Meet Snowy, a living testament to resilience and untamed spirit. She is from the famed  Onaqui wild horse management area, she emerged as a symbol of strength during the tragic roundup in July of 2021 that shook the very core of her home.  

Snowy had been chased by helicopter into a trap site, where she was now ensnared in the turmoil of family separation, stallions and mares, mares and babies. The cries you can here during this chaos are piercing. Snowy was not settling well.  

She wanted no part of this operation, and she refused to succumb to captivity. However, as any strong female knows, often times we need to take matters into our own hands.  And that is what this resilient strong creature did. In a breathtaking display of determination, this remarkable mare leaped a 6-foot panel, reclaiming the freedom that was rightfully hers. 

Freedom wasn't just a birthright–it was a choice she made with unwavering courage.

Fast forward to that October, in an effort to heal and reflect on that tragic round up. I returned to the land to pay my respects to those who lost their freedom and those who remained, trying to re-build their families and home.

Waking in the desert to snowfall, while extremely cold is nothing short of magical. And, there was no way I wasn't going to try and find her. She was extremely shy, on high alert, and kept trying to get her band to flee back into the mountains. So I waited, patiently, freezing, for that fleeting moment of grace amongst the snowfall. 

In the midst of adversity, lies inspiration. Let Snowy's untamed spirit resonate within you, a reminder that even when the winds blow bitter there is still a warm flame of freedom to hold onto.