Denver Exhibition Documents Colorado’s Wild Horses, From Life on the Range to Roundup and Beyond

Portrait of Ocean, a horse rescued by Skydog Sanctuary from a killpen. [Scott Wilson/We Animals]

In August 2026, wild horses were photographed during a U.S. federal helicopter-driven removal operation in the Piceance Basin, near Meeker and Rangely in Colorado, U.S.A. [Scott Wilson/We Animals]

Photographer Scott Wilson’s exhibition at D’art Gallery ends on Nov 15, with a Nov 13 artist’s talk on wild horse lives, removal & the role of photojournalism

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What happens to wild horses after the helicopters leave? An exhibition at D’art Gallery Denver follows Colorado’s wild horses from their lives and family relationships on public lands through roundup, removal, and the often unseen chapters that follow.

On view October 22–November 15, the exhibition features photographs made between 2021 and 2026 by Scott Wilson, a Colorado-based conservation photographer, We Animals contributor, and founder of PhotoAdvocacy. An accompanying artist’s talk on Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. will bring together photography, animal advocacy, policy, and education.

Wilson has photographed wild horses for close to a decade and has documented roundups since 2021. His work begins before capture, showing the horses’ relationships, families, and place on the landscape. Following them through removal and beyond, his photographs invite audiences to consider the individual animals affected by public-land management decisions.

The work also connects with calls for greater scrutiny of roundups. Following publication of his recent roundup coverage for the We Animals animal photojournalism platform, five members of Congress, Colorado’s governor, and 23 Colorado state legislators wrote to the Bureau of Land Management requesting a pause in roundups.

The exhibition examines the role sanctuaries can play for some removed horses, while recognising that rescue is not the eventual outcome for all. Alongside images of Colorado roundups, it includes a 44-inch framed photograph of Ocean, a wild horse rescued by Skydog Sanctuary after experiencing abuse following entry into the sale authority system.

During the November 13 talk, Wilson will discuss how photojournalism can support advocacy by making animals’ experiences visible and bringing visual evidence into public conversations. He will also explore how organisations such as We Animals help these stories reach audiences beyond the places where they occur.
Fellow We Animals contributor Diana Hulet will join Wilson to share her perspective on documenting a roundup for the first time.
Members of the Colorado State Legislature and faculty from the University of Denver’s Animals Forward Executive Certificate will attend the event.

The discussion will ask what changes when we stop seeing wild horses, or any animals, simply as numbers, populations, or a management problem - and begin to see them as individuals with lives and relationships, and how photographs can help audiences understand the consequences of decisions made about them.

The exhibition and talk are part of Wilson’s ongoing PhotoAdvocacy work (IG: @photoadvocacy), connecting photography with public awareness, accountability, and action.

Event details
Exhibition: October 22–November 15, 2026
Artist’s talk: Friday, November 13, 2026, at 6:30 PM
Location: D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado
Visitor information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-roundup-to-rescue-wild-horse-photojournalism-exhibit-talk-tickets-2003509731540?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

About Scott Wilson and PhotoAdvocacy
Scott Wilson is a Colorado-based conservation photographer whose PhotoAdvocacy work supports wild horses and the communities working to protect them.
A landscape photographer of 20 years, Scott refocused his lens on Colorado’s wildlife after a prolonged battle with stage 4 cancer, leading to the life-changing discovery of a remote and mesmerizing herd in Sand Wash Basin on the Wyoming border. An impending roundup, threatening the survival of the herd, unlocked Scott's purpose as a PhotoAdvocate and he has since campaigned for better outcomes for wild horses from behind and in front of the lens.
His photograph Anger Management earned the Natural World & Wildlife category award and the Open Photographer of the Year title at the Sony World Photography Awards. He contributes to We Animals and supports sanctuaries including Skydog.

About We Animals
We Animals advocates for animals through photojournalism. Its global investigations and stories expose complex human relationships with animals, create ethical and cultural shifts in society, and empower human capacity for compassion and change. Learn more at https://weanimals.org.

Images for media
Additional photographs of wild horse roundups and their aftermath are available through the We Animals stock library. Images are available for editorial use.

Alexandra Radu, Media & PR Specialist
We Animals
media@weanimals.org
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