Shannon County’s famed wild horses graze in front of the Timbuktu Campground sign at Echo Bluff State Park about 15 miles north of Eminence in this shot snapped Saturday. The horses are known to roam freely between the Current River and Jacks Fork River. In 1992, the Missouri Wild Horse League was formed to protect the horses, which are said to have been running free for more than 100 years. The volunteer organization takes responsibility for caring for the horses, removing any that are sick or hurt, and working to maintain the heath of the herd and its environment. According to the group, its origin was prompted by the National Park Service’s plan to remove the horses from the the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the early 1990s, and efforts ultimately led to the introduction of a bill by Congressman Bill Emerson to protect the horses, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. The act specified the horses were a permanent part of OSNR and could not be removed, and capped the size of the herd to 50 to reduce problems with local landowners and travelers. Excess horses are rounded up and adopted out to equine enthusiasts across the U.S.
