A mustang is loose in Yellowstone National Park, and wranglers might be needed to get it out.
Evie, a 6-year-old mare, has been loose in Yellowstone since July. She’s been spending most of that time hanging out at Slough Creek, near the park's northern boundary, with a small herd of bison.
She seems quite content with her current lot in life.
But the National Park Service isn’t. They want Evie evicted and are coordinating with the horse's owner to do that as soon as they can.
“(Evie’s owner) is trying to find wranglers, because it’s obvious she has to be wrangled and captured to be brought in,” said wildlife photographer April Holm. “She knows how to live wild.”
Cowboy State Daily contacted Evie’s owner, but she was not available for an interview.
Wild In The Wild
Holm, who’s been in contact with Evie’s owner, has been monitoring the horse for a few weeks. According to her, Evie spent the first five years of her life as a feral horse on the Navajo Reservation.
“She got rounded up with a foal at her side,” Holm said. “(Evie’s owner) purchased her and the foal at a livestock auction in Texas in May 2025. They sent her to be gentled by trainers in California once the foal was weaned.”
When it was discovered that Evie was pregnant again, the gentling process halted until her next foal was born and weaned.
After a “rushed” gentling training, Evie was deemed ready for her first foray into the wilds of Yellowstone. The horse had just finished her first backcountry packing trip in Yellowstone when she escaped.
According to Holm, the inciting incident was getting entangled with an electric fence.
“She got into a fight with the electric corral around 4 a.m. and escaped,” she said. “As soon as (Evie’s owner) realized what was happening, she went out on foot trying to get her and followed her in the dark for the longest time, but could not get her.”
Call Of The Wild
Holm said there have been several attempts to recover Evie. None have succeeded.
“Evie’s just not interested in being captured,” she said. “She's not food motivated, because other people have gone out with green trying to get her to come over, and she won't come over.”
From what Holm can see, Evie’s doing fine. She looks healthy, is finding enough food around Slough Creek, and hasn’t strayed far from that area.
She also has some security with the small herd of bison she’s been following around. The bison don’t seem to mind.
The concern is that the seasons change quickly in Yellowstone. Evie might be thriving now, but she isn’t equipped for the upcoming winter.
“She's certainly not going to stand up there and starve to death in the snow,” Holm said.
Snow might make it easier to recapture Evie. As snow accumulates in the higher elevations, it will force her lower and closer to the main roads and spots where she can be more easily reached.
Still, the goal is to rescue the horse before it snows. Doing that successfully might require more horses and experienced riders, Holm said.
Yellowstone Roundup
Yellowstone spokesperson Linda Veress told Cowboy State Daily that park officials were “aware of the loose horse in the vicinity of Slough Creek and are working with the owner to recover it.”
When asked about plans to recover the horse, Veress said: “The incident is under active investigation, and there are no further details to share at this time.”
From what Holm has seen and heard about Evie, it’ll take more than gumption and treats to get this horse back.
“The owner has been in touch with Yellowstone’s backcountry office to coordinate the next attempt to get her,” she said. “Hopefully, if they can't get her before the snow, the snow will bring her down lower.”
Holm said she believes the only way to recover Evie is to find a capable bunch of cowboys that can close the distance and get a lasso on her. That, it seems, is the same plan Evie’s owner and the National Park Service are discussing.
“(Evie’s owner) is trying to find wranglers, but the park says it's still too busy to have the wranglers come out,” Holm said. “Everyone’s determined to get her out of there.”
Everyone except Evie. While there are legitimate concerns about Evie’s long-term survival, there isn’t much concern about her current well-being.
I don't know what the end of the story is going to look like, but we have the beginning,” Holm said. “Every time we’ve seen Evie, she looks real content. She’s living her best life at the moment.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
