What’s in a name?
When finding a new foal in Sand Wash Basin, there comes a heart felt reward; naming that foal! To some it’s just a name. To others, it’s a namesake, a remembrance, a keepsake. It becomes personal.
Ortencia. She's more than just a wild horse to me (Amanda) and to Banditas. She’s a namesake, a remembrance, a keepsake. "She’s the first foal I’ve ever found and reported!" (Amanda DeNeice) This filly was amazing and deserved a name that was bold, wise, something to remember. Immediately I knew. My husbands grandmother, Ortencia, also know as Ortie. Grandma, just shy of 96 was everything and then some. Knowing her health was declining, we decided to name this beautiful little filly, Ortencia, in her honor. At that moment, this little filly became one of the family. Our family, Banditas family. Someone, not something, to be cherished and loved forever. Not long after finding this little filly, grandma passed away. Not long after grandma passed away, the round up happened in Sand Wash Basin. You see, by finding and naming this little filly, she became a part of me, a part of my family. It was a promise to always protect her, to love her.
On the day I attended the round up in September 2021, She and her family band were run into the trap after being chased for miles. Through the end of my long lens, I saw her. There she was, our beautiful little filly, Ortencia. Standing crammed in the trap, her mother on her side. My heart ripped from my chest; my eyes filled with tears. I knew at that moment I had to do more. I had to fulfill my promise to this sweet little wild filly. And so, Banditas Wild Horse Promise was formed, and with Cindy, we made it our mission to help her, and the many others, that meant so much to us. The horses we had photographed for years. The horses we walked miles to see once we found them grazing peacefully on the vast acreage they would call home.
See, for Banditas, it was more than just those that we named, it was their families, their mothers, their fathers, sisters, brothers, a bonded pair before rounded up. Ladore was the next to come to Banditas Lucky 7 Herd. Always a favorite mare! Had foal after foal, eight to be exact! She was missed at the March event, as she was incorrectly ID'ed as another. We found her with a trainer who already had an adopter for her after training was complete. However, that fell through, the adopter no longer wanted her. This was our lucky day, Determination and perseverance paid off we were right there to pick her up and bring her to her new forever home.
Reuniting where possible is our foundation, it's what we try to do. Ladore’s second to last foal, JazzSpirit, was available to adopt. We were contacted by the person that found and named JazzSpirit, and they asked us to take him and reunite him with his mother, Ladore. To this person, like us, JazzSpirit, was also more than just a horse. In fact he was named after her granddaughter, Josalyn, who sadly passed away at the young age of 15.5 months old. How do you say no to that? This would be the perfect save.
Then came Flash! An older and wiser wild one. A mellow man, as he always was on range, hence why we thought he would be perfect, he also had no bids. Then Diablo. One I knew on range as being called “The Elusive Diablo” even though I saw him every time I ventured out! We also had someone we had never met reach out to us, asking us to please save him. So we did.
Come spring, I had room for one more horse, that was it. Who do I choose? It was always the mission to reunite Jetta with Orencia. Now here comes the dilemma, Flash needed a spark back in him. Flash is older, and always pushed out by the younger ones, so we chose Honey. Our gift to him, he deserved this, as Honey had been his loyal mare on range for several years, so it was her we fought for, for him. Reunited and it felt so good. This was by far the most heartfelt reunion; it was clear by their immediate connection that we had made the right choice.
So now what? The heart horse the belonged to a namesake; what was I to do of Jetta, Ortencia’s mom? Is there room for just one more? No way she would be left behind! I fought and I fought! After all it is our mission to reunite when we can! We can, and we did!
The Lucky 7 Herd is a little mix, mother and son, mother and daughter, bonded pair and the loner, always a bachelor, but fits right in and plays and has made his way into this family. They are healthy! They are happy! They are loved! Whether it was a horse chosen because we named a foal, or one that was not noticed and would be left behind, we were there. We kept our promise!
Want to join the Lucky 7 herd? Sponsorship is just a click away.
When finding a new foal in Sand Wash Basin, there comes a heart felt reward; naming that foal! To some it’s just a name. To others, it’s a namesake, a remembrance, a keepsake. It becomes personal.
Ortencia. She's more than just a wild horse to me (Amanda) and to Banditas. She’s a namesake, a remembrance, a keepsake. "She’s the first foal I’ve ever found and reported!" (Amanda DeNeice) This filly was amazing and deserved a name that was bold, wise, something to remember. Immediately I knew. My husbands grandmother, Ortencia, also know as Ortie. Grandma, just shy of 96 was everything and then some. Knowing her health was declining, we decided to name this beautiful little filly, Ortencia, in her honor. At that moment, this little filly became one of the family. Our family, Banditas family. Someone, not something, to be cherished and loved forever. Not long after finding this little filly, grandma passed away. Not long after grandma passed away, the round up happened in Sand Wash Basin. You see, by finding and naming this little filly, she became a part of me, a part of my family. It was a promise to always protect her, to love her.
On the day I attended the round up in September 2021, She and her family band were run into the trap after being chased for miles. Through the end of my long lens, I saw her. There she was, our beautiful little filly, Ortencia. Standing crammed in the trap, her mother on her side. My heart ripped from my chest; my eyes filled with tears. I knew at that moment I had to do more. I had to fulfill my promise to this sweet little wild filly. And so, Banditas Wild Horse Promise was formed, and with Cindy, we made it our mission to help her, and the many others, that meant so much to us. The horses we had photographed for years. The horses we walked miles to see once we found them grazing peacefully on the vast acreage they would call home.
See, for Banditas, it was more than just those that we named, it was their families, their mothers, their fathers, sisters, brothers, a bonded pair before rounded up. Ladore was the next to come to Banditas Lucky 7 Herd. Always a favorite mare! Had foal after foal, eight to be exact! She was missed at the March event, as she was incorrectly ID'ed as another. We found her with a trainer who already had an adopter for her after training was complete. However, that fell through, the adopter no longer wanted her. This was our lucky day, Determination and perseverance paid off we were right there to pick her up and bring her to her new forever home.
Reuniting where possible is our foundation, it's what we try to do. Ladore’s second to last foal, JazzSpirit, was available to adopt. We were contacted by the person that found and named JazzSpirit, and they asked us to take him and reunite him with his mother, Ladore. To this person, like us, JazzSpirit, was also more than just a horse. In fact he was named after her granddaughter, Josalyn, who sadly passed away at the young age of 15.5 months old. How do you say no to that? This would be the perfect save.
Then came Flash! An older and wiser wild one. A mellow man, as he always was on range, hence why we thought he would be perfect, he also had no bids. Then Diablo. One I knew on range as being called “The Elusive Diablo” even though I saw him every time I ventured out! We also had someone we had never met reach out to us, asking us to please save him. So we did.
Come spring, I had room for one more horse, that was it. Who do I choose? It was always the mission to reunite Jetta with Orencia. Now here comes the dilemma, Flash needed a spark back in him. Flash is older, and always pushed out by the younger ones, so we chose Honey. Our gift to him, he deserved this, as Honey had been his loyal mare on range for several years, so it was her we fought for, for him. Reunited and it felt so good. This was by far the most heartfelt reunion; it was clear by their immediate connection that we had made the right choice.
So now what? The heart horse the belonged to a namesake; what was I to do of Jetta, Ortencia’s mom? Is there room for just one more? No way she would be left behind! I fought and I fought! After all it is our mission to reunite when we can! We can, and we did!
The Lucky 7 Herd is a little mix, mother and son, mother and daughter, bonded pair and the loner, always a bachelor, but fits right in and plays and has made his way into this family. They are healthy! They are happy! They are loved! Whether it was a horse chosen because we named a foal, or one that was not noticed and would be left behind, we were there. We kept our promise!
Want to join the Lucky 7 herd? Sponsorship is just a click away.