Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Thursday morning, I spent 3.5 hours searching for Chipeta’s band in the area they’ve been frequenting the last few weeks. I *knew* they were nearby, I just couldn’t find them. But Kiowa’s band came into the neighborhood, and I spent some time sitting with them, enjoying their company and the day.

Chipeta’s band and Kiowa’s band and David’s live almost exclusively in the McKenna Peak Wildernes Study Area of the basin. No roads, and by quirk of geography, there are more hills and more trees (pinon/juniper). I kept thinking they could be within 500 yards, and I’d never know it. I also had the idea that they wouldn’t be in the trees, though. We don’t have an overabundance of predators (mountain lion hunting is allowed and practiced in season), but I thought Chipeta would favor the more open areas.

I finally left Kiowa’s band to their grazing and headed into the main part of the basin, where I saw several horses way up on hillsides where I normally don’t see them. I drove to Round Top and hiked around it to look for Chipeta’s band from there. That hill is on the boundary of the WSA and affords a good view of the basin – both the “upper portion” (roaded) and the WSA. One scan across with the binoculars … another scan back … Kiowa’s band was not visible from there because of hills … Just one more scan, and then I’ll head back …

Shazam! A hazy bit of “white” at a long distance … dark frames – head and flank? …

When I saw them Wednesday from the Disappointment Road, I saw the same thing – though much closer. I was clearly thinking when I left them that day: “Please let them be easier to spot tomorrow.” Wishful thinking. 🙂

That white spot in an opening in the trees finally moved, and I was certain it was her. Same basic area I had searched just earlier that morning. While I watched, I was able to pick out Ty, moving, but I couldn’t see anything else because of trees and distance. (I wish I could begin to give you a distance … a looooooong way away.) Not wanting to lose the opportunity of knowing where she was and eager to know whether that very full udder did, indeed, mean a baby was imminent, I marked the landmarks and drove back around (and that’s a distance of several miles).

Would you know, I found them basically on the upper portion of the same trail I’d followed the lower portion of in the morning? 🙂 I *knew* they were there!

There’s his star, easier to see. You can see the end of his strip – it’s very faint above that – and I think he might have a tiny little snip, too, just a line by his left nostril.

There’s a seep in this arroyo that I had almost forgotten about until I saw it that morning. Lots of hoof traffic, so they’re clearly using it, even though the muddy water barely fills the hoofprints.

This one shows his hind fetlock better … it was harder to tell whether his left hind also had a marking or was just lighter. I think by his legs he’ll eventually go grey.

Wonderful miracle of wild life. All love. 🙂