Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

It was such a busy couple of days in the basin last week – just a snapshot for me of their daily lives – that I hardly know where to start. Well, Roja’s foal – that was the obvious start. 🙂 But step two?

The boys are *charged* right now, and it seems no boys nowhere are more charged than those swirling within and around Steeldust’s band. In fact, I’m starting to think it’s a bit of a misnomer to call it Steeldust’s band – he has eyes, it seems, only for Alpha and watches the chaotic goings-on around him with no apparent interest in getting involved himself. I did see him one day – from a distance – being chased in circles by Sundance or Butch, and I was amazed to see that Butch or Sundance had the upper hand – err, hoof. The pink boy finally let up, and Steeldust loped (yes, loped – slow and easy like he had all the time in the world) back to Alpha and Storm. Butch has latched firmly onto Luna (?), Sundance hangs out mostly with Mahogany and Sable and Luna’s daughter Kestrel. Ember and Pinon seem to hang out together – with Hook!? Aspen – wait till you see an up-close and personal shot of that boy’s cheek scars – is nearly constantly pushing against Mouse and Comanche in his quest to sneak somebody – anybody? – away.

And then there was Hollywood and his new acquisition – which was only temporary, much to – warning, anthro – her relief and my delight. The proximity of – at least – those two bands made for some wild and crazy horse action … and it’s likely to only intensify as the mares foal and come back into heat. I think we’re standing by for some possible big(ger?) changes this spring in band dynamics.

But to take step two and ease a bit of the previous post’s dour (but realistic) mood, here is a series of three pix of two of our youngest boys, Cuatro and Hayden:

The sniff

The nibble

The truce

Of course, a little later, Hayden was following Cuatro … with his stout little baby teeth firmly clamped upon most of Cuatro’s tail. 🙂

Are you curious about Aspen’s sparring scars?

Ouch.

The ponies were grazing right up on the very sides of Round Top, which placed them very conveniently for me on my way to get a look at Roja’s “shadow.”

Kestrel, Storm and Colorado mountain goat, err, I mean Alpha. What do you think about Kestrel? Pregnant? She’s 3 this spring. She’s in my “expect to foal” category. She looks it from this angle, eh?

Steeldust and Alpha …

Luna and Butch …

All together now …

Storm-chaser on guard …

Ain’t he a handsome sucker? Oh, and I think I wrote in a post from last week that Alpha seemed to be weaning him … but in the evening of the day this was taken, I think I saw him nursing – but I was too slow in swinging the camera on them (they were at a distance) to see for sure.

More to come … and an update from a fellow visitor: Shadow, David’s black 3-year-old mare, may have had her foal!