For those of you who are not familiar with the herd of wild mustangs that call the Pryor Mountains home in Montana, it is reasonable to assume you may have never heard of a wild stallion named Cloud. When I initially discovered Sandy’s blog Wild in the Pryors, I ooh-ed and ah-ed over her exceptional pictures of the horses but I did not try to keep track of all their names. There were just too many of them to remember. Gradually, I started noticing other posters freaking out in the comments every time Sandy posted a picture of Cloud or mentioned him in a post. Yet I remained utterly baffled by the amount of attention this horse seemed to receive. Seriously, what was the big deal with this stallion? Just the mere mention of his name sent people into a frenzy, not unlike the mania that used to accompany the Beatles whenever they went out in public.
We just want to see Cloud!!! Please!!!! Source
As it turns out, it is impossible to have a conversation about the Pryor Mountains wild mustangs without mentioning Cloud the stallion. That is like trying to talk about the wild horses on Assateague Island off the coast of Virginia and Maryland without mentioning Misty of Chincoteague who is arguably more famous. So why is Cloud so special and why do people seem to lose their marbles and act as if he is the reincarnation of Elvis Presley? I mean, you never know, right? People get really weird with their Elvis conspiracy theories.
The rock n roll star of horses Cloud the stallion. Source
Cloud’s life has been captured on film since he was just an hours old tiny snow-white colt when he was born in 1995 and has gone on to star in three separate documentaries that have all aired on PBS: Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies (you can watch the first documentary on pbs.com for free here), Cloud’s Legacy: the Wild Stallion Returns, and Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions. After the documentaries aired on PBS, viewers fell in love with Cloud’s story and wanted to learn more about Cloud’s herd. I’m assuming this is why The Cloud Foundation was established, a non-profit organization that seeks to protect the legacy of Cloud’s herd and other American wild horses.
Despite all the coverage Cloud has received, I had never heard of him or any of the PBS documentaries when I came across Sandy’s blog two years ago. I am starting to wonder if I am one of the few people who did not learn about the Pryor Mountains through Cloud. My friend Julia who accompanied me on my trip did not even know who Cloud was until right before we headed up the mountain in Sandy’s truck. In all our conversations about our upcoming trip, I had neglected to mention Cloud. We were more excited about getting to see cute little foals and possibly getting to name one.
Like this little guy! Maia and her colt Odyssey. (Thanks Sandy for the ID!)
While this may come as a surprise to Cloud fans, I do not actually know anyone who has heard of Cloud, apart from people who are already knowledgeable about the mustangs in the Pryor Mountains and I can count those people on one hand. I realize he is massively popular–a quick search on Google gave me over 2 million search results for “Cloud the stallion.” But there are still many people out there who are unaware of his existence. It took me a long time to connect the dots and to understand why so many people voraciously commented on all of Sandy’s Cloud posts. I merely thought it was maybe due to his pale palomino coat–he definitely stands out from the rest of the herd and is easy to spot because of his lighter color.
When I finally made the connection with the PBS documentaries, I was hesitant to embrace Cloud Mania and I was ambivalent about the role Cloud unwittingly plays in the wild horse community. It is wonderful to have such a charismatic and beloved ambassador for wild horses. I am thrilled that Cloud introduces people to the Pryor Mountains, an often overlooked destination that has to deal with stiff competition from its louder and flashier neighbors Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Glacier National Park in Montana. However, I get the impression that some people are so mesmerized by Cloud’s palomino silhouette that they forget there are about 169 other horses in the herd that are present on the range. Cloud is not the only horse living in the Pryor Mountains. All the horses have their own story to tell and are worthy of our consideration.
Here is Cloud with one of his mares Innocentes and his colt Ohanzee hiding in the trees. Most likely trying to get away from the mid-day bugs.
I made the very conscious decision to not watch any of the Cloud documentaries before my trip. While I looked forward to possibly seeing him, I did not want my experience on the mountain to revolve around Cloud. I did not want to have any preconceived notions about any of the horses or have a built-in favorite before seeing the horses in person. I think this is the reason why I would have been perfectly okay had Cloud chosen not to show himself during my time in the Pryors.
As luck would have it, we spotted him several times and shared some special moments with his band. He is a very handsome and majestic looking stallion and acted very protective of his mare Innocentes. As you can see from the pictures, we were able to get very close to him. I am guessing that so many people have come up the mountain to see Cloud that at this point we humans do not faze him in the slightest.
I took this picture through the windshield of Sandy’s truck so not the greatest quality. We saw Cloud’s band a bit later in the day out of the trees. Cloud and Innocentes were attached at the hip all day coupled up standing mostly like this.
It is important to remember that Cloud has never sought fame or to become the poster horse for wild horses–he is just doing what he knows best, doing his wild horse thing, and that is the way it should be. He has lived for 19 years blissfully unaware of the hysteria surrounding him. There is no room for fame in the animal kingdom because the concept does not exist. We humans are the ones who have made him famous. If given the choice, I do not think Cloud would have wanted to be famous. Who wants to live with that kind of pressure?
Unless he really is the reincarnation of Elvis, then it all makes sense.
Lost in Traducción 
Reblogged this on Wild in the Pryors and commented:
Another blog-post from my guest Amelie. A very refreshing account of Cloud by someone that did not know who he was. And Amelie, that is Maia and Odyssey in that one photo, from the band run by the famous stallion Galaxy, son of Lakota!
Thanks for the id on Maia and Odyssey, I will update my post to reflect that! And you are spoiling me with all these reblogs, many thanks again for doing it! Here’s hoping I don’t ruffle the Cloudies’ feathers too much. Oh and I agree that Galaxy deserves to be famous. I could devote an entire post just by waxing poetic about his mane haha!
You are welcome! Love your posts!
Amelie, thank you for introducing your readers to Cloud in a way that honors not only him, but all of the Pryor Mountain wild horses. Because of the PBS features he is the only one many people have much knowledge of. Each wild horse has its own personality, and is loved in a special way. Like with children, there is room in our hearts for love for each of them. Even through the truck windshield, your photo of Cloud is gorgeous. So glad you made it to the Pryors with Sandy, the best guide ever!!
Thank you for your comment Laura! Sandy really is the best guide, as you can probably tell from my last post I proclaim her awesomeness. I’m happy you understood the purpose of this post-I do not mean to criticize Cloud in any way (why would I? He’s an awesome horse) but I just wanted people to realize that my experience getting to know the Pryors was Cloud-less and that not everybody who learns about this herd will necessarily know who he is. Thanks for reading!
All I can say is that because of the Cloud Documentaries, I became a Wild Horse and Burro Advocate, so I owe a lot to Cloud and Ginger. Ginger works for all wild horse herds as do I. Cloud works to protect his family. I am very proud to say that I have met both Cloud and Ginger. And had a life changing experience when visiting the Pryor Mountains. Neither Cloud nor Ginger profited financially from my visit.
Indeed many people have become familiar with wild horses because of Cloud which I think is fantastic. I’m glad he is was brought you over to the wild horse cause. However he is not what initially drew me to the Pryors or wild horses. My experience has been very different and this is why I feel differently about Cloud than most people seem to be. Nothing bad, but I don’t feel as connected to him as I did with some of the other horses I got to see. I am proud to say I have met him too and I enjoyed the time he let us share with him. But not gonna lie, I was a bit more obsessed with his colt Ohanzee. 🙂
Why begrudge any notoriety that the Pryor horses get? If knowing Cloud allows for more people to understand and know about the Pryors.. then let it. Its good for them. I agree all of the horses have a story, but his just happened to garner much needed attention. Attention that translates into better care of the horses and business. If it takes one horse to do that.. go for it.. its better than none. ( and no I am not a cloudie, I have researched the pryor horses extensively, I am up there 3-4 times a month and maintain a database on all the horses)
No begrudging here, I even state I am happy Cloud is a wonderful ambassador for these horses. Sometimes though when you have such a bright star amongst a group, it’s easy to forget there are others who contribute. Kind of like Justin Timberlake in NSYNC or Beyonce in Destiny’s Child–can most people name the other people in those bands? And quite jealous you get to go up there so often, I am too far away to do that.
I certainly had never heard of Cloud! As someone who had this brush with fame (and was also previously unaware of Cloud’s fandom), it was interesting to read your account!
He definitely has a very passionate fandom! Which is a weird word to use for a horse, usually I see that word associated with tv/movies/books. And glad to see you commented as someone who did not know him. I was starting to think only his fans would comment!
Haha, I was also beginning to wonder about that!
Oh my God, I need to share this post and to save it somewhere safe! I loved it, and the photos are amazing! Even the last ones seem to have some Instagram effect 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comment! Glad you enjoyed it. No Instagram effect here, I’m usually too lazy to edit my pictures! What you see is what you get.
Is cloud still alive and kicking in the Pryor mountains?
Sadly I do not think so. When I saw him he was 19, which is old for a stallion on the range. He hasn’t been spotted since 2015 so my guess is he succumbed to this year’s winter unfortunately.
I see this is from Dec 2016, I take it Cloud never reappeared after the 2015 sighting? I know you said he was 19 when you saw him Amelie, In the Sand Wash Basin that would be considered in his prime….LOL…not to compare by far, but the King of Sand Wash Basin “Picasso” is 26 I believe and only just lost his last band in 2015. Never under estimate mother nature. I love the wild horses. What drew me to the Pryors was the different colors of the roans, I could sit and watch for hours.
Nope Cloud has not been seen since 2015 and has since been presumed deceased. I feel lucky to have seen him with his last band. Some of the older horses in the Pryors have actually been the mares. I don’t know if she is still alive but the mare Winnemucca was 29 in 2016. So older than Picasso 😉 Also I am going to assume the living conditions of the Sand Wash Basin are very different from the harsh conditions of the Pryor Mountains at such a high elevation.