Wild and Free

This is a great photo of Iceman taken by Shiloh Boarder and Volunteer, Dave Hickey, probably early January of 2009. Here Iceman is posing with one of the two Palominos that he roamed the range with.

The Great Escape!

Iceman broke loose the other day and it was very apparent how comfortable he is on the property now since he galloped all over the 40 acres we have on the ranch! Eric, Sharil, and Jill took off on one of the carts to head to the back and try to catch him, but he would take off bucking and galloping into the Mesquite trees once they got close. He definitely enjoyed himself and stretched those legs...the weather was warm and beautiful and he was feeling great. He also got mixed in with three of the "Wanderers" and Charlie, and that was a sight to be see! The adrenaline kicked in, and the best part was little Charlie running with all his might to keep up with the larger guys. You can catch a glimpse of lil' Charlie in the photo....he is the tiny blur in the middle :)

Sharil and Iceman 3/26/10

Iceman had a great day today, despite the crazy gusts of wind we were having all day. Eric spent some time with him this morning, and then Sharil took the ropes from there. Sharil and Iceman spent a few hours together, with most of the time spent being in the Round Pen. The two of them really are becoming fast friends...Sharil is building her confidence with Training and Iceman is building his trust and acceptance with others. He has really calmed down and is easier to catch (despite his "make a run for it and head for the trees" moment on the post above, haha) and once he knows he can trust you its amazing how much he seems to want to learn and how special he seems in your eyes. We put his fly mask on again today to make sure he remembers that scary thing since its almost fly season again and he was perfect, plus some sunblock was applied on his noise to help him adjust with the sunlight and the desert heat that is just around the corner. Sharil decided she was going to use some of her "fancy conditioner spray" on Iceman's mane and tail (while Eric just sighed and shook his head, haha) and Iceman did great...his tail and mane look very shiny now as you can see.

All in all, it was a great day at the ranch for Iceman. More importantly, we have applied for his title through the BLM and should receive it in a few weeks. If you or anyone you may know might be interested in adopting our Iceman then please let us know. He will definitely be looking for his special someone soon.

A Visit from Tara 3/11/10

Hello all! Just wanted to share some great photos of Iceman from Thursday. Iceman had a very special visitor, an old friend of his from his range days...Tara Kilpatrick. Tara is a photographer from Sandy Valley who has been following the wild ones of the Red Rock HMA for nearly 10 years. She has had the privilege of knowing our Iceman since his birth, and has taken many of the wonderful photos from the range that we have shared with you on this blog. Tara snapped a few pictures of Eric and Sharil, but the best two photos are of her and Iceman.

It was so nice to see them together, and we hope that Iceman does remember her from those days. Tara would spend hours out there watching and photographing the horses and burros...sometimes even singing while she did it. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that Tara has been out there on the "front lines" watching over our wild ones (both pre and post gathers), confirming their well being and survival, and providing us with an awesom herd history and assisting the NWHA and BLM with journal and photo documentation.

This was an extremely special day for Tara, as we are sure it was for Iceman....he was so relaxed while in her company and seemed to be daydreaming of his wild days while she sang to him once again.

Thank you, Tara, for all that you do!

Photos from Thursday and Friday

We have had some beautiful weather the last few days at the ranch...perfect for working with Iceman. As usual, he is doing great. Hopefully soon we can give him a bath and get rid of that dingy color, haha. We are all very anxious to see that beautiful Perlino again under all of that dirt!