The truck driver thought he spotted something dark colored moving across the road ahead and put on his brakes, it was pitch black outside and hard to tell if it was anything at all. Suddenly there was more movement; it was a herd of wild horses. He swerved trying to miss them and was afraid of losing his cargo or possibly worse. The small horse on the end wasn’t quite fast enough and got clipped by the front end of his vehicle. The young horse spun sideways and plunged down into the ditch. Darn it, thought the Driver, I killed it. He didn’t see how anything could survive a hit like that.
We got a phone call on June 4, 2006 from a concerned woman from the Sundre area who spotted a very thin, injured wild colt grazing next to the busy highway. He was located next to the James River Bridge West of Bearberry, Alberta. She believed that he had been hit by a truck and would likely get hit again by another vehicle. The colt was alone and it was a matter of a very short time that something would get him. This pristine wilderness area is also home to the bear, wolf and cougar whose prey includes wild horses. His location was also within a half a mile of a herd of seven wild horses shot last fall. This poor little fellow was little more than a bag of bones on four legs, but he had a strong will to live. Apparently the caller had phoned a few government agencies for help and was told to let nature take care of it self. I reassured her that WHOAS was more than just political and we would do our best to help, which would include an attempt to rescue and rehabilitate.
On June 5, Bob checked out the area, found the yearling colt and spent about an hour and a half with him. Bob didn’t speak at all, just sat quietly and the colt after a while became curious and slowly came closer and closer. He became very bold smelling the front of the camera and the back of Bob’s head. When Bob got up to leave, the colt followed him almost to the car. Bob hurried home with pictures on his digital camera to show me and I insisted that we go back out there so I could see the colt too. After that meeting we knew that we had to bring the colt home. I had already named him Wyley, after the cartoon Coyote. Like the wild dog, the wild horse is considered a pest. Consequently, there have been countless attempts to eradicate them both from their natural environment. While the Coyote thrives today, the wild horse’ s numbers continue to dwindle. Wyley’s name is a sign of hope that they too shall carry on.
Bob wanted to make sure we went through the proper channels before trying to capture the colt. After receiving permission from the SRD to go ahead and get the colt, Bob got a holding pen ready with steel panels around a horse shelter to house the wild horse. Thursday, June 9th, 2006 Bob loaded up my mare Gypsy and drove to the location Wyley was last seen. He spent several hours driving and on foot looking for the colt. Bob was discouraged and about to give up but decided to try one last meadow. Gypsy had been less than cooperative the whole time, bored with hours of wandering around, however, her attitude was about to take an abrupt change.
She smelled something familiar in the air and put her nose down close to the
ground and appeared to be tracking something. Gypsy pulled Bob behind her just like a big dog tugging its owner around while on a leash. She whinnied and roared and quickly walked toward a group of trees.
The little colt came tearing out of the trees whinnying and making mouthing gestures of submissiveness to the mare. Bob said he would never forget the sight of the young horse. If a horse could cry he would have been. Wyley was so glad to see another horse after weeks of solitude in that harsh environment. Oblivious to anything but his new found friend, the colt quietly followed Bob and Gypsy to the awaiting truck and stock trailer. Bob tied Gypsy to the side of it and the colt stood quietly near her.
Bob slowly and methodically arranged the steel panels around the entrance of the trailer and unhurriedly led Gypsy in through them. When Wyley entered the enclosure Bob dropped Gypsy’s lead shank and closed the panels behind them. Wyley was frightened, knowing he was trapped, but didn’t try to break through them. Bob loaded Gypsy into the front of the stock trailer and then got in behind Wyley and slowly removed one panel at a time until there was one panel left attached to the trailer door. Wyley became a bit panicky and was bumping into the side of the panel looking for an escape route but finding none. Gypsy gave out a reassuring murmur and in went his front feet into the trailer and there he stood, back feet planted firmly on the ground. Again Gypsy called to the frightened colt and Bob tickled his back end with a pine tree branch, in jumped Wyley and Bob quickly removed the last panel and closed the door. I was speeding towards Sundre when I got off work and got the call. We met up at the Burger Baron parking lot and I looked into the trailer amazed to see Wyley pressed right up against Gypsy, tucked right under her chin just like he was her own. He looked frightened but otherwise okay. Normally a mare is not so kind to a strange young horse cooped up with them in a trailer but we had done a lot of praying about Wyley’s safe capture and I believe someone was listening. The whole incident was nothing less than miraculous.
Seven days have passed since Bob rescued Wyley. In that week the colt has had to undergo penicillin and anti-inflammatory/pain reliever injections. His puss filled wounds on his swollen back leg and several other cuts will take time to heal. However, he can buck with all four off the ground and rear in protest, so we don‘t think any permanent damage has occurred. Wyley has been de-loused as he was quite itchy and had a strong odor about him. We had believed that wild horses could not have a parasitic problem if they were to survive in the wild. Upon de-worming, Wyley seems to have proven that theory as he only had one round worm in his droppings. Furthermore, we have had domestic colts bought from auctions that were badly infested with parasites.
Wyley has a voracious appetite, devouring all the hay we give him, and finally has chewed at the mineral block today for the first time. He has put on some weight, which is a very good sign. Wyley likes to be groomed, although still very shy. He hasn’t shown any signs of aggression towards his keepers. We have had far more unruly domestic foals that have tried to bite, kick and strike us and Wyley hasn’t tried anything of that nature. He is a gentle timid colt.
His new domestic herd consists of five other horses he visits safely with through the panels. He won’t be able to join up with them until he has recovered from his wounds, has been tamed and halter broken. One of his herd mates is a former wild horse from Suffield, Alberta. Warzone, named after the military base he came from is a fourteen year old gelding who still behaves like a stud in some respects. He is intensely protective of his herd and possessive of his mares. Wyley, like Warzone, will not be able to be re-introduced to the wild as he will be too accustomed to people and whereby an easy target for the Horse Meat Hunters. Instead he will lead a fairly pampered life. Wyley will attend horse shows and clubs as the representative for his relatives, still precariously living in the wild. I am confident that he will steal the hearts of others as he so quickly has stolen ours.
Doreen Henderson
Watch for new news about Wiley.
Congratulations on the rescue of this little darling! I’m so glad you were able to bring him home and start caring for him after the very difficult time he’s had. And I’m thankful that your Society is there to speak for these horses; it is not easy to get through to bureaucrats, but I am hopeful that you’ll get through to them before it is too late for this part of our heritage.
Kind regards,
Lynda Konrad
Alberta Chapter Rare Breeds Canada
Left by Lynda Konrad on January 8th, 2007