Thanks (!) to colllllllddddd temperatures (note that clear turquoise sky), snow lingers on McKenna Peak and Temple Butte. Lower, Houdini and her bandmates have to slog through soggy soil where that wonderful snow is melting – melllllltttttinnngggggg! – into ground that very much needs it.
Houdini, our grand dame of Spring Creek Basin, has seen snow on the heights and has slogged through winter mud … how many seasons? Unknowable … infinite … many, many, many. We’re fortunate to share even a few with her.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
What a wild horse she is!
She hasn’t made the “mistake” of being too comfortable around this two-legged, that’s for sure. 🙂
It is cold! How do they handle this temperature so well?
Horses grow a thick, fuzzy, long, cozy winter “coat” starting in the fall when the daylight starts to diminish. By the time the truly cold temperatures are here, they are well protected by all that thick hair – which also has some “loft” and insulating qualities. The mustangs know how to find natural shelters when the weather gets wet and windy. That’s not to say that such weather is comfortable for them, but it doesn’t last too long (in most cases). Grazing and browsing gets their digestive systems working, which helps them generate body heat. And here in Colorado, with our famous sunshine, even on days when the thermometer reading of the air temp makes us humans put on the layers, that thermal dynamic actually can feel fairly warm!
Slip slidin away !
Trying to get down into and up out of arroyos is the worst when the snow is melting! 🙂 It’s much easier to walk on even patches of snow than that slick mud!
What a grand lady she is!
She’s a pretty amazing lady, indeed. 🙂 She’s inspiring!
She is truly one of the Basin icons, trodding through many seasons and over many miles in that landscape!
Yes, she is … and yes, she has! Hopefully for many more to come. 🙂