The wild, wild west is still alive with wild horses in the high desert of Las Vegas. Nearly 400 wild horses and burros roam in the Spring Mountains near the small mountain village of Cold Creek, Nevada, only 40 minutes north of the bustling Las Vegas Strip. This is part of the BLM’s Wheeler Pass Herd Management Area.

These wild horses in the high desert are the descendants of escapees from the 1800’s horse trade, horses apparently abandoned by Native Americans, settlers coming to the Las Vegas valley, ranchers, prospectors that originally mined in this region and Native American tribes, and turned loose in the mountains and the valleys of Southern Nevada.

Later, ranchers also lost more horses to the wild bands and so those bloodlines have been mixed. The wild horses are relatively small, but very hardy and have now been habituated to humans by grazing alongside the highway.

On Flickr, other photographers are posting up fresh renditions of flowers from around the world, but, here in the desert the flora and flauna can almost be microscopic in it’s beauty.  I had seen photos of a speckled blonde horse in the area but today was able to only “capture” a small group of horses.  It would be natural and optimum to be able to witness large herds of wild horses at a gallup but the reality is that most shots like below are fairly static.  I look forward to returning when I have more time to be patient waiting in the cholla cacti for roaming, wild horses.