We’ve all seen Wonder and his brother Splendor horsing around, be it in real life, or in pictures, and maybe some of you are wondering how the other 2024 baby boy Strider is doing. Can you believe he is this big?

Strider is the less photographed 2024 baby, because his family band lives a bit more of a private life in the northern hills of the Salt River habitat, but he is growing up just as fast as Wonder and Iris! (They can’t grow fast enough for our liking) They will all have their first birthdays soon.

While Strider does not have any siblings, he does have a sweet uncle, who is willing to humor him and teach him battling skills any time of the day. His name is Paiute, a full brother to his mother Sacajawea.

Growing up wild is a family afair. The saying goes in humans it takes a village, but in horses it takes a band. (A band is one full family of horses, while a herd is many bands together)

Just imagine these wild horses hundreds of years ago, before our an ancestors arrived here in wagons. And then consider how lucky we are to still be able to see them growing up, the same way they always have.

In our opinion (but we might be biased) watching these wild horses grow up is the best thing about Arizona! Do you agree?

Pictures by Larry Naftger from Salt River Wild Horses – Advocates