dieseldave Loc: Davenport,IA

I am planning to visit the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in September. They are supposed to have 100+ wild mustangs that can be seen in the boundaries of the sanctuary. They also offer bus tours that get close to the horses. I have Parkinson's Disease so that sounds liked a good option, I can't walk too far comfortably. My question is, has anyone been to this , or any other horse refuge? I have a Nikon 5300, a 18-55mm 1:35-5.6G, a AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1.4-5.6 GII, a Sigma DG 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 and a Sigma DG 250-500mm 1:6.3APO HSM, and a Kenko 1.4 teleconverter. Does anyone know how close the buses get to the horses? Do you have any tips on how to get good results? Are there roads that you go looking for horses by yourself. I have a Vanguard tripod.I would like to get some shots of them running.

Thanks,
Dave

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Dave, the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary affords a wonderful opportunity to view and photograph wild horses. The sanctuary, which is on a vast tract of land, has various herds scattered about. The bus goes into several 'stallion territories' as well as including a few stops to enjoy the landscape. Whether or not you see a lot of running horses or stallion behavior is pretty much a matter of chance. From what you have described about your goals, I think the bus will be a good choice. I hope my pictures give you a sense of how close you get to the horses from the bus. But I doubt that you can take, or use, a tripod on the bus tour, as you don't get off the bus when close to the horses. (I suspect this is to protect the horses from feeling harrassed by large groups.)

There are also photographer tours for just one or two persons in a jeep and these tours allow you to walk out in the grasslands, under some supervision, to get closer to the horses. I would think a tripod would be allowed on those customized tours. The tripod may determine which transport you choose.

When I was there, individuals could not take personal vehicles on the roads beyond the main visitor center.

I think you will do quite well with a focal range between 100-200mm. I will share some pictures taken from the bus within those parameters as an example, but please do forgive the softness--I took these back in 2011, while a newbie to photography, with a D3100 and 18-200mm lens and didn't have enough sense (knowledge) to use a higher ISO for a faster shutter speed and used the wrong f/stop, so I know you will get superior images with the D5300 (which I also have now), especially with its lack of AA filter. Looking back on these images, I can see where those at 200mm could have told a better story if I'd gone a bit wider.

Hope this helps. I sure wish I could go back a have a do-over!

dieseldave Loc: Davenport,IA

Thanks, this is helpful.

SusanW Loc: Huntington, Indiana

We went to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary a couple of years ago. We took a one on one jeep tour with a guide. We saw a lot of horses and he did a wonderful explanation of their history, their brands and the sanctuary itself. The tour was well worth every penny we spent and we'd do it again in a heart beat! Enjoy the experience!

brucebc Loc: Tooele, Utah

Their are wild horses in Utah south of Dugway Proving Grounds along the Old Pony Express route.

YeloCab1

You might not think so - but we have wild horses in Florida too at Paynes Prairie near Gainesville

dieseldave Loc: Davenport,IA

Do you remember what the jeep tour costs? I assume that it is more than the bus?

dieseldave Loc: Davenport,IA

Where were you when i was asking about Florida a few months ago? I did get some shots of quarterhorses near Ocala.

YeloCab1

About 30 miles north of Ocala on 441 is Paynes Prairie. Wild horses, bison, alligators and other wildlife lives there

SusanW Loc: Huntington, Indiana

I don't remember the difference in cost. But we really enjoyed it and felt it was worth the little bit of extra spent. All of the money from the tours goes to support and care for the horses, the guides are volunteers. Our guide was an older gentleman and very knowledgeable. He took his time and showed us not only the horses but the surrounding area as well, telling of it's history which in itself was very interesting. He gave me plenty of opportunity to photograph the horses. We didn't see any thing spectacular like running horses, but just groups standing around and looking beautiful. They had a couple of new babies when we were there and we got plenty of shots of them as well. Either trip you choose, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.