We saw herds of wild horses today, wandering in an area where no rancher would leave them. There were three groups, the largest group maybe 6-8 horses.
They sported shaggy winter coats and apparently are common where we saw them, as there were official road signs warning of riderless horses crossing the highway. It seems the Truckee River is their water source.
Where was this? We saw them in the area just south of I-80 between Reno and Fernley from a road variously called "USA Parkway" and Nevada 439. Mind you, we've traveled the road four times in the last month and saw the wild horses exactly once - today. So ... no guarantees you will see them there.
There is something special about wild horses going about their equine lives without reference to humans. The sight is semi-magical.
Later ... I just reread this post and realized that the widely used term “wild horses” is technically incorrect in the Americas. Those here are descendants of domesticated horses transported by Europeans, which makes those in the wild “feral” rather than wild. Whatever the correct descriptor, seeing them was fine.
