“Barry” is a typical Beaty Butte wild mustang. His name honors one of the first families in the area and his appearance is very similar to how most wild horses looked in the 1950-60’s recalls Board member, Mary Bradbury.
A mix of draft, Morgan and Thoroughbred she thinks, although these horses are generally smaller now than they were then. Mary, is a direct descendant of the Barry family that immigrated from Ireland in 1874. They brought sheep from Dublin, California to settle in the Beaty Butte area.
“We are not only preserving the Beaty Butte wild horses, we are preserving ourselves. We need to make the problems with their sustainable management our problem…. they are part of our culture and heritage.” – Richard Kiely, whose family has ranched in the Warner Valley area since the early 1900’s.
The wild horses of Beaty Butte and the pioneers who forged this western community are inseparable from the historical fabric in this remote corner of the Oregon desert.