Description

Scirroco, 9″ x 12″ oil on canvas panel, unframed.

Scirroco is a beefy, pale-palomino stallion from Steens Mountain Wild Horse HMA. I had a unique moment watching his herd. At the time I was with him, there were two other herds grazing nearby. All the stallions seemed content with their band of mares and other herds in proximity. However, there was a moment Scirroco became agitated. Clearly, he smelled something I could not yet see. His ears perked up, then he turned rather abruptly, gathered his mares, head lowered, ears back commanding them to move, pushing them directly towards and then further afield to my right. This behavior is called ‘snaking’.

Once his mares were in the clear, I was able to see what the fuss was about. A tall, dark, lanky bachelor appeared from the tree line. Scirroco trotted off to give him a greeting. He made his presence known, a display of his arched cresty neck, snorting and sniffing. The bachelor, whom I now know his name as Bentley, seemed unperturbed, and not threatening. It was as if he said to Scirroco, “Hey man, I come in peace..” Then, as quickly as the display began, it ended. Bentley was left to graze a little off to the side, but not amongst the herds, and Scirroco went back to his mares all tending to their foals. 😊

I’ve included a couple of photos of this encounter in the product gallery for your reference.