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‘Sable Island Scuffle’ Three wild bachelors feeling frisky by the surf of the Atlantic Ocean. I’m @sandysharkeyphotography and it has been my honour to host a #WHPC takeover, celebrating the magnificent wild horses of Canada. It is a dream come true to experience the wild horses of Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Fully protected, these horses are not managed by mankind- just by mother nature. They are ‘smallish’, average height 13 hands. The wild horses of Sable Island are known for their long windswept manes that are carried upwards by ocean breezes. These bonded bachelors were clearly friends, escaping to the surf for a frolic in the waves. A very limited number of visitors receive permission to go to Sable Island each year. It is a fragile ecosystem that is nature at it’s most pristine, and an incredible symbiotic relationship exists here: the world’s largest breeding colony of grey seals converge on the beaches of Sable Island. The seals’ presence helps to provide nutrients to the plant life on the island, which gives the wild horses the forage they need. Isn’t it amazing how nature works, when we do not interfere? If you would like to join me on Sable Island in 2020, please drop me a note [email protected] and follow me @sandysharkeyphotography @sableislandwildhorses (at Sable Island National Park Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5xiz2anC3n/?igshid=1om7wkbw7mmg1

‘The Standoff’. Wild stallions challenge each other in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Foothills. This is @sandysharkeyphotography, very honoured to be guest hosting #WHPC til Dec 7th with the theme ‘wild horses of Canada’! The wild horses of Alberta are thick-bodied, powerful horses that live in the mountain forests, bogs and alpine meadows. Six years ago, the Alberta government issued licenses for the capture and removal of 196 wild horses. Wild horse advocates set up camp in sub-zero temperatures near the capture site and spread hay to lure the horses away from danger. Five people were arrested. The footage went viral and the public was enraged that the wild horses were being captured. At the end of the day, 15 wild horses were taken. The outcry embarrassed the gov’t and there has not been a roundup since. The power of many voices! If you would like to experience the wild horses of Alberta, I will be co-hosting a photography retreat in May 2020. For details drop me a note [email protected] and follow me @sandysharkeyphotography @sableislandwildhorses https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ux1hyHnxp/?igshid=5tgzvwnjqz5c

‘Sable Island Father and Son’ This is @sandysharkeyphotography, and for day 3 of my #WHPC takeover, we continue to celebrate Canada’s wild horses! Nova Scotia’s remote Sable Island in the Atlantic Ocean is home to wild horses that have survived here since the 1700’s. Sable Island was once known as the ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’, with it’s remote location causing over 300 shipwrecks. Horses were brought to the island around 1760 for the purposes of building a lifesaving station for shipwreck survivors. Eventually the horses were abandoned ~ and they not only survived, they flourished on a steady diet of marram grass and fresh water from Sable Island’s several ponds. In the late 1950’s, a handful of biologists put pressure on the Canadian government to have the wild horses removed, because they felt that the island’s vegetation needed to be protected. A plan was put into place to remove the wild horses of Sable Island and sell them for dog food. But what followed next is one of my favourite wild horse stories of all time: Canadian children saved the wild horses. From coast to coast, children of all ages wrote letters and created drawings of the ‘ponies’ ~ often using crayons~ and their teachers and parents mailed them off to Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Overwhelmed by the pleas from thousands of children, the prime minister declared 100 percent protection for the wild horses of Sable Island. The year was 1960. The horses have been protected ever since, and to think it all started with children, some crayons, and a unified and deep rooted love to keep these magnificent wild horses from harm. Pictured here is a wild stallion with his young son enjoying a nice chin scratch against a piece of driftwood. (photographed with long lens). In September, I made my 8th visit to Sable Island and I will be leading small group adventures in 2020. If you would like to venture to this magical land of wild horses, please email me [email protected] and follow @sableislandwildhorses and @sandysharkeyphotography (at Sable Island National Park Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5sZjIfne13/?igshid=r658uw34h45a

‘Alberta Wild’ This is day 2 of my #WHPC takeover, and I am honoured to celebrate ‘Canadian Wild Horse Week’. In western Canada, Alberta’s Rocky Mountain foothills are home to sturdy, tough wild horses that survive the elements. These wild horses live in the forests and boggy areas in a breathtaking alpine setting. They are muscular, powerful horses adept at digging in the snow for forage if they need to. There are approximately 1700 ‘Alberta Wildies’. Chestnuts, roans, bays, blacks, even palominos and pintos can be found in this area north of Calgary Alberta. As with many wild horse areas, local advocates are deeply connected to the wild horses and will occasionally give them a name. Pictured here is the massive gentle giant known as ‘Willie’, with his growing foal and one of his mares. Willie is a wonderful band stallion, very gentle with his family but also protective. Just look at his ‘two-tone’ tail. Gorgeous! I spent some time with this wild family from a distance (long lens used) where they were deep in an alpine forest. The wild horses live in harmony with deer, moose, bears, and foxes- and they also have natural predators: wolves and mountain lions. To see the wild horses of Alberta is an incredible experience. Much respect to the local advocate group ‘Help Alberta Wildies’ who have been working tirelessly to keep these wild horses protected. You can find them on FB or at www.helpalbertawildies.com. For more photos, follow me at @sandysharkeyphotography. Thank you to everyone who shares their wild horse images from around the world! Tomorrow we will be back on #sableisland as our tribute to Canadian wild horses continues! (at Sundre, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5pmPMWnL5o/?igshid=1oe0b9kwq66uo

‘Wild on Sable Island’ My name is Sandy Sharkey, very honoured to host this #WHPC takeover until Dec 7th! Like everyone who follows this amazing Instagram page, wild horses are my passion and I travel extensively to find and photograph these magnificent animals. There is so much power in this collective~ the photos posted here by wild horse enthusiasts around the world are not only inspirational, they serve an important purpose~ raising awareness about the issues wild horses face, and helping to spread the word about the need to protect them. I am Canadian ~ and excited about this opportunity to share some images and background info about some of our beloved Canadian wild horses, including the wild horses of Sable Island. I photographed this stunning wild stallion on Sable Island in September. A proud band leader, he displays a glorious mane~ the signature for these iconic wild horses that have survived on a 26 mile slice of sand and grassy dunes located almost 200 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. There are approximately 500 wild horses living here. They are revered and respected, 100 percent protected by government. A National Park, Sable Island is a truly magical setting and a dream come true for wild horse enthusiasts. The wild horses display no fear, as they have never been harmed by humans. Visitors abide by a mandatory buffer, staying a minimum of 60 feet from the horses. As always it is important to keep wild horses wild. I wanted to begin my next few days with you by sharing this beautiful wild stallion, who lives as free as the wind ~ an existence that all wild horses should enjoy. The true essence of #themagicofwild. (if you would like to join me on Sable Island in 2020, drop me a note [email protected] or follow me @sandysharkeyphotography and @Sableislandwildhorses) (at Sable Island National Park Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5msA12HMvf/?igshid=f59x8ia3jbxl

Another indisputable sign of the present Administration’s goal of totalitarian rule ... the suppression of the Free Press.