Claudia Radbauer - Safeguarding the Sorraia Mustang

Levada (Altamiro x Sovina's Zorita)

(all photos for this journal entry kindly provided by Claudia Radbauer)

While preservation efforts for purebred Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang horses have quite a number of admirers and "virtual supporters" the truth is that "real time" safeguarding of present-day equines who have retained phenotypic and genetic "tarpanoid" characteristics, remains limited to just a scant handful of breeders and conservationists in Portgual, Germany, Canada, France and the United States.

Levada nurses her 2012 filly, Alegria in the Viennese woods...reminiscent of the forest she knew well when she lived at Ravenseyrie

At this time the registered Sorraias in Europe continue to be plagued by infertility issues provoked by dangerously low numbers (less than 250) and severe inbreeding.  In North America, mustangs exhibiting tarpanic Sorraia type are spectacularly fecund, but apathy for mustang horses in general means their numbers are even lower than those which originated in Portgual.   It hasn't helped that there has been a debilitating economic depression on both continents, further limiting interest in preserving a horse that is better suited to grassland habitat management projects than domesticated life as a saddle horse (though many Sorraia type horses do lend themselves to riding and driving quite well).

Given the sense of isolation Kevin and I can sometimes experience with carrying on our conservation efforts for these horses here in Canada, we have been deeply appreciative and impressed with an Austrian woman, named Claudia Radbauer.  Claudia felt a longing to lend her spirit and resources to establishing a preserve for Sorraia and Sorraia  Mustang horses at a rehabilitated ranch on the outskirts of Vienna.

Claudia's ranch, "Aktivstall Mauerbach", is based on a system of horse management where the environment has been designed to stimulate healthy movement ("aktiv") throughout the day as the horses seek out food and water in a rather structured, limited landscape in the village of Mauerbach.

 

An adjacent tract of more naturalized land has now been made available for Claudia's growing group of grulla girls.  Little Spanish Annie is a captive bred Pryor Mountain mustang mare of Sorraia type that Claudia imported from Wyoming.  Tocara and Levada are two of Altamiro's exquisite fillies born here at Ravenseyrie who began new lives in Austria in August of 2012.  Alegria, Claudia's first Sorraia foal, was born to Levada (sired by Altamiro's son, Interessado) shortly after taking up residence at Aktivstall Mauerbach.  Another Sorraia type mare (a Portuguese crossbred from France) will soon join this group - her name is Baïka.  Claudia is actively checking into leasing or purchasing a purebred Sorraia stallion to breed her mares to and will likely make progress to that end in the near future, which will be of great benefit to both the Sorraia and the Sorraia Mustang populations.

Sorraia Mustangs dining at the feed station at Aktivstall Mauerbach

While a small village on the west side of Vienna may seem completely out of place for the preservation of "wild" horses, Austria happens to be located in the middle of vast range where, in centuries past, regional strains of the European wild horse (referred to as tarpan and tarpani) roamed from Iberia to central Russia.  One of the first descriptions on record for the Tarpan was chronicled by the German naturalist explorer Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774 and it was this description that Helmut Otto Antonius (Director of the Schölbrunn Zoological Gardens in Vienna) used to categorize the Tarpan as Equus ferus gmelini in 1912.  If modern Austrians are unfamiliar with images of rustic, mouse-grey, striped horses, their ancestors were not.  Unfortunately wild Tarpans became extinct in Europe during the early 1900's due to over-hunting, loss of habitat and hybridization with domestic horses.  

The first Sorraia Mustang born at Aktivstall Mauerbach is the lovely filly Alegria! (Interessado x Levada)

But conservation of the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang is not an attempt to "breed-back" or recreate the extinct Tarpan, rather its intent is to consolidate what survived in the Iberian strain of this type of wild horse, believing that both the remnant populations in Europe and in North America require a genetic exchange to assure that the remaining characteristics of the Tarpan that persist in these horses do not wither away into oblivion.  One can never truly recreate the past, but one can provide a foothold for what remains of the past to assure that it flourishes as a contemporary expression of its extinct predecessors.  The Polish Konik horse is one example of a tarpanic strain that has successfully been reclaimed by consolidating and preserving what persisted within indigenous hybridized peasant horses from the  Białowieża Forest.  The Sorraia and Sorraia Mustangs suffered very little dilution of their "wild"  tarpanic genetics from hybridization with domestic Iberian horses - made quite obvious when viewing the homogenously authentic offspring that have been born here at Ravenseyrie.  What a gift of nature we have in these Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang horses and how important it is to provide them the same recognition and advantages that the Konik horses have!  

It is an extraordinary and laudable effort Claudia Radbauer has aligned herself with!  Given Claudia's sensitivity, sagacity and resourcefulness, she is sure to bring a higher-profile to the preservation of Sorraias and Sorraia Mustangs, perhaps even inspiring others to actively participate in the safeguarding of these horses before they, like their wild Tarpan ancestors, become just a memory.

To follow Claudia Radbauer's preservation efforts check out these links:

Website

Blog

Article and Radio interview with Kate Farmer

There are many ways to go about preserving a nearly extinct type of "wild" horse and while Aktivstall Mauerbach is less of a wilderness than is Ravenseyrie, it nonetheless offers the Sorraias and Sorraia Mustangs another opportunity for not only surviving, but thriving well into the future.  Kevin and I are very happy that two of our Ravenseyrie fillies are part of this marvellous venture Claudia Radbauer is undertaking.

The former fillies of Ravenseyrie, Tocara and Levada, along with Alegria are wintering well at Aktivstall Mauerbach

     

Wildpferde gestern und heute

Several years ago, I expanded my study of all things Sorraia and found myself researching other types of wild horses - those that no longer have living relatives as well as the few that remain in more or less wild living conditions across the globe.  When I corresponded with Hardy Oelke about  extending my studies to horses like the Exmoor, the Przewalski, the Tarpan, etc. it came as no surprise to me that he had for sometime been doing the very same thing and had already collected a large body of images and historic information which he was (with his characteristic generosity) enthusiastically willing to share with me.

Hardy Oelke and Lynne Gerard pose on the last day of the Journal of Ravenseyrie author's trip to Portugal in the autumn of 2011.  (Photo taken by Rosa Oelke)

Friedrich von Falz-Fein / Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

During our correspondence on these other types of wild horses, Hardy shared with me the text he had translated of German-Russian conservationist Friedrich von Falz-Fein's account of how tragically the last Tarpan horse met its end.  Hardy told me this translation was something he was saving one day for a book he'd like to write about wild horses.  "That time is now!" I wrote to Hardy, telling him I felt information like this on the Tarpan and the other wild horses was something that quite a number of people would likely find interesting...all the more-so for those with a specific fondness for wild horses.  After that, Hardy began to diligently weave his information together as well as traveling to see Koniks in Poland and Exmoors in Great Britain, revisiting Koniks in Holland and Dülmeners in his homeland to collect even more terrific photos to accompany his text.

Feeling that "a number of aspects had been neglected by other authors" it was Hardy Oelke's intention to "write a book that puts extant primitive horses in perspective, give a certain synopsis as far as prehistoric horses are concerned, and discuss some general aspects such as domestication, dedomestication, molecular genetic evidence, wild horse colors, etc."     

Researcher and author, Hardy Oelke, holds an antiquated Iberian horse skull from the collection of the Portuguese National Stud

All together the content of Wildpferde gestern und heute / Wild Horses Then and Now calls attention to the tangle of truths, misconceptions, short-comings and advancements that exist within the various fields of research that deal with Equus and profiles several present day wild or semi-wild horses that "do not represent breeds created by Man, but primeval forms, or are still close to a primeval form."  This book also includes a brief look at several feral horse types, serving to differentiate from true, zoologically wild horses even as it brings to attention the swell of emotion humans feel when exposed to the natural beauty of horses roaming wild and free.

Similar to the capacity Amazon.com and Amazon.ca have for providing a "quick look inside", let me offer you a glimpse of what you will find between the covers of this book that has been published bilingually in German and English:

The profusion of photos and illustrations in this book do an excellent job of illuminating the text and on their own provide immeasurable hippological value.  You may be pleased to even see an image or two from Ravenseyrie!

Aspects within the book I might not fully agree with are remarkably few and I find the explanations provided by Hardy Oelke to be extremely well articulated, worthy of consideration and absolutely appropriate for understanding the challenges of finding commonality among the different fields of research.  It should be noted that in all the study Hardy Oelke has taken of these matters, he has presented his material for review by acquaintances who are geneticists, zoologists and preservationists who have assisted in helping assure the information discussed in the book is as accurate as possible.  Added to this is a qualitative bibliography for those whose curiosity has been whetted with a desire to explore topics or sources more deeply.

Presently the book is being offered through Hardy Oelke's website:  Books for Sale

Equine photographer and graphic designer, Karen Parker is handling the North American sales of Hardy's book on the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang (Born Survivors on the Eve of Extinction - Can Iberia's Wild Horses Survive Among America's Mustangs) and in March of 2013 will also offer Wildpferde gestern und heute / Wild Horses Then and Now.

In his concluding comments, Hardy Oelke writes, "Whether as zoological gems, genetic resources, important ecological factors, objects for ethological studies, or as pure inspiration - wild horses are always and everywhere of great value."

Wildpferde gestern und heute is beautifully successful in demonstrating - in text and imagery - the "great value" of wild horses and why we should care about the preservation of them.  May it find its way into the hands of those who will be inspired to facilitate conservation of the surviving rare and endangered, amazingly adaptive, remnants of primeval wild horses.      

Winter's Lover

Kevin Droski snowshoes off toward the forests of Ravenseyrie on a fresh Winter's morning

With no television here at Ravenseyrie, it is through bending my ear to CBC Radio or exchanging pleasantries with the locals that I gain a sense of how winter is perceived by a great number of people.  Around Christmastime winter weather is sentimentally embraced - the rest of the season it is considered a malicious impediment to the normal rush of human routines.  Indeed, winter weather presents us all with certain challenges and hardships whether you dwell in a well appointed city or in the tangled wilderness.  As usual, perception is often the determining factor in how smoothly one is able to cope with occurrences that fall outside of the narrow comfort-zone of what we have learned to call "normal".

 

Many times throughout the archives of this journal, I have written about the tempering Kevin and I endure as "Eastbluffers".  We did not know this when we purchased the property up on Gore Bay's East Bluff overlooking the North Channel of Lake Huron, but the local folks consider the easterly bend of Scotland Road a somewhat exotic high-hinterlands - an intriguing place to venture to when out and about on a leisurely drive, but not necessarily a place to live year 'round.  When we first moved in, I remember one genteel lady commenting that surely we did not intend to live up here in the winter, did we?  Another woman, who years ago spent some time up on our very property, exclaimed that she could never live here because she couldn't abide the nearly ever-present wind.

Fresh snow allows the wind to have an expanded identity

These reservations surprised us as we knew in bygone days there was quite a thriving little community of hardworking family farmers who lived up on the East Bluff.  They were Scottish immigrants so this part of the bluff was called "Scotland".  There had been a small school house in the field across the street from our house and I was told some mighty fine barn dances were had among the various farms in "Scotland".  Must have been quite exciting times, then!  Now, most of the farms have been sold to off-island folks who use them as "hunt camps".  There is one intrepid fellow who lives up here year 'round, two lots to the east of us, who though a relative newcomer to the island seems to be made of the same sturdy stock as those Scottish immigrants.  I guess Kevin and I are stout enough, too, as we take it all in stride and enjoy the feeling of aliveness living here provides.

Kevin Droski at work picking up manure from the holding pasture where two colts are presently sequestered

Despite its obvious hardships, Kevin and I truly enjoy winter, being outdoors, physical labour, and living in an environment that knows no taming.  Our love of this way of life means we move with the moods of winter and do not attempt to oppose it - there is no perception of "Man against Nature" here.  We are not at war with the drifting snow, the bitter winds, or the deep, penetration of sub-zero temperatures any more than we feel antagonistic toward the black flies, mosquitoes or excessive dry conditions that are present during different seasons up on the bluff.  We follow the lead of the horses and the other animals and plants that have adapted to the extremes of a landscape such as this - we take each day as it comes, finding something meaningful and worthwhile in every nuance.

Snow Buntings at Ravenseyrie

I think the reason we appreciate this way of life is because we are "in love" with the creative urges of the universe and how they are manifested so energetically in wild places like Ravenseyrie.  When you are in love, everything is beautiful and fascinating and feels like an extension of yourself!

"Spontaneity became a way of life, the real became natural and the natural became real.  And above all infinite affection, love, dark and quiet, radiating in all directions, embracing all, making all interesting and beautiful, significant and auspicious."  -Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj from the book, I AM THAT       

  

This is the second winter that I have had a disruption to what used to be the routine of running my Ravenseyrie Studio and Art Gallery down on the Gore Bay waterfront.  After six years of year 'round business, in November of 2011, I put everything in storage while the building I lease space in underwent major renovations.  It had been expected that I would be able to move back in and reopen to the public in the spring of 2012, so it seemed a five month sabbatical was in order.  Little did I know that construction on the Wharf building was going to last well over a year!

The Wharf building, still under renovations - on its way to being a spectacular centre for arts and culture

It was not what I expected, but it has worked out well, providing me with a lot more time to spend with the horses and researching all things related to Sorraias even deeper.  The extra free time also prompted me to pick up again the pleasure of playing my old wooden recorder.  Time away from the public also allowed me to more easily cope with some of the physical aches and fatigue associated with my progression through "the menopause".   As it turns out, I was glad to have the reprieve from all the responsibilities and obligations with a public business.

Our small home's living room affords a little space for relearning to play the recorder

But, a year without an income and art has surely had me feeling very "itchy" to pick up where I left off!  Thanks to some dear friends, I have been fortunate to arrange a situation where I am now squirreled-up in an upper room of a vacant house where I have set up just my easel and paints.

A nice room for a temporary studio

In this room I am spending roughly four hours each week day working on creating new images for the gallery when I am allowed to move back into my new improved space on the waterfront.  I've had a desire to work with some portraiture, combining nature and the human element within a blending of abstraction and realism.  As many have heard me say time and again...I am a writer first and an artist second - and no where does it show more than when I begin to attempt to draw or paint humans!  I will spare you close ups of my gross failures...instead I will share with you a few sketches that I worked up after my friend, Hardy Oelke (who is not only an author and a co-preservationist of the Sorraia type horses, but is also a highly accomplished artist) gave me some great guidance on how to make my portraits more structurally correct before I get to floating lively watercolour pigment on paper.  Thus far I have been working mainly from photos of my own, dear Kevin - who is soooo wonderfully interesting as a subject (and delightfully accommodating to his wife's habit of snapping photos of him during all times of the day!)

Taking a break from winter chores are Kevin Droski and his canine friends

A man like Kevin Droski dwelling in a rugged wilderness environment presents plenty of fodder for potential artistic compositions!  Here is one example of the many great "looks" Kevin naturally has that inspire me to want to try to work into a painting:

Great expression, good shadow and light...wait a moment, Kev...let me take a reference picture!

After much failure, turning to a fresh page in my sketch book and starting all over, here is a drawing that only has a handful of things that ought to be corrected:

 (Update 01Mar13)Here is a follow-up effort of the same pose, showing a little more improvement, but still a ways to go for a true likeness of Kev:

Perhaps tomorrow, I will try another drawing of this same pose or maybe feel brave enough to move into attempting to paint this particular pose within a context of abstract and realism.  Or maybe I will begin a painting instead working with this other sketch (once I get things more "structurally correct"):

Or maybe, as I do when I am weary of practicing scales and fingering exercises on the recorder, I will instead play a favourite song, one that I am good at.   Some favourite tunes to play on my recorder are the French-Canadian folk songs L'Hirondelle and Entrez Devote Companie or the jaunty jig The Irish Washerwoman.  A favourite song in painting form would look like this one that I did while taking a break from all that mind-taxing study of drawing portraits:

Self-Actualized Raven by Lynne Gerard / opaque watercolour on paper

When I come home from my little creative endeavors at the temporary studio, nothing chases away the glum feeling of artistic inadequacy better than being with the horses!  It doesn't matter if the wind is up and I must pull my toboggan-load of hay to the shelter of the forest, or if that enchanted late-day sun has me following light and shadow with frozen fingers holding the camera --being outside with these fabulous friends makes me feel once again that anything is possible with enough earnest devotion.

Up ahead, just within the forest the family band enjoys their hay

How can one resist falling in love with Winter when she presents such poetic snow-dressed evergreens?!

The walk back to the house with my empty toboggan is especially satisfying knowing the horses eat well in comfort

Sorraia stallion Altamiro framed between the enchanted late day sun and the swarth of Red Osier Dogwood at Ravenseyrie

Sedudor (Altamiro x Zorita) embraced by sunlight and shadow

Often, if there is enough light left to the day, I will fetch some branches to bring to Destemido and Legado who are patiently waiting in our "holding pasture" to be moved to their new life away from Ravenseyrie.   These two colts are destined to "seed" the sub-preserve on the property of Mark Seabrook and Michelle Hrynyk here on Manitoulin Island.  We had anticipated moving these fine colts in late autumn, but (just as with the Wharf Building) certain unexpected occurrences set things back a bit.  We now await acquisition of our own stock trailer which is projected to be ready for us in mid February.  And when last year's male foals are pushed out of the family band they, too, will travel to Tehkummah in the south central region of the island to join Destemido and Legado in their bachelor herd.   

One day Legado was so eager to seek out the boughs I was bringing that he slipped his head into one as I was putting it over the fence and wound up wearing it!  It didn't upset him one bit!  Perhaps it reminded him of the many wanderings through the forest he had done when living in the big wide open of Ravenseyrie.  When released at Mark and Michelle's place, he and Destemido will once again have access to ample pasture and the shelter of a forest.  I'm excited for them!

 There have been a few European Starlings which have decided (like our annual flock of Snow Buntings) to hang around the horses and glean for bits of grain and grass seeds that are missed by dexterous equine muzzles.  On an especially cold day, one smart thinking Starling decided to snug into the ample winter coat on the rump of Destemido.  While I have seen birds perched on horses in other regions of the world, this is the first time I have witnessed this phenomenon at Ravenseyrie.  It is something I hope becomes more frequent, especially during the times of year when the biting insects are especially bothersome to the horses.  What a mutually beneficial relationship that would be - easy food for the birds and welcomed relief for the horses!

European Starling on the rump of a Sorraia colt at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve on Manitoulin Island, Ontario Canada

There is plenty about wintertime (and all the seasons) that Kevin and I feel a great fondness for.  Living up on the East Bluff in the historic region of "Scotland" is all the richer for its particular hardships that people living in more "civilized" settings are not exposed to.  I consider myself Winter's lover - and due to that, even the very difficult times inspire me to see it all as a beautiful unfolding of our unified relationship.  And because you have read these words and viewed these photos...you perhaps are touched by this "infinite affection" and maybe cannot help but fall in love with winter, too!