Two days after visiting Sand Wash Basin for the first time, I found myself back in the area so I decided to go back again to see if I could find some more horses or maybe even see the same pair from Thursday's encounter.
I drove a little further this time after seeing no activity. I noticed three males off in the distance so I stopped to walk around to see if I could get any good shots. They very slowly drifted a little closer to me, but nothing exciting materialized. Then, to my delight, the same mare and mustang from two days earlier showed up! Would she remember me? Would she come right up to me again!? Was I mistaken and maybe this was a different pair?
Nope, this was definitely the same two horses. The burrs in her main and other markings made it really obvious this was the same couple again. She didn't take a direct line towards me this day, and didn't get super close. But, they were not far away and the yellow late-summer flowers were a nice compliment to the dry tones in the desert. They peacefully grazed.
Earlier while watching the three (not pictured) mustangs, I noticed a dark gray horse in the distance that looked like he was moving fairly quickly my direction. I snapped a pic of him way off in the distance (not uploaded here) and sort of forgot about him until I heard loud hoofs getting closer.
The sequence of pics here begins just as he arrived. The female was right in front of me, with her mustang a bit further off. The gray mustang had a look in his eye and a different energy about him. The brown mustang had a strong reaction, and the gray male charged at nearly full speed. After a quick exchange with both mustangs rearing up to challenge one another, it was clear that the gray horse was outmatched. He ran off and joined the other three males nearby. I didn't have the best angle on the drama, but it was really cool to watch the action unfold. I'd love to go back another time and spend more time. Super cool to see the same pair again, and a gorgeous morning to photo wild horses.
