Rio – now named Sherwood

7 10 2011

Good friend of the mustangs (and adopter of burros!) Ann took these pix last week of NMA/CO’s Pati and the colt she adopted, yearling Rio. She has named him Sherwood. That name has some history, so I’ll let Pati explain it!

“Sherwood is a year-and-a-half-old colt named in honor of Sherwood McGuigan, who was president of the National Mustang Association/Colorado for 10 years.”[Sherwood was one of the founding members of NMA/CO, and we owe a great deal to her for shepherding NMA/CO into the organization it is today.]

Pati is an amazing woman herself. I first met Pati shortly before the 2007 roundup, and from then forward, I have come to rely heavily on her knowledge of mustangs in general and Spring Creek Basin mustangs in particular. She and her husband, David, are my ultimate support pair, anchoring me always on this journey of the horses. They have been involved with NMA/CO from nearly the beginning. Our beautiful Pati is one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.

Here’s what she says about her training process with Sherwood: “The first day home, I followed him slowly around the round pen for two hours, stepping back each time he turned toward me and/or approached and being careful to never block his forward movement. The next day, I hand-fed him fresh grass and began brushing his nose, then sides of his face with strands of grass or hay. By the third day, I could reach up and scratch his forehead while feeding him and then introduced a strand of baling twine and moved it up and down his face and ultimately over his ears. By holding the two ends, I encouraged him to come forward to pressure and step over his hindquarters. Later, I replaced the twine with a thick cotton rope and continued to move it about his body, being careful to slowly desensitize him to the new feeling.”

Ann described these photos as a series in the dance between Pati and Sherwood. I think she’s right.

Little guy is doing so well! Mr. Sherwood is just the most recent mustang Pati and David have adopted. He couldn’t be in better hands.


Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Adoption, Rio, Sherwood, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

A scene, seen

6 10 2011

A just-because post … because it was the end of a great day, because the ponies were awesome, because the day was filled with them, because they are going to be OK, because they are strong and resilient, because they make me better than I knew I could be.


Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Ze and Asher

5 10 2011

My gorgeous and huge-hearted friend Tif adopted Chipeta’s colt-  and has named him Asher (meaning “blessed”) – and Ze.

They are all doing so amazingly well. Every time I listen to Tif talk about them or read about them in an email or SEE her with them and them with her, it just about explodes my heart, it’s so beautiful. I wish this kind of wonderful, loving home for all our mustangs. Things come to us on life’s journey for a reason, and I believe that so firmly in this case, especially.

I visited them the other day with my camera and, with Tif’s permission, am sharing some of the pix here. Clearly, these two mustang boys are adored and loved!

Here’s what she says about them:

“My ‘boys’ are doing great. The foal has been named ‘Asher’ meaning Blessed. He and my paint mare are attached at the hip. They amaze me. She is his surrogate mom, teaching him how to be a horse. She disciplines him, protects him and checks on him constantly. Asher runs in the upper pasture everyday and comes in at night. He is incredibly strong and beautiful. He still gets milk three times a day, he’s eating foal pellets, but is really liking grass/alfalfa hay. He also has an unlimited supply of water on hand. His cuts from the fence are healing nicely and he’s ready for his month old shots. I hate to do that to him, but he’s in a much better place to handle it. I plan to keep him on the milk until he’s at least two months old, then we’ll see where he’s at. He is a regular foal, not wild at all.  I have the best of both worlds, the genetics of a mustang, but the taming of a domestic, if that makes sense.
“Ze is likewise incredible. I go in with him several times a day. He joins up with me, follows me everywhere, takes food from my hand, wants to be so close at times that I have to back him away. I have touched him and sometimes still do, but that’s still on his terms. He has the most soulful eyes; he’s curious, inquisitive and so wanting to be with me when I’m out there. He drinks water like crazy and loves food. Go figure!! I have the wonderful native grass hay that I got from the Temples and he loves it. I’m transitioning him to that from the certified grass hay. He’s still wary at times, which is to be expected, but he touches me, nuzzles me, tries to take my hat off, etc. Still on his own terms, but that’s how it’s going to be for awhile and I’m fine with that.”

Asher was taking a nap when I arrived. He’s in a cozy pasture with foster mom Pepper and big stepdaddy Quest. Look how shiny-beautiful he is!

Asher and Pepper, who has never had a foal of her own, bonded almost immediately after Tif brought him home.

Isn’t he just gorgeous?

She’s feeding him the “foal milk” and mashing up foal pellets, and he likes hay …

… and for comfort, sweet-girl Pepper.

Baby loves his two-legged foster mom, too!

Ze is doing amazingly well. There’s a super-obvious thread that connects him to Tif and vice versa, and it’s awesome to see.

Do you SEE it?? I love their expressions looking at each other.

Eating hay from her hand.

Licking her hand.

She does go in the roundpen with him and sits and works with him.

So quiet and patient … and he’s absorbing every bit of it.

Out, out, darn bar! But I love this image, still, because of their bond – so clear. They’re exchanging breaths.

If you would like to update me/readers about the horse or horses you’ve adopted, please drop me a note at mtbgrrl (at) fone (dot) net. I would love to hear from you.


Comments : 9 Comments »

Categories : Adoption, Asher, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Ze

Sage, Cuatro, Hannah and Briosa

5 10 2011

Update about Sage, Cuatro, Hannah and Briosa. They look like they’re settling in and doing very well!

Briosa
Hannah
Hannah
Briosa and Hannah
Cuatro and Sage
Cuatro (left) and Sage

Don’t they all look great? And even some nice fall color from our corner of Colorado.

Photos by Alice (who is going to adopt Liberty). Neighbor Dana adopted these four beauties.


Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Adoption, Briosa, Cuatro, Hannah, Sage, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Fierro and Cougar

5 10 2011

Before I found out about Hook, I was working on updates about some of our adopted mustangs. Some great rain yesterday here in Southwest Colorado has put off my trip to the horses … so I’m going to go ahead and post these.

From Lacie, who adopted Fierro and Cougar: “The picture I am sending is of my 3-year-old daughter feeding Fierro by hand in the pen. I adopted both Cougar and Fierro, and they are doing wonderful. Cougar is still a little shy, but Fierro is very friendly and nosey. The picture was taken on Sept 27.”

How great is that? I think these two have found friends for life.

Lacie, thank you so much for adopting these boys and for giving us this update!  Fierro looks marvelous!


Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Adoption, Cougar, Fierro, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Hook

5 10 2011

Awful news from Canon City … Hook is dead. According to the email, “He broke his neck when he escaped when they were trying to get him through a chute for gelding.”

Hook is the stallion that jumped out of the alley during sorting during the roundup, right before Cinch broke his neck. Hook also had jumped fences (at least two) shortly after he arrived at Canon City.

One of the big things our group members observed during the roundup was that most injuries – and Cinch’s death – occurred in the alley and chute during sorting and/or processing. That’s another thing we’ve added to our work in the MUST CHANGE category.

He had been a bachelor for at least a couple of years before he finally separated out Ember and Pinon last winter (2010), though he had briefly stolen Piedra and Sage before that before losing them back to Hollywood. Hook had been one of the “low men” bachelors, but in my experience, it’s those boys who have been able to quietly split off their mares. Soon after he went off from Steeldust’s band with Ember and Pinon, Hannah and then Sable (both just yearlings then) joined them. Fierro, likely sired by Mouse, joined the band on the Fourth of July last year, and, of course, Hook raised him like his own.

He got ever so much more attention when he became a band stallion, and I could always see the confusion in him about the attention.

Twister had his full attention on the band when he got hurt this summer, about a week after Indy was born …

Hook was another stallion that people connected with because of his obvious desire to be wild. He will never be forgotten, and his spirit will live on in his foals, when they’re born. Hannah, Sable and Ember all found good homes (Ember and Sable together). I always wondered whether he was related to Comanche, at least. Will never know, but I hope it’s true.

I’m still thinking of a longer photo tribute to Cinch, so I’ll try to put together a combined one now for these two Spring Creek Basin stallions that meant so much to all of us.


Comments : 13 Comments »

Categories : Hook

Seven’s band – and friends

2 10 2011

Seven’s were with their shadow, Aspen, and Hollywood’s and Comanche’s bands when I spotted them the second day of my visit last week. They were pretty close to the road, so I decided I could sit in the Jeep and wait for them, or I could try walking out and see what happened. As it turned out, it was one of my best visits ever with Seven’s wary band.

Hollywood’s and Comanche’s are particularly comfortable with each other, so maybe that made a difference, even with Aspen dogging Seven.

This was toward the end of the visit, but that’s Comanche at left, Hollywood closest and Piedra at right. Kestrel was to the left, Seven’s band were to the right, and Juniper was wandering between them all.

Killian, who is practically the spitting image of his big brother Ze, and mama Roja.

Seven would graze, then walk his “perimeter” between his family and Aspen. I’m not sure what the unspoken code was, but he was not in the slightest worried about Hollywood or Comanche or their mares.

Yearling Shane (born Sept. 15) and mama Mona; you can see Aspen in the background.

Aspen. He has previously stolen (at least) Piedra and Mahogany, but he didn’t hold either for long.

Seven and Shane

Shane and Mona. It was harder than you might think to get pix of the belly! Shane would block her or she’d linger behind a big greasewood … After a while, it got to be kind of funny. I had a great seat under a big juniper – not the best for the direction of the light – and it was pretty high and harsh anyway – but it was perfect for observation.

Mona and Roja

Juniper (near) looking at Shane …

This was when Killian and Shane came moseying up to try to have a chat with Juniper. I didn’t have a great angle – but I didn’t want to move!

Sweetheart. 🙂 She looks so much like daddy, but certain times, I catch her looking like big sister Winona.

Cute Killian – such a sweet baby face.

Talk about reminders. I’ve been thinking about all the horses so much lately (!) … going through past photos to send adopters … thinking of all the past visits … Roja reminds me so much of Molly. I thought Molly was Roja’s dam – the resemblance is right there. But I’m glad it’s looking like Killian got his daddy’s fine head! 🙂


Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Aspen, Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Killian, Mona, Piedra, Roja, Seven, Shane

Next Entries »