Though it’s a “long shot” – taken from quite a distance and cropped heavily – here’s lovely, expectant Mona:
She’s not looking real big, either, like Kootenai … she’s due Wednesday.
And another long shot – of Seven:
They were in the east pocket with Bounce’s band and Storm’s. It was the closest I’d seen Storm’s band for quite a long time, so I focused on them – and will have more pix of them coming.
I know these are all random sorts of posts … but it helps me …
Cinch’s band, from left: Spook (3), Gaia (3), Cinch and Liberty (2).
In keeping with my random thought process, seeing Spook makes me think of Bruiser, which makes me think of Duke, which makes me think of the other bachelor boys. Which has nothing to do with Cinch’s band.
Duke was very near the bands up in the northwest … I think he has been enjoying the company. The horses have been rarely in this area in the last few years – the forage is usually good, but the water is not. The northwest pond is still on the list to be dug out, but it filled (as much as it was able, as shallow as it is) and held water quite awhile this summer (it’s down now to mud), and so horses have been taking advantage of it – and wandering between it and water that comes up in seeps in Spring Creek, particularly in and near the canyon, which isn’t far away. When Duke was hurt a couple of years ago (and lost Raven and Corona back to Kreacher), he favored this area … now he’s sharing it with lots of company.
Isn’t he handsome??
Bruiser, after losing Spook to Cinch, wandered between alone and with the young bachelor boys. He was with them, and they were with Chrome’s – playing with young Mr. Hayden – who will soon celebrate his second birthday, which makes him five months younger than the oldest and 2.5 months younger than the next youngest. (These boys being, in order of age from eldest to youngest (they’re all 2): Ze, Sage, Cuatro and Milagro.) Aspen was with them, then alone, the week before … but I haven’t seen lone Sundance for a couple of weeks.
Other things distracted me from a visit with Chrome’s and the boys, so no pix of them.
Speaking of distractions …
Hi, Varo! See how dark he’s gotten? His family was also on the hill, very close to Cinch’s. I napped with them later and studied the clouds and tried not to think about the trapsite, behind and below them.
So much of the day was trying to distract myself with the horses … knowing what’s coming, knowing they do not … Pretty freakin’ hard.
And back to Cinch’s. I think they were watching Mouse and Steeldust … Steeldust is dominant again – still? Cinch and the girls held their ground for a while, then the hill became too crowded (Hook’s came up, too), and they retreated to graze.
It all makes perfect sense … and I am in need of distractions. As positive as I’m trying to be, because it’s necessary, I cry often …
While we’re posting this flier about the coming training demonstration and adoption (Sept. 23-24) around the region, I thought I’d post the flier here on the blog as well. You never know …
Thank you to all the volunteers posting this in Farmington, N.M., and Moab, Utah, and as far away as Montrose and Grand Junction, as well as locally in Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Durango, Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, Norwood, Ouray, Ridgway and Telluride! Thank you!
How do they grow up so quickly? What factors contribute to faster “growing up” in some than others? Why do some fillies have their first foals at 2 when I have at least one 3-year-old and one 4-year-old that haven’t foaled yet (neither ever pregnant, as far as I’m aware)?
Last year, soon after Cinch stole Liberty (I doubt she was a difficult conquest), I saw him breed her – in September. I had cause to look back in my notes to see exactly when that was because there was some question about her being pregnant within the last month or so. I think she must certainly be pregnant – for a normal spring baby.
If it’s the lengthening days that trigger mares to come into heat and become receptive to conception, what about these waning days would make long yearlings come into heat? Winona was practically begging to be bred … and he finally obliged her. I hope she follows the pattern Liberty set – in heat but not yet ready to conceive.
Winona and baby Deniz (Grey/Traveler x Houdini).
What makes some yearling fillies leave their families (Winona … orphan Liberty … Hannah … Sable …) and some stay much longer (Gaia was almost 3 before she left; Reya, 4, is still with her mother)? Band dynamics? Individual hormones? Simple random opportunity (or not)?
Deniz was very curious about the newcomer, and ‘Nona mostly tolerated her. She has quite an attitude, though, and considers herself – already – quite high up the pecking order. Though Houdini ignored her, the only one ‘Nona submitted to was Terra, Grey’s eldest (2). Gemma is the same age and readily backed down to Winona, as did 2-year-old Corona.
From left: Terra (2), Winona (1), baby Deniz and Grey/Traveler.
Whatever else, our beloved Traveler is still in his prime – still stealing mares (Corona and Winona this year)!
Trying to pull out some photos to share … busy time.
Here are a couple of darling Aurora (daughter of Alegre and Bounce) and her big brother, Whisper. These two are so much fun. I see in them Gaia and Whisper from a couple of years ago.
Aurora
Big brother Whisper is 2.
I’m going to try to post more pix of them together.
Isn’t she a beauty?
One more, not related … but leads to a change …
Looking at us is Briosa. Harder to recognize from this view is Juniper. Briosa is in Hollywood’s band (his daughter, and Piedra’s), and Juniper is Comanche’s and Kestrel’s daughter. The bands have been hanging out together for weeks now, and I almost saw some interaction between these two a coupla-few weeks ago … but this is the first time I’d actually seen it. The horses were closer than I’d ever seen them, actually intermixing at times with Piedra and Mahogany closer to Comanche than to Hollywood. All calm.
Someone was missing … and it nearly gave me a heart attack … until I found her again. Can’t say I’m surprised about who she’s with … though the timing leaves something to be desired …
How can one day be at once so good … and so filled with sorrow?
It starts in a week … what to say? Lots and more and more again. It is what it is, and we’ll endure it and move on.
Until then …
Who is THIS handsome hunk of a mustang stallion??
Hint: While I’ve seen him and his young band all summer, it has always been from a distance.
I can’t get over him. Wow!
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I’m not a big fan of the ubiquitous “stallions fighting” photos.
But I couldn’t resist Chrome!
That’s Comanche at left. His band and Hollywood’s and Chrome’s and Kreacher’s and Cinch’s were up in the northwest bowl.
No ponies were injured in the flying of those dreds! 🙂
And another …
I thought it was hard … it’s worse.
Last week, I had an amazing visit with Grey/Traveler’s band. His daughters are just as incredible as you might think (more). Corona (left), of course, is not his daughter. Gemma is his yearling daughter, and Deniz is his baby girl, and Houdini – right – is their mama.
Their phenomenal daddy, Traveler.
I’m running out of superlatives. 🙂
Deniz and big sister Gemma
Bigger sister Terra and Gemma. They were watching Corona, who was banging at the weird guzzler. Weirdly, Corona was trying to drink from it when she wasn’t pawing at it. These girls were fascinated – and they never tried to drink.
It’s cool to see how Terra’s little sisters take such comfort from her. All of them share an intent alert curiosity that I love.
Gemma and Deniz
Do you love that little muzzle?
And another …
Time to talk about the adoption related to the roundup. We have some educational opportunities in the works that I think will both draw adopters and help people keep their mustangs.
Our groups – Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners, made up of representatives from NMA/CO, Four Corners and Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen, and San Juan Mountains Association – are already working to promote the adoption. I’ve been doing it with my talks that started in February this year, we have letters to the editor and “public service announcements” out to several local newspapers, and we are going to post fliers in locations around the region. BLM also will do some advertising. No matter how BLM divvies up the horses post-roundup, probably 25 or fewer horses will be available for adoption.
NMA/CO has enlisted the services of a local trainer, Ems Rapp of Durango – who adopted a Spring Creek Basin colt (Rock On) in 2007 – to help adopters with their new horses. NMA/CO will pay for her services, and we will encourage each adopter to take advantage of this offer.
It is important to note that this is an offer made by the COLORADO CHAPTER of the NATIONAL MUSTANG ASSOCIATION and has nothing to do with BLM.
We hope it will help folks get started on the right “hoof” with their mustang, and we hope it will lead to greater retention of adopted horses.
If you are local, plan to adopt and want more information, call Pati Temple (NMA/CO board member, adopter of several mustangs) at (970) 564-8400. She will be coordinating training help with Ems.
All the activities related to the adoption will take place at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, a few miles east of Cortez, Colo., on U.S. Highway 160.
From 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, the evening before the adoption, Ems will give a presentation at the fairgrounds with her gorgeous boy, Rock On, now a 6-year-old. (Incredibly, I don’t have any pix of them!) This also is a change from the usual – instead of pulling a terrified young mustang away from his/her compadres, Ems will show potential adopters all the great potential of their mustangs, using Rock On as an example of mustangs in general and Spring Creek Basin mustangs specifically!
Rock On does, in fact, rock, and we think you’ll love him as much as we do. He also will be on-site the day of the adoption (Saturday, Sept. 24) as an ambassador for Spring Creek Basin mustangs.
In addition, Vern and Jeri Friesen (4CBCH members) will be ambassadors with their mustangs, Dolly and Lipton (2000 adoptees), and Wayne Goodall will be there with Tumbleweed II (2005) and his grandson, who also has a Spring Creek Basin mustang, adopted in 2007, I think. Vern and Jeri have taken their mustangs back to Spring Creek Basin almost every year to ride during 4CBCH’s annual wild horse count, and Wayne has a long history as a mustang ambassador. Dolly, Lipton and Tumbleweed are awesome!
Adoption activities will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Montezuma County fairgrounds. I believe this is when BLM will start taking applications from potential adopters. The bidding will start at 10 and end at 11 a.m.
This will be “silent bidding,” as opposed to “auctioneer-type” bidding – you’ll write your bid on a sheet that corresponds by number to particular horses (they’ll have the number tags by then) – and update your bid as people bid against you (and you against them!).
For each adopter, I plan to have available a packet that contains information about their horse – photos, sire and dam, birthday, siblings and simple history, including any insights to their personalities and/or fun stories. I will be at the fairgrounds both days to talk to people about the horses. Another thing I’m thinking about doing pulls another idea from Matt Dillon of the Pryor Mountain herd, who had information sheets at the 2009 Pryor Mountain adoption that listed each horse by number and name. So if you’re familiar with the horses through this blog, you’ll be able to find them by name.
Our groups will have volunteers present to also give advice and information about their experiences with the herd. Some of these folks have been visiting the basin for up to 15 years!
Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen will have drinks available right at the table where Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners will have other information.
We want the adoption to be more than “bid and haul.” We want to provide information that will help ensure that our horses, which are becoming your horses, have long, happy lives with you who adopt them.
Again, if I can answer any questions, leave a comment or email me at mtbgrrl (at) fone (dot) net.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 