The Wild Horses of Shannon County in Southern Missouri
These guys were just chilling on the side of the blacktop road. They are obviously accustomed to tourists stopping to gawk at them ;) I was able to snap a few photos while we were in the car. They didn't take off into the woods until we decided to park the car and get out to take a closer look.
We have been visiting this area for a long time, and we have never been lucky enough to come across these wild beauties until yesterday when we were least expecting it! They are most commonly spotted outside the towns of Eminence and Winona, which are about 45 minutes to 1 hour from our home town.
Here is an excerpt from an article on floatmissouri.com that explains a little bit about these extraordinary creatures:
Shannon County boasts two great Missouri Rivers – the Current and Jack’s Fork – and about 35 wild horses that roam freely between these two rivers, surrounding the county seat of Eminence. The horses are a legally protected group today, but this was not always the case.
No one knows exactly the origin of these horses, but it is believed that their ancestors were domesticated horses who were set free during the Great Depression, by farmers who could not afford to feed them. And so they lived, reproduced, and died on land that is a part of the Mark Twain National Forest.
We were absolutely thrilled to happen upon these beautiful, wild creatures after looking for them for so many years! It was quite the experience. Jason got some nice shots of them too, so be on the lookout for more photos very soon!
Thanks for checking it out!
That would have been really cool to see! Wild horses so beautiful :)
It was truly an incredible experience to see them, even though it was just for a moment. So cool!
I have never, ever seen them myself either. They're so beautiful! Thank you for not being like other idiots and trying to pet or feed them. I knew you were smarter than that. ;) I love these shots. Also, I'm super jelly. ;)
majethic. ;)
Soooo regal! ;)
We were just so happy to gaze at their beauty. Wild and free!!! So awesome!!!!
They could use a brushing, but I doubt they would stand for it ;)
No doubt! But they were so stunning to see! We love to drive around on backroads around here so we considered it a great success to come across these amazing wild creatures! :)
What an awesome experience!
They are gorgeous!
Look how perfect their hooves are. Perfectly manicured by the earth.
I love the couple with appaloosa snowflake patterning!
Right?!? Like I said before: Wild and free!!! Mother Nature has a way of perfecting her beautiful creations!!! ;)
Great shots @melodyrussell I wish we would've stopped down that way on the way to my moms! Ah, I'm glad you got to see them. I haven't seen them since I was a kid.
I wish you could have been there to see them with us! But we were super grateful that you guys came to the rescue when we ran out of gas. Two strokes of luck on beautiful day!!! Haha, lets go adventuring again soon
I have always wanted to see a group of the wild horses. We have some here in Florida, but they are only in couples. The horses you saw are beautiful and such a special treat to behold. Lucky you! 🐓🐓
It was such a neat experience! I hope you get to see those wild Floridian horses soon ;)
It’s a rare treat as they tend to live on the prairies which are not accessible to humans unless you’re into alligators too. Maybe later in the year. Have a great day! 🐓🐓
Yikes! I think I would have to pass on that. Haha! You have a great day as well!!! :)
Wow. I had no idea there were wild horses in these parts. I'm so happy for you that you were able to see them! Thank you so much for posting, they're beautiful.
It was such an incredible sight! If you ever feel like venturing out, there is so much cool stuff to see around here. @jasonrussell and I would be happy to be your tour guides ;)