Over 4,000 wild horses live in Oregon, but one sticks out in particular. Cirrus, a brown mare, with white horse-shaped markings on her side as well as her own white “mane” and a brown eye.
The horse within a horse was first observed in 2018 by a field representative for the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) who was keeping an eye on a herd of four mustangs close to Burns, Oregon.
“When he sent us the photos we were awestruck,” Grace Kuhn, communications director with the AWHC, told “It was extraordinary to see the likeness of a horse on her neck.”
“As she moved, the white markings of the horse moved with her, complete with a portion of white mane flying,” Kuhn added. “It was something so beautiful and remarkable.”
Unfortunately, in 2018, Cirrus was one of 846 wild horses rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in a controversial effort to restrict wild horse populations. The horses usually lose their families — and sometimes their lives — in the process.
The rare mare was included in the roundup, and AWHC, a group that works to safeguard wild horses, knew they had to save her.
According to Kuhn, the horse “Cirrus” represents what is happening to America’s wild horses: freedom, loss, beauty, and sorrow are all mirrored in one horse.
They teamed up with Montgomery Creek Ranch, a wild horse sanctuary in Northern California, to save her.
In March, Cirrus arrived at Montgomery Creek Ranch, where she’ll be able to live peacefully with other rescued wild horses. Even though she’s over 10 years old and has spent her entire life living wild, her new caretakers have found her to be calm and gentle.
“While she, of course, has an opinion and gets a little ‘snorty’ when something happens that she doesn’t like, she is measured, careful and even a little curious,” Ellie Phipps Price, cofounder of Montgomery Creek Ranch, told The Dodo. “She has a commanding presence and is very expressive.”
Every day, members of the sanctuary staff go to see Cirrus in an effort to gain her confidence and, eventually, her respect. The mustang has become comfortable enough with her trainers in just a few short months to approach them, let them offer her hay, and allow them to gently brush her nose.
Phipps Price said, “We think she may be an ambassador to help us better explain the tale with her unique marks and overall presence. Not just her narrative, but also the West’s story of what’s happening to America’s wild horses.
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