a row and not all the herd from the first week was visible on the second weekend. Look at all the grullas . It was hard to keep from choosing a horse for the next adoption ;D

We watched them move across the meadow in a leisurely way stopping from time to time to graze so they knew we were there and you can see them stop to check us out and continue on. The direction they were headed would take them to a water source on the other side of the hill. The video looks as though we are much closer but that is just the great zoom feature on the Canon. If you watch the entire clip you will be able to see at the end that we were some distance away from them.


Hope you enjoy it. I sure did. I had a powerful pair of binoculars so that I had a close up view while Rick filmed and I could have watched for hours.

s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb100/prizmbluekigers/?action=view¤t=kigervideotoshare.flv

[kigerfan]

I would love to do that some day. When I was a kid, I always dreamed of being around wild horses like that

[prizmbluekigers]

You aren't that far away from us or the HMAs. Come up next spring or summer and go out to the HMA. We will go along and after the gates on the HMA close in April and the horses are in specific portions of the HMA, we will be able to show you where many of the horses are. Once we spot them the first time in the spring we know what area they roam for the summer. It will involve some hiking, mostly uphill it seems, but it is well worth it. That goes for anyone elso also. While we don't need one, we are always looking for a reason to go out there. We know the Kiger HMA far better than the Riddle HMA now, but next summer the Riddle will get much of our attention. Somehow it seems as though the Riddle will be easier to ride on horseback and that is my wish for 2010. Camping usually means no open fires and no drinking water source or gasoline for miles but as long as you prepare, camping out there is incredible as we sometimes don't see another human for several days. We hope to get out there in November when they gather the South Steens herd so I'll try to post more video in a month or so.

[desperatehorsewife]

Nice video!

I heard they aren't allowing anyone to view the gathers, though, this fall. We were on the list but when a friend emailed Tara, they were told they'd decided to media or public Katie and I wanted to see if Dibs came in, although she's given up thoughts of adopting him at this point.

[DianneC]

Cool video Bobbie! So they open the gates in the winter to allow them more area to roam? How do they get them back in the gates in Spring?

[desperatehorsewife]

We saw gates open on S. Steens when we were last up there, Dianne, and the horses were right down near the paved road. I never thought to ask how they get them back up on the hill, lol!

[angelsdream]

Great video!! They all look very nice and healthy and yes, Im happy about all the grullo's out there Thanks for posting!

[prizmbluekigers]

Dianne,

Did a few of the mares in the video look pregnant ???and did you notice the color variety in the video - lots of Grullas.

Our info from BLM is that the gates are closed in the spring (Aprilish) and opened again about the end of October. Wherever the horses are when the gates close is where they stay for the warm months - unless there is a reason for human intervention. For instance we saw a lone stallion Table For One" living in one area and this was confirmed by a rancher who lives there. Another area - around the Ant Hill had a bachelor band -"Band of Brothers". Then there are "Pancho and Lefty", two more stallions in another area. The largest herd we saw this year- seen in the video, seemed to be the one that lives in an area including part of the main dirt road up to the viewing area and the Lambing Ground. Smaller bands seem to attach and detach from that herd as the number fluctuated from about 21 to 26 or 27. This herd has numerous stallions - I could count at least 5 of them. We were told there was another large group on the big hills toward the east side of the HMA - I think it is what was once called the Smyth Creek area, but we never did see them. The horses have the winter to regroup and relocate but again in the spring they are gated into thier summer areas. These areas may contain more horses than we saw making it impossible to count exact numbers in each area without flying overhead. Next spring we hope to hire a local helicopter pilot and fly over both HMAs. The local rancher says folks leave gates open regularly. Our rule of travel is to leave each gate as we found it, open or closed. Gong out there to try to see the horses is my ideal vacation. ;D

[fantasykiger]

awesome video ...love seeing the herd. I do so hope I will be in a postion to adopt next time around.

[kigerfan]

My physical conditions would not allow me to do a lot of hiking, nor would my asthma. I could do some but not a whole lot.

[prizmbluekigers]

Sorry, I may have misled you. If they are up in the high meadows or if they decide we are "spooky" and move uphill it is a climb for us, but we have seen many from our vehicle and occasionally very close to one spot many folks use to camp as it allows you to park a trailer. The video I posted was taken in a high meadow, but we first spotted that same herd on the dirt road as we drove up. Your chances of seeing some of them are pretty good. Others who go out there have posted pictures from years past of Kigers they have sighted.

[DianneC]

Well, hoorah! I am glad they are opening the gates and leaving some outside. We've not been there in four years or more but there was no sign of horses being outside the new fences then, that was discouraging, so this is good news.