The Salt River Wild Horses are one of my favorite photography subjects. A few hours of "wild horse therapy" and I'm ready to tackle another week's work! I like to photograph them as a "horse-scape", where the horses are shown in their environment. 

The day I took this picture, I saw a band of horses out in the desert and hiked in to photograph them. This area is a forest of Cholla cacti, very attractive to look at, but don't get anywhere near those needles! They can go right through leather boots. I set up a respectful distance from the band, but within a few minutes, another band came by, and then another and before I knew it, I was surrounded by wild horses, and now, they were the ones keeping a respectful distance from me! It didn't take long for one of the newcomers to get a little too friendly with another stallion's mare. He was promptly and decisively chased off, along with his band.

My preferred medium for wild horse photographs is metal, with canvas a close second. If you prefer a rustic look, I recommend pearl fine art paper with a mat and wood grain frame. These photographs make wonderful gifts!