Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Happy May 2 – snow on the ground!

On to Steeldust’s band … which is kinda splitting at the seams these days. For the sake of convenience, I’m still referring to them collectively …

I think I mentioned that Hook – as of last week – was perfectly content and quite separate with Ember (2-year-old filly), Pinon (2-year-old colt) and Hannah (yearling filly). Hook had been a bachelor for as long as I’d known him. He appeared briefly this winter with Piedra and Sage (Hollywood’s mare and yearling son), then back with bachelor pal Aspen as hangers-on to Steeldust’s band.

I will take the opportunity to mention that this is at least the third time I’ve seen the “low man on the bachelor totem pole” end up with a band of his own (Copper took over the pinto band, Kreacher got the introduced girls; Duke was sort of in the upper ranks of the Bachelor 7 when he got Raven last year). However it worked, it worked.

Mouse and Comanche are still with “Steeldust’s band,” but Mouse is now apparently Sundance’s lieutenant keeping Aspen away, and Comanche is low man – as he was before Aspen and Hook came back. (Poor guy … but maybe some of the low-man luck will rub off on him!) Butch is glued to Luna, who stays with Alpha – or vice versa – they stay together – and Steeldust is glued to Alpha – and Storm, of course, still is glued – quite literally – to mama (he’s still nursing!).

So there I’ve *told* you what’s going on (via my observation; no doubt to the ponies it’s much more). Ready to *see* it?

I first saw them down in a “valley,” then Luna started walking along the arroyo. They went out of sight, and I waited awhile but didn’t see them reappear, so I walked out to the edge of a hill and found them like this: By a dry section of arroyo. One little puddle of water. It seemed as windy there as anywhere else, but there they were, napping. Front left, Luna; front right, Butch. Back left to right: Steeldust, Alpha and Storm.

And here’s Sundance and the gang, just to the right of Steeldust’s. Left to right: Mahogany, Kestrel, Sable, Sundance, Mouse and Aspen.

Then I saw this critter:

He was on my side of the arroyo from the horses, and I think he saw me just a second before I saw him – we looked at each other for another second, then he was off!

I like to see the pronghorn antelope. They sometimes act as sentinels for a band. One “barked” at me once, to alert the horses I was there. I think that was Steeldust’s band, too, and they weren’t worried, which seemed to bother the poor prongs.

The horses are watching the pronghorn, but Luna is watching something else …

… something that made SD a little restless. I also included this pic because I love the “frosted” effect of Storm’s winter coat as he sheds his baby red for big-boy grey.

Off he went across the arroyo to tell Comanche in no uncertain terms that his proximity was unwelcome!

And trotting back to his lady before Butch could get any ideas (too late for the ideas part …). And I included this photo in part to show how scarred Steeldust is. I’ve seen pix of grey stallions from other herds looking mightily battle-scarred, but not so many of our stallions show that degree of scarring – except this boy. (Mesa, the solid bay stallion with the pintos, shows a fair amount of scarring, and Aspen does, a bit, too, but they really show up on SD.)

Comanche was unperturbed and settled in for a nap of his own.

You have to use your imagination here a little, but he is definitely nursing – she finally took a step forward, raised her hind leg when he tried to go back for seconds – and he smacked his lips while enjoying up the last delicious yumminess of mama’s milk!

Love this. 🙂

Different angle on SunnyD’s: Aspen behind Mouse, Sable, Mahogany facing away, Kestrel and Sundance.

Butch and Luna at left; Sable, Mahogany, Kestrel, Sundance and Mouse clustering against the wind, and Aspen.

Together … separate.

Instead of getting kicked out of the band, Butch and Sundance seem to have figured out ways to stay … We’ll just have to stay tuned, won’t we!?