Wild Horse Spirit Ltd.

     "Mona" and "Charlie Wild Horse"
                      Charlie born...3-22-98

             3-23-98 Morning after Charlie was born
                             A special story about MONA - click here.

(above) Photo taken early the next morning after Charlie Wild Horse foaled at about 8:30PM on 3-22-98.  For some wild horse reason, Mona chose to give birth to him in the muddy corral and not in a warm, bedded stall.
 .                                                                                      3-23-98 Charlie taking in his new environment   

           3-23-98 Can still see the rather elongated, flattened shape of the head of a newborn foal that allowed him to pass thru the birthing canal
 

Charlie (short for Charlie Wild Horse) was born March 22, 1998 about 
8:43 pm to Mona and Red.  (We were lucky enough to catch it on the monitor and 
video his birth) While Red, Mona and Sparky, Charlie's half brother, were
held at the Reno Animal Control by Nevada Department of Agriculture
for disposition, Mona became pregnant by Red.  Charlie is a spunky little
fellow and is having a great time visiting the other horses at Wild Horse Spirit.

Charlie Wild Horse as he grows. 
(below) Charlie at 4 months old.

  7-25-98 At 4 months old Charlies mane is trojan-like, typical of many growing wild horses    
  (below) Charlie at 9 months visiting with Taffy.  (below) at 14 months with his mother, Mona.
12-6-98 Charlie at 9 months, growing and visiting Taffy with on this snowy day   6-1-99 At 14 months old Charlie and his mother, Mona, are playing king of the mound. Charlie now has a typical growing adolescent body but will eventually mature into a hunky adult wild horse. Wild horses grow slowly and frequently do not reach full mature-growth until 6 or 7 years old

                                    Charlie (on right) running in front of Alf (on left) at Patti's and Jeff's Freedom Fields in California.

             About Mona

           (below) December 1996, Mona, free-roaming -   (below) 1-26-1997 at Reno Animal Control.

  12-5-96 Mona, winter coat, somewhat underweight, free-roaming in Hidden Valley community with her few month old colt, Sparky  1-26-97 Mona, along with Red and Sparky, now impounded at Reno Animal Control waiting disposition by NV Agri Department

     (below) June 1999 Mona, home at Wild Horse Spirit.  NOW a  beautiful Virginia Range wild horse mare.
   6-1-99 beautiful, beautiful typical bay wild horse mare, Mona now at her home with WHS.     6-1-99 Mona shows her long and gorgeous wild horse mane 

So What About Mona, Sparky and Red? 
What is their rescue Story?

11-30-96 Red trapped for the vet to exam his injured leg

Mona, with Sparky following, cross the driveway of a Hidden Valley resident

 11-30-96 a close-up of Red's large gapping leg wound

(above and left) 11-30-96 Red, a hunky sorrel wild horse stallion, injured his left leg.  He was temporarily trapped in order for the vet to exam him. He was treated with antibiotics and subsequently released.  While he was trapped, a roan stallion attempted to win over Mona (left) and her baby, Sparky, who were free-roaming in the Hidden Valley community before a fence was built around the community to keep wild horses out. However, Mona was a free-thinking spirit. After Red was released, the threesome were together again.
(right) On 1-1-97, the day of the big Truckee Meadows flood, Sparky, lying down, Mona, standing close to him, and Red were quietly weathering the rain in the park and the eventual flood. 1-1-97 The day of the big Truckee Meadows flood. Sparks, Mona and Red resting in the park while it continued to rain
1-8-97 The simulated cattle guard across Mira Loma Drive kept the bachelors out of the park, but not Mona, Sparky and Red (left) 1-8-97 Washoe County at urging by concerned citizens tried painting strips, simulating a cattle guard, to prevent wild horses from roaming from Hidden Valley onto new Mira Loma Road to the luscious grass in Mira Loma Park.  This idea worked for the bachelor band of wild horses that included Billy, but Mona had no fear. She continued to walk across the painted stripes to the park with Sparky and Red following behind her.
1-16-97, Mona and Sparky, with Red, are now confined at animal control 1-26-97 Red, now confined at animal control
(above) On 1-25-1997, Reno Animal Control (RAC) officers, unknown to us, herded, Mona, Sparky and Red, across busy 4-lane McCarran Blvd. to Longley Lane and into large animal control pens.  The above photos were taken of Sparky, Mona, and Red on the right.  Their freedom lost.  Because of political issues at that time, the threesome was held at RAC for several weeks, even though Wild Horse Spirit would have taken them immediately.  Both Mona and Sparky lost weight.  Mona's milk dried up.  The brand inspector thought Mona was an old mare because of her condition, but it turned out she was only about 4 years old.  Finally, they were released to Wild Horse Spirit in May 1997 by the Agri Department, but through Storey County's VRWPA which meant they must be freeze branded with "SC".  With lots of groceries and TLC, the threesome gained weight and settled in at Wild Horse Spirit.  As you can see above, Mona is one beautiful wild horse mare and is a love. 6-1-99 beautiful, beautiful typical bay wild horse mare, Mona now at her home with WHS. ▼
During a visit by a class of young handicapped students on 10-31-2001 to Wild Horse Spirit, one little girl who reportedly was "quiet" and  "non-communicative" by her school, went up to Mona and began having a long conservation with her.  Her teacher was elated.  Mona, indeed, is one special spiritual being as was the little girl who immediately bonded with Mona and began to talk to her.  
       9-27-97 Red, Charlie's father, is quite settled in
(above) 9-27-97 Red, now fat and a big teddy bear.  Was gelded in May 97.  

(right) 7-9-97 Steve is gentling Sparky, whose mother, Mona, later was noted to be pregnant with Red's foal, Charlie Wild Horse during the period at RAC.  See Charlie above. Top
(Please note that development has encroached upon the long time migratory range of these wild horses, blocking natural water sources and winter forage areas.  So the developers are  the "intruders" not wild horses.)

5-3-97 Sparky being gentled-trained by Steve

         More photos to come of Sparky, now grown, Red, Mona and Charlie.  Charlie is a "clone" of Red with both Red's and Mona's sweet deposition.  You won't believe how handsome Sparky is at his adoptive home in Gardnerville.  And he has Mona's sweet deposition.

Wild Horse Spirit Ltd.
25 Lewers Creek Road
Carson City, NV 89704
(775) 883-5488 | Fax (775) 884-2333
website:   http://www.wildhorsespirit.org
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