North Dakota
Riders say encounter with bachelor stallion at Theodore Roosevelt National Park was 'magical,' not dangerous
MEDORA, N.D. — A group of six riders had just finished packing and started on a trail ride through the Badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park when a wild horse came scurrying down a butte toward them.
“All of a sudden I heard a whinny come from up on the bluff,” Kelly Ringer said. She was one of the riders visiting the park from Park Rapids, Minnesota. “He came barreling down.”
The horse’s dramatic arrival came with a spirited exchange of whinnying and neighing as the wild horse, a 5-year-old stallion named Alluvium, and the horses in the riding group chatted.
At first, Ringer, who was riding a young horse who had never before been exposed to a wild horse and was unfamiliar with the terrain, was concerned. But her worries quickly faded.
“It was magical,” Ringer said. “He was fine. He wasn’t aggressive.”
It soon became apparent that Alluvium had a particular interest in a “little mare” named Gypsy in the riding group, she said, which was departing from the Roundup Group Horse Camp 12 miles from Medora in the park’s south unit, where 185 to 200 wild horses roam.
“He decided to hang around” and followed the group as it left for the trail ride on Thursday, May 16, Ringer said. Alluvium circled the riders and after about five minutes, Ringer’s horse, Boone, bucked, and she fell. She was not hurt.
“That’s just what horses do,” she said. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Alluvium followed the riders for a time but stopped after a while, seeming to keep to a certain area while avoiding others.
“I think that was probably his territory,” and he appeared to regard other areas as off-limits, possibly because they were the turf of other wild stallions in the park, Ringer said.
The wild horses are organized into social groups called bands, each led by a stallion.
Later on during the ride, when Alluvium was no longer tailing the group, Ringer’s horse again bucked, possibly spooked by some brush.
“It’s horses,” Ringer said. “They have a mind of their own. It’s a risk that you take.”
Horse advocates have said Alluvium, a bachelor stallion, was acting naturally by trying to recruit mares to form his own band.
Ringer and her fellow riders had another drop-in visitor at Roundup Group Horse Camp — a bison that came up close to the corral and charged, spooking Boone, who was inside the corral.
“He took a couple of charges at the corral with my horse in it,” she said. “That was a little unsettling.”
Contributed / Kelly Ringer
But the group of riders came to the park knowing that it is home to wildlife, including horses and bison, Ringer said.
“These are just risks that you take,” she said. “What would that park be without the bison and the wild horses? The park would not be what it is without the wildlife, and that includes the wild horses.”
During their stay, a park ranger paid a visit to the group of riders at Roundup camp, and they told him about their encounter with Alluvium.
“We didn’t necessarily report it,” Ringer said. “We didn’t contact the park, but a ranger came in one day and the horse (Alluvium) was there and asked if he was a nuisance.”
Ringer mentioned that she had been bucked off. The ranger asked if they wanted Alluvium removed and was told no. The ranger left soon after, and Ringer thought no more of it — until she learned the park considers Alluvium a “nuisance animal” that poses a danger to the public and will remove him from the park.
“That’s why I feel so bad,” she said. “We told the ranger, ‘No, leave him.’”
She added: “This is a young bachelor stallion. He’s just doing what is natural. Horses are herd animals.”
Another rider in the group, Kaylee Bickey, also of Park Rapids, said Alluvium was not acting aggressively around Gypsy and the other horses.
“He wasn’t really trying to cut her out or anything,” she said. “When we said, ‘Git,’ he got, he went away. He just wanted other horses to be with.”
After their ride, when Gypsy was returned to the corral, Alluvium stayed close by.
Bickey’s recollection of the discussion with the park ranger about Alluvium matched Ringer’s.
“We told the ranger about him, but we never complained. We went to see wild horses. It was probably a top-five experience of my life.”
The riders brought young horses that hadn’t experienced situations like those in the park and reacted more than seasoned horses would have, Bickey said.
“It wasn’t any fault of Alluvium,” she said. “It was our fault for not exposing them to things before just taking them out. Once they had been around him for a little bit, they were fine.”
Ringer, who has ridden horses for 30 years, recalled encounters with dogs, deer and even inanimate objects that spooked horses. “If I would go and eliminate something every time it spooked my horse — that’s just insane,” she said.
Park officials have not given interviews about Alluvium but issued statements.
Park Superintendent Angie Richman said Alluvium was “harassing visitors and visitor’s horses at the horse camp campground. Park staff relocated it once and it found its way back to the camp the next day. This is a nuisance animal that can potentially harm visitors or their animals.”
Park officials have been holding Alluvium in a pen for several weeks “until it can be sold or transferred to a tribal partner or other government agency,” Richman said earlier.
Contributed / Chris Kman
Chris Kman, president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, asked park officials to allow Alluvium to stay in the park. He was in his home and acting naturally in the encounter with visiting horses, she said, noting bison are dangerous but remain in the park, apparently even after goring visitors.
By describing the horses as livestock instead of wildlife, a term the park formerly used, park officials are doing a disservice to visitors by making the horses seem tame, Kman wrote in an email to Richman.
In an interview, Kman said it appears Richman is determined to reduce the size of the herd, and Alluvium’s encounter with the mare provided an excuse to get rid of a horse. She said a horse trailer has been parked near the pen where Alluvium is being held, apparently in preparation for transporting him.
Contributed / Gary Kman
Park officials did not directly respond to the points raised by Kman or the account given by Ringer and Bickey that found no fault with Alluvium’s behavior.
“I would adopt him if I could,” Bickey said. “For a wild horse, he was pretty well-behaved.”
Park officials haven’t yet made arrangements for an auction sale of Alluvium.
“We currently do not have any additional details concerning an auction,” Maureen McGee-Ballinger, deputy park superintendent, said in an email. “When/if there is an auction, the details will be announced.”
Funeral Mass for Annabelle Weber, 95, of Dickinson will be 10:00 AM, Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Queen of Peace Church with Msgr. Thomas Richter celebrating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Dickinson. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson, with Rosary and Vigil service taking place at 6:00 PM. Annabelle passed away Friday, March 6, 2026 at St. Benedict’s Health Center, Dickinson. Annabelle S. Weber was born on December 8, 1930, in Killdeer, North Dakota, to Frank and Eva (Kowis) Schmalz. She grew up in Killdeer and graduated from Killdeer High School in 1947. At the age of 17, Annabelle began working at Zimbrich’s Department Store in Killdeer. She later moved to Dickinson, where she worked at S&L in retail sales and spent many years at Kessel’s Bridal Shop. While working at the Esquire Steak House, she met Gerald Weber, the love of her life. The couple was united in marriage on November 1, 1954, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dickinson, where they made their home and built their life together. Annabelle was a woman who loved staying busy and caring for her family and home. She enjoyed hunting and fishing, along with hobbies such as crafts, sewing, and gardening. She was well known for keeping an immaculate home and took great pride in caring for those around her. Faith was an important part of her life. She joined the Catholic Daughters in 1957 and was active in church circles, often helping with funeral dinners and parish gatherings. Annabelle’s greatest joy was her family. Annabelle is survived by her sons, Greg (Barbara) Weber of Grand Forks, Russ (Rhonda) Weber of Dickinson; daughter, Sharon (Tony) Allen of Andover, MN; nine grandchildren, Christi (Ryan), Tiffani (Tim), Shane (Kayla), Tonya (Adam), Samantha (Scott), Kevin, Tracey (Analisa), Stacie, Tyler; 15 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Eva Schmalz; husband, Gerald Weber; siblings, William (Evelyn) Schmalz, Elaine (John) Buresh, and Vernon (Dolores) Schmalz; and daughter-in-law, Coleen Weber (Krance). Remembrances and condolences can be shared at www.stevensonfuneralhome.com.
North Dakota
Faber: 5 takeaways from UND’s 70-62 Summit League tournament championship loss to North Dakota State
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — North Dakota State proved why it was the best team in the Summit League Sunday evening at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
The Bison beat UND 70-62 in the conference tournament championship. The Fighting Hawks hung around in the second half, but couldn’t put together enough consecutive shots to retake the lead.
It was the Hawks’ first Summit League championship appearance since 2020, capping off a resurgent season for a program ravaged by the transfer portal.
Despite losing top-end talent like Treysen Eaglestaff and Mier Panoam, UND reloaded through key transfer portal additions, the emergence of redshirt freshman guard Greyson Uelmen and the return of senior guard Eli King.
The Hawks finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-17 overall record.
Here are five takeaways from the loss.
King ends collegiate career on a high note
King left it all on the court in his final three games as a Hawk.
He logged 40 minutes against NDSU. King was only off the court for two minutes against St. Thomas and four minutes against Denver.
King lived up to his billing as the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year throughout the postseason. He also averaged 15.3 points per game in the tournament.
“We were so fortunate to get him at North Dakota,” head coach Paul Sather said. “The daily example that guy brings as far as how you treat people, how you go about your work, how you show up — he’s usually the first on the floor every day. He plays the most minutes for us. … He just smiles at adversity.
“He’s a special young guy. I’m going to think of him when I’m 75 years old, thinking about all the young people you get a chance to be a part of and coach, and I’m going to see a guy that’s probably doing really well in life, and I’m going to just be so grateful I got a chance to spend some time coaching. Eli’s going to be alright.”
Here’s what an emotional King had to say after Sunday’s loss.
“The last three years have been a blast,” King said. “Built a bunch of relationships that will last forever. Coaching staff, all the players, all the great teammates I’ve had, community support from Grand Forks. It’s been awesome. The last three years, basketball-wise, I enjoyed every second of it, had a lot of ups and downs.”
College basketball teams rarely look the same from year to year. That’s just the state of the sport right now, especially at the mid-major level.
UND is going to miss its seniors.
King was the only returning starter from last year and truly seemed to be the heart and soul of the team.
Garrett Anderson averaged 10.3 points per game, and his lengthy frame was pivotal on defense. Reggie Thomas seemed to always give a boost of energy off the bench, providing scrappy defense while averaging 4.8 points per game.
That being said, there are certainly building blocks for the future. That is, if they don’t enter the transfer portal this offseason.
Uelmen, the former walk-on, averaged 18.6 points per game in a breakout season. Redshirt sophomore Zach Kraft carved out a role in the starting lineup, providing 42.5% shooting from 3-point range and improved defense.
Junior center Josh Jones became an essential piece of the starting lineup, providing physicality, defense and a frame that the Hawks just don’t have anywhere else on the roster.
Junior forward George Natsvlishvili, freshman guard Anthony Smith III and freshman forward Marley Curtis each provided the occasional pop from the bench when needed.
“You hope so, right?” Sather said when asked if this season was something to build on. “That’s the goal. Every year right now, you kind of start with a new team. Just being real — free agency starts. But we’re to the point now where you smile at it and you wish the best for young people that are trying to do things in life that are changed (compared to) what they were 10 years ago, five years ago.
“You really take a year and you start in June, when you get them all on campus, and you try to make the most out of that time. And it’s not perfect, but it’s kind of like speed dating in a way. I don’t know what that’s like, I’ve never done it, but you don’t get to have everybody for four years or three years or even two years sometimes. But the time you have with them, make the most of it. Have the joy with it and love it. And even on the hardest days, because I’m telling you, this was a team that there were some days where we had to really be on these guys. We got some young guys that got to continue to grow and get better, but they just really responded, and their example of it was awesome.”
Kraft put up his best performance in months against NDSU.
He shot 5-for-9 from the field and finished with 19 points. Only Uelmen scored more, finishing with 24.
It was Kraft’s first double-digit point total since Feb. 19. He nearly reached his previous career high of 22 points.
Kraft scored 13 points in the second half. He nailed a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 6 seconds to go to kick off a 9-0 run for UND.
Offensive rebounds sting again
North Dakota State collected 12 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points in the win over the Hawks.
UND managed to survive against St. Thomas while giving up 14 offensive rebounds in the tournament semifinals.
This time around, it stung.
“A game like that, where you’re not making the shots that we have been or that were just right there, we can’t be giving them extra possessions like that,” Sather said.
What opposing coaches had to say about Sather and the program
Head coach David Richman had positive words for Sather and his program after the Bison’s championship win.
“Paul Sather did a terrific job this year, terrific job,” Richman said. “You’ve got a guy like Eli King, the competitive spirit, and Greyson, and the tournament that they had. So I know there’s Bison people that don’t want to hear me talk about UND, but I’m glad to talk about a guy and a program that does things the right way. And Paul Sather does a lot of great things.”
Likewise, St. Thomas head coach John Tauer voiced his respect after the Tommies’ loss in the semifinals.
“Credit to North Dakota, they played incredibly,” Tauer said. “They’ve been really good all season. Paul does a tremendous job with his team and those guys.”
North Dakota
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