12/15/2024
Even with the “no go” flight that left me feeling deflated, and the touch-and-go weather system that followed, leaving me literally sand-blasted on the beach, it was a worthwhile journey the following day. Back in October, I flew to Sable Island with Joyce and Sandy and six others, including the pilot, to spend the day looking for the wild horses that live there. This has been something I’ve dreamed of for years, but it never came to pass. But it all fell into place at the right time in my life.
The small no-frills airplane took off and landed on the beach of the crescent-shaped strip of land. There were no trees. Just dunes, sea grasses and some freshwater ponds. Other than researchers in a small complex of buildings in the center of the island, whom we saw only briefly, we were the sole occupants on the island.
There’s an indescribable feeling that fills your soul in an environment where survival is everything. The vastness of an endless beach. The sound of the air current rustling in the high, grassy dunes. And the violent slam of white caps against the shore. My ears captured the whistles and rhythms of the wild winds blowing that day.
Seeing the horses who live in this harsh terrain was such a special encounter. And had it been a perfect-weather day, I don’t think I would have come away with the same experience. It was difficult to endure the constant 25-35 mph winds. When in the beach locations, I got sand in my eyes and in my mouth. My face was wind-burned. I felt less of all that further inland, behind the protection of the dunes. But these horses are used to it.
Seeing this stallion on the top of one of the dunes, I admired him while taking photos from a distance away. It wasn’t until recently when I started going through the images did I notice his cheek. A fresh wound, likely from another stallion, caught me by surprise. Other images, when I zoomed in more closely, revealed similar wounds. I felt disturbed by it. But I’ve come to realize it’s part of their lives. There is no human intervention. The Sable Island horses survive and thrive.
