Between the mountains, gullies, and plateaus of the Western United States, upwards of 71,000 wild horses live free. On windless days, you can hear their soft neighs and thundering hooves. They raise their foals in the wild landscape, forage for food in all weather, and spend most of their days avoiding human contact. These wild horses of the American west are a symbol of survival and freedom. They've captivated countless hearts, and out of the thousands of horses, there's one in particular that embodies their true spirit. That horse's name is Picasso, and he's the most famous wild mustang in America.
The Spirit of Sand Wash Basin
For over a decade, this strikingly beautiful stallion has inspired a special kind of devotion to the wild horses of Sand Wash Basin. His striking markings and two-toned mane make him stand out, but this wild mustang is more than his looks. Sheathed in muscle and spotted with scars, he is a powerful representation of what it takes to survive and persevere.
At an estimated 30 years old, Picasso has lived his three decades as a competitive stallion in an extremely harsh environment. Most wild stallions never reach old age. They either succumb to the unique tribulations of life in the wild or are killed by other stallions fighting for a mare. Picasso has likely been involved in hundreds of battles, has fought through winters with sub-zero temperatures, and survived scorching summers in the high desert of Colorado. But through it all, he has defied the odds.
For the first part of his life, Picasso was just another horse among hundreds. But with time, his reputation grew. Tourists and wild mustang enthusiasts started spotting him from afar and taking his picture. According to Denver7 News, a worker from the Humane Society noticed the strong stallion during a BLM roundup in 2008. They described the horse's markings as looking like a Picasso painting, and the name stuck.
The Most Famous Wild Mustang
From there, people started posting their own pictures of Picasso to social media. As more people joined Facebook and Twitter, more people fell in love with Picasso. Today, he is a celebrity. Picasso is the most famous wild horse by far, and he has several Facebook groups dedicated to tracking his movement.
People travel hundreds of miles for the rare chance of seeing Picasso in his natural home. They paint his likeness onto canvas, compose poems about his beauty, and write songs about his life. People have studied his habits, followed his roaming, and made detailed charts of his family tree. Even as Picasso ages, he retains his legendary status.
In the wild, Picasso has been the leader of several bands. A band usually consists of one stallion along with a few mares and their yearlings. Stallions compete with each over control of the bands, and many of those competitions are fights to the death.
Picasso has sired dozens of offspring and has had relationships with several mares. He traveled with his favorite mare, Mingo, for a few years, and it's clear to observers that the other wild horses also recognize Picasso's leadership. Patti Mosbey describes a once-in-a-lifetime moment when she spotted two bands of horses make a path for the famous mustang as if they were making room for a legend. He stands a few hands shorter than the tallest stallions, but Picasso's fighting spirit won him many challenges in his youth.
A Legend of Survival
While his strength and bravery were notable, Picasso possesses another characteristic that has helped him reach his old age. He is willing to stand up for himself, but he also knows when he's been beat. While other stallions fight until their last breath, Picasso has the wisdom to survive. He knows when a fight is not worth his life.
True to the harshness of life in the wild, Picasso is no longer the unbeatable band leader he once was. In 2014, he ran with four mares and their various yearlings. But when a younger challenger took the band, the famous mustang was cast out. He eventually tried to take up with a young filly, but a weeks-long fight with a competing stallion ended that romance, too.
Today, Picasso is a horse that roams on his own. His age is catching up to him, and recent photos show him looking more haggard and skinny. Many people have expressed opinions that Picasso should be adopted and shielded from a difficult life in the wild. But his many fans disagree.
There's no denying that life as a wild mustang in the Sand Wash Basin is challenging. Horses face countless risks every day, and every winter sees strong horses lost to extreme weather and injury. But even so, they are free. Picasso is the epitome of spirit and freedom. His home is in the wild. And when he dies, he'll die with a legacy that lives on in every gallop, kick, nuzzle, and neigh of America's wild mustangs.
All images via Canva
h/t: Denver7 News
Image sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]
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Homer Curtis Petty
Just a beautiful horse, as I love all horses. I used to break and train quarter horses for working cattle. Thank you for the pictures and information.
Ione Snow
Very inspiring story.Gave me goosebumps.You go,go,go Picasso
Sharon Penland-Mace
My grandfather was a Petty. From Sapulpa Oklahoma. He and my grandmother died about70 years ago. This ancestry thing has caught my imagination.
Anne
Instead of capturing him, leave food and hay for him to survive on in his elderly years. His fans track him, so it shouldn’t be hard to know where to leave his feed for him to find.
Linda Wing
I first learned of him from a photographers calendar sold on Etsy! I have loved seeing him ever since! I’m sad to hear he lost his herd to a younger stallion! We all get older! He was and still is a magnificent example of a wild mustang! Thanks for sharing this! Linda
Carol
I think this beautiful , noble , one in a million stallion should be given a chance to walk in quiet peace not have to live on the edge of yesterday. I have followed Picasso for years on FB and watching the years slowly surround his soul is bittersweet . He may not run as fast, and his strength and determination and survival have long taken his days of thundering the basin for mares , guarding and protecting what he loved and breathing the air that that drove his existence . He survived many hardships ( as mentioned in the article) 30 years . He deserves a place to be able to sleep in peace , walk in peace and to rest in peace . I speak from my heart. To read one day that Picasso was found emaciated and crippled, or had passed away because he was enable to forage for his food, would be such a travesty and heart wrenching . He deserves this chance .
Robert C. Paul
I liked very much what you had to say. I seriously thought someone would have cared enough to place himn where he could live out his remaining days in a decent pasture among a few mares with no need to fight. I also would have tought someone would have saved some progeny for the genes of such a remarkable specimen. What a wonder it must have been to be able to spot him in the wild and enjoy this wild mustang.
Sue
WOW I am glad they didn't get him in a roundup
Madeline Ryan
and may Picasso's many offspring live on.....wild and free.
Delia King
He is unite a joy to look at you are a blessing to have saw him
Cally Jo Fritz
Please make sure he is given nourishment up to the day he passes from this earth. Would be nice if someone had a specific area for him to roam so no wild animal can take him down for a meal. Such a magnificent stallion deserves to have a softer more stressless end of days.
Cally Jo Fritz
This proud aged stallion should have a safe place to live out his life. Where he can enjoy the free wild but not have to fight for his life. I know because of his age he is a fighting stallion had to be to maintain his mares and produce his get to carry on his blood lines. But those days are over. He is a senior and should be given a place to quietly live out his days. Surely there is a place he would be protected against any reprisols from wild animals . Thank you for listening.
Rita
As fans that follow him what’s wrong with maybe contributing to make his finally days good right up until his end! Dropping some bales hay for him, a block of minerals, set up water for him! Since someone seems to know where he is at at all times! If he’s getting skinny there are pellets with worm meds! He could be darted just to check him out and administer Meds or worm him! Float his teeth! If there’s a will there’s always a way! We could all contribute money toward the expense!and yet he would still be free to go and do as he pleases!
Val Clausen
I’m a kid but I love horses so as a kid this inspired me and I think I what to help wild Mustangs And mares. Thank you
Christine M Braeuner
I agree with you. He is gone. They tried to find him. I think if they had let him live his remaining years at Skydog Sanctuary he could have lived longer. He probably suffered that last winter.