Featured Image for July 2026
"Summer Evening"
There's something almost dreamlike about this image — a moment caught between worlds, where the ordinary act of horses standing in a field becomes something luminous and ancient. The golden haze that envelops everything feels less like light and more like memory, the kind that softens edges and makes the past feel close enough to touch.
The horses don't seem entirely of this world. Backlit and glowing, they emerge from the sunset haze like figures from a myth, unhurried and unbothered by time. They exude a calm wisdom; the quiet confidence of a being that has always known exactly who it is.
There's a tenderness to the way they're grouped together, bodies close; it speaks to something primal about belonging — the safety of the herd, the warmth of proximity.
The mood is golden-hour nostalgia at its most elemental: peaceful, transient, and a little aching. Like watching something beautiful that you know won't last and being grateful anyway.
This image is from the last night of my most recent Photo Safari with Return to Freedom. We visited the Alpine Herd at Babcock Winery in Lompoc. This was taken at 7:43 p.m. on June 5, 2026.
Read all about this herd and the wonderful partnership between Return to Freedom and Babcock Winery.
"Horse in the Grass"
This is one of the horses at Return to Freedom. There were several horses running by and I was seated in the grass and tried to capture a few shots as they passed me. I decided to get a little ARTSY with this shot to make the image a little more interesting and unique.
This image was taken during the 2024 Return to Freedom Photo Safari at 9:35 a.m. on April 25, 2024. I chose this image to feature this month since we have our 3 day Safari in San Luis Obispo happening as this email hits your in box. I'll have more images soon! See the story below about the drama we all watched during the 2024 Safari.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Bandit and Seven"
These are two of the newest arrivals at the San Luis Obispo Sanctuary, although they are not new to Return to Freedom. They are from the Gila herd and were part of a 900 horse rescue. RTF was pivotal in helping and ended up taking the whole herd. These two were born after the rescue at a 1000 acre ranch that RTF leased in northern California. They have had some training with the intent to adopt them out, but these two remain at RTF. According to RTF Founder, Neda DeMayo, the Gila horses have very unique minds. They are believed to have originated in Spain; part of Padre Kino's original stock. The Gila herd was captured by the BLM in 2003 in Arizona.
Both geldings, Seven (right) is super sweet and sensitive, while Bandit (left) bottles up his emotions and will stand there with his lips all tight. They seem happy to be at the SLO Sanctuary, and for those who have been to this sanctuary in the past, and plan to join me on a future safari, you have these two to look forward to meeting, along with three other horses that were all released in SLO this summer.
This image was taken at Return to Freedom's San Luis Obispo Sanctuary on October 18, 2025, during a private photo safari tour.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"The Light"
Photographers and Artists are drawn to the light; the way the light affects the subject or the scene, and the mood it creates. This image was taken at Return to Freedom's San Luis Obispo Sanctuary on May 13, 2025, during a private photo safari tour. We got great light that day.
There's a whole other story about how we drove down off the hill and back to our cars that night, where I realized I didn't have my phone. It was dark and I couldn't go back and look for it in the dark, so I went back the next day. Between when I realized it was gone and when I went back, I just kept asking the horses to lead me to my phone or show me where it was. Driving back up the hill, I looked all along the road and drove back to the last area where I knew I had it, and as I came around the hill, there were all the horses; just standing around like they were waiting for a meeting. And there was my phone, on the ground, dusty but unharmed. Once I picked it up and thanked them from the bottom of my heart, they swished their tails and sauntered off in another direction.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
View past Images of the Month on Lori's web site.
"Illusive Ares"
This is band stallion 'Ares" who lives with his band at the San Luis Obispo (SLO) Return to Freedom (RTF) Sanctuary. When he and another family member, "Hotah", were adopted by RTF a few years ago, it was the beginning of efforts to reunite this family band. Over the past few years, RTF has slowly been able to adopt and reunite several members of this family band. They all experienced separation and developed a healthy mistrust of humans during their experiences being rounded up and removed from the public land where they roamed freely.
I lead photo safari's at the SLO sanctuary, and over time, this band has allowed the group of photographers to get a little closer. We have earned their trust through deliberate respectful behavior. This has enabled us to get some better closer portraits of "Ares" and his band. What I've learned watching wild horses, is that there's a horse that typically watches us (group of photographers), and stands between us and the main herd. The stallion typically stands on the far side of the herd from us. "Ares" still does this, but this year, we've seen him get closer and let himself be seen. It's a real treat!
This image was taken on July 19th, 2025, during a Saturday Summer Photo Safari.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"A New Friend"
With this image, I honor the way animals approach each other with curiosity and the hope of finding a new friend. Animals love to connect and we can learn a lot from them.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
Featured Image for April 2025
"Spring!"
We just passed Spring Equinox and this image reflects how I am feeling about the natural world around me at this time. Some days are overcast, some bring rain, and the hills are green. It feels good to relax and take it all in.
This red roan had recently rolled on her back - do you see the little grass stain on her?
This image was taken on April 26, 2024 at 10:29 a.m.
at Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation
at their San Luis Obispo Sanctuary.
We still have room at the RTF photo safari at the end of April.
"Curves"
This month's featured image is just a simple homage to the shapes and textures in a horse. Sometimes an image just speaks to me and it doesn't need a story.
This image was taken at the San Luis Obispo Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary on April 26, 2024 at 9:24 a.m. with just enough cloud cover to give us a beautiful soft light.
This image has been added to the Fine Art Gallery.
"Curious Aria"
She kept walking toward me with this look of curiosity. She'd take a few steps, watch me, take a few more steps, watch, more steps and watch. She was so curious. She was probably wondering "What is that thing she is holding that keeps clicking?"
I love Aria's story. Aria is the foal of Alexandra, one of Misun's mares. Misun and his band are all from the Red Desert in Wyoming. But Aria isn't exactly from the Red Desert. Mare Alexandra was in BLM holding pens for two years before Return to Freedom was able to get her out through the mustang adoption program, to reunite her with Misun and his band. Alexandra was released in the San Luis Obispo Sanctuary and a few months later, little Aria was born! Misun is gelded, which is the policy when the BML rounds up mustangs. They geld the stallions. So apparently, the BLM had mistakenly placed a stallion in with the mares in the holding pens and he didn't get gelded (at least not for a while). As the story goes, many who adopted mares that year got surprise foals and Aria is one of them!
This image has been added to the Fine Art Gallery.
"Being Seen"
Her expression says to me "What are you waiting for? Bring it. I'm here. I'm ready. I see you."
While there's acceptance of "what is" there's also a readiness for whatever is to come and she stands here with the ability to see it all and to respond appropriately.
"Horses are often a catalyst for something magical in our lives," I heard a guest say on a podcast I was listening to this week.
What happens in me when I'm with horses is magical. I can't easily explain it in words. There's a mix of feelings, emotion, and movement of energy.
I feel called to create more experiences for people to be in the company of horses because people need more magic in their lives!
This image is of "Angel" who was rounded up by the BLM in Wyoming with hundreds of other horses, and through the efforts and coordination of equine photographer Meg Frederick and the Return to Freedom organization, she now lives on a Sanctuary in San Luis Obispo, reunited with Stallion Misun's band from the days they were wild and living on the range in the Red Desert outside Rawlins, WY.
This image has been added to the Fine Art Gallery.
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