Featured Article - March 2010
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THROUGH THE LENS
Of Heart and Hoof
"It’s a whole different world out here,” says Sandi Claypool from her Tierra Amarilla home which is also the headquarters of Monero Mustangs, a sanctuary for about 75 wild horses on 4,700 acres 90 miles north of Santa Fe. “People come out here, and they leave crying. These aren’t domestic horses; they’re wild horses, but they’re in a safe place, so they’ll let you walk among them.”
Horses like the ones at this sanctuary have probably been living in New Mexico since the arrival of Don Juan de Oñate in 1598. Today, many of them have also been subjected to abuse: shot for recreation, inhumanely captured, or dragged behind vehicles. Plus, it isn’t easy to survive in the high desert of northern New Mexico: Water is scarce, which means vegetation is, too. Thus, many wild horses starve. To prevent this, the U.S. Forest Service rounds up the bands for adoption or auction; while this can be good for individual animals, the practice depletes the bloodlines of these Spanish horses.
The setting at Monero Mustangs allows the horses to live in bands and reproduce.
“I love horses, but I prefer it to be wild horses,” says Claypool. “They have survived because they’re the strongest. They have this intelligence, and that’s what I like.”
Claypool and her mother, Ila Bromberg, founded Monero Mustangs sanctuary as a nonprofit in 2003, and welcome visitors. On a typical tour, a guide takes visitors around the ranch in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to see the horses and their habitat. While the horses aren’t broken and can’t be ridden, they are generally calm at the sanctuary, and will let their curiosity take over when it comes to interacting with humans.
“You may see wild horses in other places, but if they’re not protected, they won’t let you get that close,” says Claypool.
Tour the sanctuary: Adults, $100; children, $75. Proceeds fund food and vet care for the horses. Tours are by appointment only; the sanctuary prefers 48 hours’ advance notice. Reservations: sandi@moneromustangs.org
• Sponsor a horse: $250 provides a single horse with a year’s worth of
hay and vet care.
• Make a tax-deductible donation.
• Donate hay instead of dollars.
• Want to donate a flatbed truck? Monero Mustangs needs one for hauling hay.
Monero Mustangs Sanctuary, PO Box 249, Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575, www.moneromustangs.org,
sandi@moneromustangs.org
Corrales-based Lynne Pomeranz, who took the photos in this slide show, is the author of Among Wild Horses: A Portrait of the Pryor Mountain Mustangs and the leader of Wild Horse Workshops, a series of one-, three-, and four-day workshops for photography enthusiasts at Monero Mustangs sanctuary and other locations.
Not only does Pomeranz see wild-horse sanctuaries as a vital part of the West, she thinks they have potential as ecotourism destinations. “Thanks to Governor Richardson, New Mexico is one of only two states in the country to recognize, define, and protect wild horses on unincorporated state lands,” she says. “[Advocates] have rallied for the horses as a potential ecotourism gem for the state of New Mexico.”
Pomeranz’s workshops are open to all photographers, regardless of skill level, and are limited to small groups, the better to interact with the horses. Her work is represented by Rush Creek Editions (Santa Fe), Jezebel Gallery (Madrid), and 5G Gallery (Albuquerque).
Go on a Southwestern-style camera safari with Wild Horse Workshops: One-day, $240: March 27, April 11, April 24; Three-day, $650: May 21–23; Four-day, $925: May 28–3. For info: www.wildhorseworkshops.com
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