The Wild horse and the land are not separate from me — they are part of my spirit. The land is what keeps us alive; it feeds us, teaches us, and holds the footsteps of our ancestors. To protect the land is to protect the horses, our families, and the generations still to come. This relationship has existed for centuries, written into the wind, the water, and the soil beneath our feet. Somewhere along the way, many of us were distracted from that sacred connection. But when you come back to the land with humility, you can feel it calling you home. You cannot force that connection — you must be still and let it come to you. When I stand among the wild horses, I feel my ancestors beside me. I remember who I am, where I come from, and why protecting the land is not just important — it is a responsibility carried in the heart.

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Without the Wild horse I do not believe our Tribe would have thrived as it did. Horses carried more than our people — they carried our history. The Mono Lake Indians traveled on horseback into Yosemite Valley & June lake ca to attend rodeos, competing in bronco riding, racing, and roping. Those journeys were not just sport; they were gatherings of culture, trade, and survival. Our people traded horses, food, and supplies to prepare for the long winters ahead. Horses were part of our economy, our strength, and our independence.

 

My great-great-grandmothers and great auntie were renowned basket makers who rode on horseback deep into Yosemite Valley to gather willow and other materials for their work. Horses carried hunters into the mountains and brought food home to their families. Our people trained horses, sold them, and relied on them to provide for their children. They were partners in daily life, woven into every season.

 

The stories of those times were not written in books. They were passed down through our grandmothers — spoken, remembered, and carried in our hearts. The horses are part of those stories. They are part of who we are on this land. I fear that if the horses are gone, the land will be harder to protect, and our connection will weaken.

The horses help us hold on to our ancestors, our culture, and the memories that define us. Through them, our stories continue to live.

 

The Wild horse and human beings stand on the same spiritual ground. If that foundation is not solid, everything else begins to weaken. Horses teach us balance, awareness, patience, and respect for the land. Their presence reminds us how to stand firmly, live humbly, and remain connected to what truly sustains us.

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Human beings are meant to walk in that same awareness. When we forget that we are connected — that our breath and their breath share the same air — we lose more than harmony; we lose stability within ourselves.

 

A strong spiritual foundation is not built on control or dominance, but on relationship. The horses understand natural law. They move with the land, not against it. As human beings, when we remember that we are part of creation — not separate from it - our foundation becomes steady again.