Randy Olson, Melissa Farlow Photography

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  • Two curious burros watch mustangs drink at a waterhole they share. Burro is the Spanish name for a wild donkey. They have longer ears than horses and engaging personalities liking humans. <br />
The Bureau of Land Management created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222856.jpg
  • Dirt flies up as horses gallop down the track in front of the twin spires of Churchill Downs. Horses are competing for a million dollar purse and a place in history.  First held in 1875, the Kentucky Derby is one of THE most famous two minutes in thoroughbred racing.
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  • Horses break from the starting gate at Churchill Downs race track. The two minute Kentucky Derby race is run on dirt as horses jockey for position on the stretch to the first turn.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720964-1.JPG
  • A room full of 1,000-pound patients receiving surgery at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  The facility is respected throughout the world for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-2.JPG
  • A large field of Thoroughbred horses gallop in tight formation down the stretch to the first turn in the Kentucky Derby. Running on a dirt track, this two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658-1.JPG
  • A large field of Thoroughbred horses gallop in tight formation down the stretch into the first turn in the Kentucky Derby. Run on a dirt track, this two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658.jpg
  • Some prized horses live a pampered life in retirement and command large amount of money for breeding rights in the hopes they’ll pass on the best qualities of their bloodline. An Irish farm, Ashford Stud which is part of international horse racing business Coolmore, was built in recent years and features stone barns and bridges creating the charm of an earlier era. Stalls are filled with plush straw for bedding under chandeliers that shine in the cupolas.  <br />
Past Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch's stud fees are as high as $125,000 per mating. A farm worker leads the stallion to a breeding barn.
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  • Some prized horses live a pampered life in retirement and command large amount of money for breeding rights in the hopes they’ll pass on the best qualities of their bloodline. An Irish-owned farm, Ashford Stud which is part of international horse racing business Coolmore, was built in recent years and features stone barns and bridges creating the charm of an earlier era. Stalls are filled with plush straw for bedding under chandeliers that shine in the cupolas.  <br />
Past Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch's stud fees are as high as $125,000 per mating. A farm worker leads the stallion to a breeding barn.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720965.TIF
  • Pin Oak Farm owner and breeder Josephine Abercrombie ran a prominent 4,000 acre farm near Versailles. A horse lover in her childhood, she bred of highly-trained successful race horses. Racing season brings on a flurry of parties and social events. Abercrombie was philanthropic and highly respected. She died in 2022.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720968-2-3.JPG
  • Thoroughbred horse auction at Fasig-Tipton, the oldest auction house in the United States. Horses are most often sold at public auction like this two-year old sale where horses often go for six figures—a bid spotter searches the crowd while a video showing the horse sprinting on the track along with the time is show on monitors above.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720972.jpg
  • Prepping a 1,000-pound patient , assistants work together fore a thoroughbred horse goes into surgery at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  The facility is respected throughout the world for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-1.JPG
  • Caretakers and surgeons wait in a recovery area with a 1,000-pound patient after he is moved into a mat. The thoroughbred received surgery at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital which is respected throughout the world. They are known for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-4.JPG
  • A large field of Thoroughbred horses blur as they run by the twin towers and down the stretch for the Kentucky Derby. This two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658-5.JPG
  • A large field of Thoroughbred horses blur as they run by the twin towers and down the stretch for the Kentucky Derby. This two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658-4.JPG
  • Keeneland Race track's Thoroughbred horse auction for two-year olds is where horses often sell for six figures. A bid spotter dressed in a tuxedo searches the crowd while a video showing the horse sprinting on the track along with the time is show on monitors above.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720973-3.JPG
  • Miniature horses are selectively bred for their small size. They are generally less than 36 inches high and are very friendly with people. They can be trained to pull carriages and be ridden as well as used as companion animals.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737725.jpg
  • Pin Oak Farm owner and breeder Josephine Abercrombie ran a prominent 4,000 acre  farm near Versailles. A horse lover in her childhood, she brought sugar cubes to her thoroughbreds hoping for a kiss on the cheek from a gentle mare and foal. Abercrombie died in 2022.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720968-2-1.JPG
  • Mares and foals gallop across the pasture on an Irish farm, Ashford Stud which is part of international horse racing business Coolmore.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720965-2.JPG
  • Evening sunset light illuminates a fence on an Kentucky horse farm in early spring.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720965-1.JPG
  • A cowgirl feeds her horses some oats on her ranch near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek Ranch is highly valued for water rights and for the amazing pristine land and red rock canyons.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-10.jpg
  • A cowgirl sits back to relax with her horses and a ranch hand after a long day in the saddle moving her herd from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-04.jpg
  • Horses awaits riders to saddle up outside the stalls near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is worked as an example of how land can be used and not abused and support ranchers with cattle. A ranch hand with a white hat, hits with his dog in the early morning before work begins.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-08.jpg
  • A Thoroughbred nuzzles a cat on a fence. Horses and cats are quite compatible. They are both sensitive and social creatures, and they nearly always get along forming strong bonds of friendship.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737763.jpg
  • A cowgirl prepares to saddle horses at the ranch near Monticello, Utah. Ropes and halters adorn the stalls at the Indian Creek ranch is highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch is an example of preservation.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-07.jpg
  • A horse cart on a road passing an abandoned granary and church.
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  • Rare white Thoroughbred mare grazes beside her foal. A recessive gene produces all white horses. Patchen Beauty foaled the first white colt in the family, The White Fox on Patchen Wilkes farm. The young foal plays while his mother grazes. He is the 16th non-albino white thoroughbred to be registered with the studbook of the Jockey Club in the more than 1.7 million horses registered.<br />
<br />
The mare and foal descend from the first non-albino white thoroughbred horse registered in 1963—White Beauty—a filly that belonged to Herman Goodpaster. White Beauty produced several alabaster white horses including Patchen Beauty who won two races before becoming a broodmare.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737727.jpg
  • A recessive gene produces all rare white horses on Patchen Wilkes Farm.  Patchen Beauty foaled the first white colt in the family, The White Fox.  The young foal plays while his mother grazes. He is the 16th non-albino white thoroughbred to be registered with the studbook of the Jockey Club in the more than 1.7 million horses registered.<br />
<br />
The mare and foal descend from the first non-albino white thoroughbred horse registered in 1963—White Beauty—a filly that belonged to Herman Goodpaster. White Beauty produced several alabaster white horses including Patchen Beauty who won two races before becoming a broodmare.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720975.jpg
  • Sick foals are put in the hyperbaric chamber and given large amounts of oxygen for two hours--an experiment that has helped humans and they are hoping horses.  at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  The facility is respected throughout the world for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-1.JPG
  • A 1,000-pound patient is moved into a mat after receiving surgery at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  The facility is respected throughout the world for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-3.JPG
  • A 1,000-pound patient is moved into a mat after receiving surgery at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  The facility is respected throughout the world for innovative and skilled treatment for horses including surgery, internal medicine, advanced diagnostic imaging, a specialized Podiatry Center and specialized Reproductive Center. Thoroughbred horses are like high-powered human athletes and sustain repairable injuries that can keep them racing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971.jpg
  • Early morning workout on the track empty of cheering crowds as Thoroughbred horses prepare for the Kentucky Derby. Jockeys and trainers train on the dirt track under the famous twin spires at Churchill Downs. This two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658-3.JPG
  • Morning workout on the track as Thoroughbred horses prepare for the Kentucky Derby. Jockeys and trainers train on the dirt track under the famous twin spires at Churchill Downs race track. This two minute horse race is one most famous in the world.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737658-2.JPG
  • Thoroughbred mare runs along side her foal in a pasture on a Kentucky horse farm. Kentucky is famous for bluegrass and rolling hills where over 450 farms breed and train race horses.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737741.jpg
  • Thoroughbred racehorses break out of the starting gate at Keeneland Racetrack. Position is randomly picked in the electronic gate that opens when all horses are loaded.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737654.jpg
  • Wisps of smoke float from a burning Chinese herb on acupuncture needles used by veterinarian Rhonda Rathgeber to treat a mare for fertility troubles. The Chinese have been needling horses for several thousand years. Now Western vets are using such holistic remedies alongside traditional medicine or after it fails. Some believe the quick, painless pricks also boost the animal's athletic performance.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-3.JPG
  • A cowboy rancher rides a horse across the flat sagebrush sea of western landscape. High, windswept clouds overhead in clear blue sky is typical in Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area in Oregon's Harney County. The agreement was created to protect the land and scarce water sources valued by ranchers and wildlife.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705717.jpg
  • Ranchers work together to rope and brand calves in a corral near Indian Creek. Throughout the West in the spring, cowboys and cowgirls don western hats, saddle up their horses and put their roping skills to use to mark their cattle with permanent identification.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705703.jpg
  • A sick foal is tended to while lying on a mat under heated blankets in stall on a Thoroughbred horse farm. Veterinarians treated many foals when a number of mares delivered prematurely or aborted for a mysterious disease that was traced to tent caterpillars in the pastures.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720971-2.JPG
  • Chilean cowboys in traditional Andalusian sombreros watch as huasos wearing colorful ponchos line up their horses under a flag in the ring. They are competing in a rodeo in ranch country north of Santiago by pinning a steer and trying to beat the clock.
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  • Storm clouds above a horse running along a ridge in the rural midwest.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2728710.jpg
  • Wearing a black hat, a sister waits while her brother unhooks a horse from a sled. Some Ladinos choose a simple life in LaVal the Dolomites, a village so isolated that the people there have their own language. In small villages, population continues to drop and older people go unmarried.
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  • Trophies line the walls in an office at Pin Oak Stud, a prominent 4,000 acre  farm near Versailles.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720968-2-2.JPG
  • A cowgirl checks her horse and sits back to relax after a long day in the saddle moving her herd from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-08.jpg
  • A cowgirl leads her horse to a corral under towering red rocks near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy. Highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch was saved from development and is an example of a working ranch respectful of the land.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-05.jpg
  • A horse awaits a rider to saddle up outside the stalls near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy and is worked as an example of how land can be used and not abused and support ranchers with cattle.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-06.jpg
  • A cowgirl leads her horse to a corral under towering red rocks near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy. Highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch was saved from development and is an example of a working ranch respectful of the land.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-04.jpg
  • Across a ridge top, a farmer follows his burros burdened with firewood to a mescal factory in rural Oaxaca. The region is where 80% of the mescal made in Mexico. Workers harvest the Maguey plant and bury it with dirt placing it in an oven with hot rocks for 36-48 hours. The burned plant is milled with a horse pulling a heavy stone. It is fermented 8-10 days and the manager plays classical music to help the process. It is distilled twice to be about 70% alcohol and stored for 3-6 months.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187490.jpg
  • Thoroughbred mare with foal in a pasture munching on bluegrass on a horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The region is known as the horse capital of the world with around 450 horse farms.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737765.jpg
  • Aerial view of a single horse grazing in picturesque, curved-fenced pastures. Once all farms were lined with white fences, but many now are black—easier to maintain. Lane's End is one of the most important stallion farms and breeding operations in the U.S. and also one of the top operations globally.
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  • A dappled gray Thoroughbred mare runs with a black foal in a pasture on a horse farm in Kentucky.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737767.jpg
  • Aerial view of Donamire Farm's fenced pastures. Once all farms were lined with white fences, but many now are black—cheaper to maintain. A Thoroughbred horse farm doing well financially still follows the tradition with white paint.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720976.jpg
  • Chilean cowboy pushes his horse toward the railing to trap a steer at a rodeo.<br />
Hausos topped with Andalusian hats or flat-brimmed sombreros compete in teams at a rodeo in the Rodeo InterAsociacional Marga-Marga northwest of Santiago, Chile. The teams that are called colleras run a cow out of a pen and pin it while racing against the clock.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187044.jpg
  • At sunset, a cowgirl drives her pick up back to the ranch in Indian Creek. Respected for her tough grit, skills and determination, the woman has lives in a region rich with Native rock art and amazing natural beauty to the surrounding landscape.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-13.jpg
  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the cowgirl works late to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-16.jpg
  • A cowboy drives a herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the sky glows as the rancher works late to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-14.jpg
  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In morning light, the cowgirl works to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-12.jpg
  • A cowgirl brands a calf while ranch hands pin others in the corral to be castrated. Cowboys on horseback sort cattle in the spring near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is worked but ranchers are respectful of the land for preservation.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-11.jpg
  • A cowgirl dons her black hat as ranchers prepare to brand and castrate calves in Indian Creek. Respected for her tough grit, skills and determination, the woman has lives in a region rich with Native rock art and amazing natural beauty to the surrounding landscape.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-09.jpg
  • A cowgirl brands a calf while ranch hands pin others in the corral to be castrated. Cowboys on horseback sort cattle in the spring near Monticello, Utah.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-06.jpg
  • A cowgirl walks from the corral under towering red rocks near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy. Highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch was saved and run by a woman rancher.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-03.jpg
  • A cowgirl laughs with ranch hands as they prepare to brand and castrate calves at a ranch in Indian Creek. Respected for her tough grit, skills and determination, the woman has lives in a region rich with Native rock art and amazing natural beauty to the surrounding landscape.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-10.jpg
  • A cowboy cracks his whip driving a herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the rancher works late to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-09.jpg
  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In morning light, the cowgirl works to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-03.jpg
  • A cowgirl drops to the ground while ranch hands hold a calf steady for castration and branding. Cowboys on horseback sort cattily in the spring near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is now owned by the Nature Conservancy, but former owners work the ranch with respectful of the land.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-02.jpg
  • A Ladin family travels to church in LaVal on a horse-drawn sled. The brothers and sister keep to old traditions that include an ethnic language only spoken in the isolated village in the Dolomites. The Church of Santa Barbara is a 15th century Gothic building.
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  • Cowboys from central Utah wait for a signal to begin branding young calves and an errant dog finds his way back to safety. Separated when they were moving cattle, the dog jumped up into the saddle upon seeing his owner. The ranch is surrounded by federal land of the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Canyonlands National Park with spectacular views or the orange walls surrounding Indian Creek.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695.jpg
  • A Ladin farmer drives a horse-drawn sled on steep hills with small patches of melting snow outside the Dolomites. The community of LaVal remains isolated by geography and the people retained their own ethnic language although they also speak German and Italian.
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  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Her son ranches with her and works to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-15.jpg
  • A cowboy drives a herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the sky glows as the rancher works late to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_715695-07.jpg
  • A cowgirl cracks her whip driving her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the cowgirl works late to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. The adjacent Indian Creek Ranch is now owned by the Nature Conservancy. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961.jpg
  • Nurse mares guard over young Thoroughbred foals who are fitted for a halter the first day of their life. They spend weeks in fenced paddocks eating sweet clover, bluegrass and dandelions while learning to socialize before training begins.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720966.jpg
  • Morning fog rises over Donamire Farm's fenced pastures and pastoral setting in Lexington, Kentucky
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  • A pregnant mare rolls in the mud with a plastic bucket over her mouth as a muzzle to keep her from being inadvertently eating caterpillars, thus limiting her exposure to toxins.<br />
In 2001, approximately 25% of all pregnant mares in Kentucky aborted their foals within several weeks (over 3,000 mares lost pregnancies), and abortion rates exceeded 60% on some farms because of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS).  The mysterious disease caused mares to spontaneously abort at an early term as well fully developed foals—the babies that survived had heart and eye problems. Those that didn’t die or were put down had brain injuries and are often referred to as “dummy foals.”  University of Kentucky estimates 1400 foals were aborted costing the state 336 million dollars.<br />
<br />
What was known was that mares were being exposed to something in the fields—a fungus or mycotoxin that seemed to be related to the Eastern tent caterpillar that was found in cherry trees. Farms tried to limit their risk and exposure to the grass by putting plastic buckets over their mouths.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_720969.jpg
  • Procession of the Old Chatham Hunt Club to the village square for the blessing of the hounds.
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  • Two Sudanese children, an adult and a donkey in a desolate landscape.
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  • Hamar tribe in a small village next to Omorate where the first bridge across the Omo River is being built. This town is experimenting with wind power supplied by one of the NGO’s.
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  • A blurring of cultures as children dance in the street wearing Halloween masks in celebration of Day of the Dead. The American and Hispanic celebrations coincide involving masks and candy in the small Mexican town where families use burros and make mescal from agave plants.
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  • Hamar head to market day on a dirt road to Kaifur.
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  • A man on horseback rides through downtown Hanga Roa on a busy street in the community of less than 10,000.
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  • The first bridge over the Omo River in this area is at Omorate. This man arranges building materials used in temporary supports for the bridge.
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  • Chilean cowboys or huasos compete in teams at a rodeo. Wearing red ponchos and topped with Andalusian hats or flat-brimmed sombreros, teams compete at the Rodeo InterAsociacional Marga-Marga northwest of Santiago, Chile. The teams,  also called colleras, run a cow out of a pen and pin it while racing against the clock.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187031.jpg
  • Two cowboys on horseback drive in cows to a cattle auction facility in Nebraska.
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  • A former wild horse, adopted and trained, now works the Wyoming range with a sheepherder and his dog. Owners find that mustangs are sure-footed on a trail and spook less than domesticated horses.
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  • Contractors prepare to load trucks with wild horses they capture following a round up.
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  • A U.S. Border patrol officer leads his trained former mustang from the barn to ride in the rough backcountry. The horses are high spirited, but sure-footed on a rugged trail in Montana and generally don't spook as much as a domestic horse.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222833.jpg
  • An adopted former wild horse now works the Wyoming range with a sheepherder and dogs.<br />
Dot, white mustang, was trained by prison inmates and then bought by rancher owners at a public auction. The docile horse earned his keep one week later when he saved the life of a shepherd who was lost in a blinding snow storm. The rider dropped the reins trusting the horse to find his way back home in spite of the blizzard.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222886.jpg
  • Dot, a former wild horse, patiently waits under a guard dog's watchful eye as a sheepherder checks on the animals in his care.<br />
After the mustang was trained by prison inmates, the horse was sold at auction. He earned respect the first week on the ranch in the Wyoming range when he found his way back to the corral in a blizzard saving the life of his mount.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1201771.jpg
  • A dog rides in the saddle on the back of a horse at the Extreme Mustang Makeover. The wild horse had bonded with the canine as a companion. Riders waited their turn to enter the ring.
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  • Kitty Lauman, a wild horse trainer relaxes with her daughter and her feet up after a long session with a difficult horse.
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  • A horse trainer chooses a wild horse to ride on the ranch where she and her mother adopted 50 unwanted mustangs.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737110.jpg
  • A horse rescuer carries hay to feed her the animals at her sanctuary.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737104.jpg
  • Warm, well-dressed dogs and tourist families wait for a race to begin on frozen Lake Saint Moritz. The Engadine valley hosts winter competitions such as skijoring where a skier is pulled by horses or dogs and a cross country or Nordic skiing marathon race.
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  • A wild horse trainer coaxes her horse to walk through a curtain made of plastic that could spook a horse.
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  • Young boy gallops at full speed riding bare back on a horse leaving clouds of dust in the barren, high-mountain Peruvian desert near Chauchilla.
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  • Church of the Brethren, Mennonite farm family Jim and Judy Protiva around their farm, Peace Valley, Missouri.  Ozark Mountains area.
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  • A pair of Mongolian wild horses, also known as Przewalski horses, are a breed that has never been domesticated.
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