The sun above us showed no mercy as it shone in the cloudless blue sky. I glanced at the map which said my family and I were near Wyoming and Montana. My family and I were searching for wild mustangs in a place called Preyer Mountain National Park which was home to hundreds of wild mustangs. Ever since I’ve seen a video about this place, I’ve been dreaming of going there, and now, here I was!



My family and I went to the ranger’s station down the road for some more information on where the horses were at. The sun seemed to sting my eyes when I stepped out of the car. The little wooden building in front of me seemed out of place on the huge prairie. When I stepped inside, I was greeted by shelves crammed full of souvenirs, post cards, and maps. The inside of the center was larger than I imagined. I had only been in there for a minute when I and my sister were hustled back into the car to continue on our journey.




I jumped out of the car to follow my family to the viewing spot. My feet kick up bright red-orange dust as I walk along the path. When I finally reach the viewing spot, I look over the rails and gasp. Huge, red rocks where scattered around as if God had thrown them there. The view was enough to make you forget to breathe. I glance a little further over the rails and look down. There seemed to be nothing there but air and open space. Dizzy, I followed my family back to the car and loaded in.



My parents drove on for a little bit, only stopping to take pictures of some Bighorn Sheep. It was there they told me the bad news: We would not be able to go up to the mountain where the horses were and had to turn back. The road ahead of us winded back and forth like a snake. Our car soon approached a tree line that bordered the edge of our car until it opened up and we saw them. One was a dark, jet black stallion, with one white star on his head that shone like a beacon. The other was a sandy-colored mare with zebra stripes along her legs and a light brown mane and tail. My family and I stampeded out of the car and stood at least 20 feet away, snapping pictures. The mustangs didn’t seem to be the least bit nervous and just stood there eating the grass at their feet. About 3 minutes later, we heard a shrill whinny that seemed to pierce the still air around me and my family. A split second later, a huge ember colored horse appeared out of nowhere, charging at the black horse. The black stallion met his opponent head on. Me and my dad were closest and jumped into a ditch near the horses and watched, wide-eyed at the battle. The red horse was huge and looked really young; however, the black horse avoided most of his attacks. The loud thudding their bodies and shrieking whinnies made me want to cover my ears, but I seemed frozen. The ember horse kicked the black horse, and he was down for only a fraction a second before he rolled over and hit the red horse with a well aimed kick in the stomach. The red horse reared up, and the black horse kicked him again. In mid-air, the red horse froze, then whirled around and galloped away, disappearing into the dark, tangled branches of the tree border.




The mare’s joyous whinnying seemed to snap me and my family out of our trance, and I realized that I had forgotten to breathe. I sucked in a mouthful of air and scrambled out of the ditch to see what would happen next. The black horse, hearing the mare’s calls, ran over to check to see if she was okay. They stood, nose to nose, for a minute before the black horse herded her towards us, across the street, and into the tall underbrush, which seemed to engulf them. I blinked, and then looked over to where everything had happened. It seemed like a dream, but it was sure as heck real, because I could still see a shadow of the ember horse in the trees. The whole battle, unbelievably, was only about a minute long. As I leapt back into the car, I happened to glance at the map and noticed we were no where near the point where the horses were. It was a miracle seeing one horse down here, and we had seen three. Dang, they sure didn’t have this stuff on the video I seen!