Good morning!!

In recent weeks, we have reflected on our Old Warriors (with more stories to come), and last week we began introducing our BADA$$ Mares (also with more to come). Yet, in fairness to our newer volunteers, many of them, too, have shared their favorite horses—those they have come to know and love deeply. Over the next several weeks, we will feature tales of our “Young Guns as well as the Bachelor Bros,” along with a few stories that, as we like to say, are “for another time.”

So, what do you get when you cross an older, suave, gray stallion named Sarge with a strikingly beautiful copper-colored mare, graced with a flowing black mane, named Serena? You get Silver.

Take a look at his baby photo and then his current one—could you pick him out in a crowd?

Silver was born in the heat of summer in 2018 and was a spirited colt from the very beginning. Barely a month old, he sustained his first injury to his right rear fetlock. He was monitored daily to ensure proper healing, and after two months of careful observation, we were finally able to declare him sound once again. There seems to be something about Sarge’s offspring and their legs—think of Soldier (but that’s another story).

For young stallions, an essential part of growing up is the opportunity to mingle with the bachelor bands that come tearing through, creating instant dust storms along the riverbanks. These encounters are crucial; through playful sparring and social jockeying, youngsters begin learning the rules of adulthood. Such lessons will prove invaluable later, when they reach maturity and are inevitably driven from their family bands—a difficult but necessary rite of passage (and yes, that too is another story).

Silver was not quite two years old when he struck out on his own, seeking adventure beyond the familiar. Unlike many of the new bachelors who must spend long, solitary months by the river, Silver quickly reunited with a few companions he had known as a youngster. He temporarily joined Orion’s band, where he learned the nuances of leadership—the strength, patience, and vigilance required of a lead stallion, as well as the value of being a dependable lieutenant. After several months, he left Orion’s band to begin carving out his own path along the river.

A young stallion rarely establishes a band quickly. Many are still too lean and inexperienced to challenge the older, more seasoned stallions who dominate the river. If you wish to know how strong a stallion truly is, look no further than his neck: the thicker it is, the greater his reserves of strength and testosterone—both essential qualities in a wild herd’s hierarchy.

Today, Silver stands as the proud lead stallion of three mares (the all grey band). They were all born on the river, they live along its banks, and one day, they will pass within its reach. This is the rhythm of their existence—the essence of what it means to be wild and free.

And this is — “As the River Flows.”

Photos by Destini Rhone and Rick Blandford