Enjoy Magazine: All the Pretty Horses

Tim Holt / April 26, 2024

On the Range with the Wild Horse Fire Brigade…

William Simpson II has had multiple careers as a pilot, Merchant Marine officer, and commercial fisherman. Now, at 71, with his own roaming days over, he manages a 30,000-acre spread near the Oregon border with 150 wild horses roaming all over it. Simpson was drawn to the wildness of the place when he purchased a ranch on it 10 years ago, but over the years he’s become deeply attached to the horses, too, to the point where they’re a kind of extended family.

  In these sprawling wildlands, Simpson and his partner, Michelle Gough, mostly just let the horses do their thing: roving in family herds of up to two dozen horses, foraging for grass and brush, and keeping a watchful eye for the mountain lions that prowl this range.

These family groups typically have a lead stallion who watches out for, and sometimes battles, predators. He’s paired with a lead mare, an older horse who with her knowledge and experience can lead the herd to the best places to find water and food.
  

The article continues at Enjoy Magazine…