It was April 3 last year before I reported in my notes that I did not see cattle in the basin. Shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that some cattle remain in the basin past their deadline to be out again this year.
That’s the herd area boundary fence. I’m on the road, just before crossing the cattle guard into the horses’ home.
She looks dark – she’s dark red. No calf. The other cows I saw both have calves.
This was just one of those stellar kinds of day. It included horses and hikes and back to the Earth, staring wide-eyed and grateful at clouds in the turquoise heavens. Can you imagine it? It was warm, but there was a nip – still – to that returned March wind (ooh, yeah, it’s back). Perfect day to be walking around the far-out outback, a place filled to the brim with wild still-muddy magic.
So it’s a bit messy … life ain’t perfect. 😉
Steeldust’s mob were the first visible, so I made for them. They were napping as early clouds gave way to sunshine. Aspen and Hook are still hanging on. Storm, Hannah and Alpha were lying down when I arrived; Comanche, Pinon and Kestrel laid down while I visited. Ol’ Steely Dan has a few new scars. He continues to stick close to Alpha; Storm continues to take advantage of the mommy bar.
Nap time (back, left to right: Alpha, Storm and Steeldust; front from left: Sundance, Mahogany, Sable, Luna and Pinon)
Did you see this in the background of the above pic?
Then there was this …
How familiar does this look? (Notice Comanche giving them a wide berth in the background as Steeldust guards Alpha.)
Boy’s got it bad for the girl. 😉
Ember’s hanging out with big boys Aspen and Hook.
Kestrel and Mouse
Sleepy tired boy Pinon
The sun finally cleared the clouds, and I left the ponies to their naps (Butch makes an appearance here, behind Luna; SunnyD is beside her, Kestrel behind them).
All hills make for good mysteries – what’s over the summit? What’s around the bend? In the basin, the potential for horses to be around every bend, on the other side of every hill, below every ridge, is enormous.
Seven’s were out on the saddle, relaxed and soaking up the shine of late-winter sun.
At first glance, they were alone, but guess who was around another bend – or three … a ridge or two?
Pinto ponies
And look who else was closer:
Bruiser …
David and Shadow (oops! I thought I had put their picture into the post but realized later I didn’t) …
… and Cinch and Twister!
It was great to see them, but our visit didn’t last long. They decided they’d rather be on the other side of that hill, and I just didn’t have the oomph to continue on through the mud in the “away” direction. So I went back to share lunch with Seven’s.
OK, so they weren’t interested in what passed for my lunch, but we shared a little stretch of real estate between hills, bounded by ridges, together under the sun.
They were as relaxed as I’ve ever seen them, OK with me sitting on a branch, elevated above the mud.
They’ve been playing in the mud fields …
I might feel compelled to eat my shoe if I ever found out he was NOT a son of Grey/Traveler’s. If he was aged correctly, the boy is 10 this year (hard to believe, eh?). He certainly has gone grey-er in the past couple of years. Handsome, handsome mister … just like daddy.
Speaking of, two white “dots” sandwiching a dark speck way out yonder turned out to be my boy and Houdini and Terra. Seven decided to take a nap under a tree, so I hit the trail.
Headlights caught my eye, flashing as the truck to which they belonged popped over a hill on the road out yonder. The road was a little soft, a little dry, a little damp … I was surprised to see it. But before long, it stopped … hit reverse … discharged a camo-clothed passenger … swapped end for end, re-admitted the man and headed back the way it had come. I found their ruts later.
Bounce’s band came into view … then Hollywood’s. Then … Jif! She was walking up out of an arroyo kind of between me and Bounce’s band, and pretty quickly, Hayden and Cuatro, then Chrome, then Two Boots followed her. What a wonderful surprise! And a reminder how easy it is for horses to be out of sight very nearby.
Hayden is nursing.
Cuatro grazing with stepdaddy Chrome.
Cuatro grazing with stepbrother Hayden!
Fuzzy-fuzzy!
See the white dot, the dark dot and the grey dot “above” Jif? That’s Grey/Traveler, Terra and Houdini.
Sweet, sweet day in the company of many of those I hold dear. Always a wonderful way to spend a day.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 