We appreciate MO wildlife, but find it particularly interesting to see those more rare species. Although we have personally never spotted any, we know there are bobcats not far from our home. In fact, our next door neighbor has a picture to prove the fact. Earlier this summer, bears were spotted in several area municipalities. As armadillos move further up, they now reside in our county and I have seen them just around the corner from us. How about horses, though? Did you know we have wild horses in southern MO?
We became acquainted with the feral equines while staying at MO's Echo Bluff. It is a two year old state park and, in our option, is also one of the prettiest we have!
Located in Eminence, MO, this park stretches over more than 450 acres and is named for this giant bluff that stretches over the bank of Sinking Creek.
The views in the park are spectacular.
This was an equally thrilling view for us! We were greeted by a trio when we arrived at the lodge restaurant. The two white horses shown in the first picture, plus the dark foal shown below were meandering along and nibbling on the park's beautiful plantings.
Wild horses have lived in this area for about a century and their origin is not entirely certain. Most of the research I did points to poor farmers who walked away from their farms, leaving behind their livestock to fend for themselves (isn't that horrible??). Those poor horses were the ancestors of today's population there. Today they are protected by law and cared for by the MO Wild Horse League. The herd is kept to a limit of 50 and when the numbers exceed that level, the league steps in and finds homes for some of the younger ones with people who are chomping at the bit to adopt them! I understand that there are currently about 35 horses. We found numerous signs like this one posted throughout the park.
The most unfortunate part is that some people do not chose to follow the rules and so the horses get petted and fed. As a result, they are completely trusting of people and the trio we encountered had no concept of personal space. As we entered the building, they followed us and the foal came right up to my husband and nipped him on the arm because he wanted to be given a treat! We made light of the situation, but we did hear that the same guy chased a little girl on the playground. Sadly, he has spent his entire life surrounded by people and those who have approached, touched and fed him have put him at a disadvantage. My husband said that while he would not have been surprised to have been bitten by a mosquito, he never dreamed he would be bitten by a horse!
Today's post is late, but I wanted to get it in before the day is over because...wild horses can't keep me away! 🐴