Comanche
Juniper
Juni sauntered up alongside Daddy where he was grazing and “tickled” him till he paid attention to her.
So patient. 🙂
So, so, so like her daddy.
Handsome daddy Comanche will meet his second baby this spring. Mama Kestrel is due in May.
What do you think he’s saying?
Nice teeth, pal. 🙂
Like daddy, like daughter! (Take care of those pearly whites, Juniper!)
Mama Kestrel was her usual calm self. Who do you suppose is there in the background? Clue: How many grey horses do you count?
Seems like forever since I’ve been in to see the ponies. I’ve missed them. It felt *good* to sit on the hill with the setting sun shining on us, horses grazing, birds wheeling, pronghorn watchful. Wonderfully simple and natural and normal. Wonderful and beautiful.
The horses had a few other visitors. People soaking up springtime and mustang magic.
Comanche is devoted to Kestrel. He won her quietly, after she had Winona last spring. She was with Mahogany at the time, with Sundance with Aspen and Comanche trailing. While Sundance focused on Mahogany and Aspen focused on them, Comanche smoothly established himself as protector of Kestrel and her new filly. And protect them he did, even after the family grew this spring to include Juniper. Winona ended up with Grey/Traveler right before the roundup … I’d love to know how that happened.
For quite a while – even before the roundup – they’ve been hanging close to Hollywood and Piedra. One of the most interesting dynamics going.
Comanche and his baby girl, Juniper.
Mama Kestrel and her baby girl.
Juni is close to her first birthday.
Mama carrying the next generation – will it be a brother or a sister for Juniper?
Handsome daddy. 🙂
Sleepy, sleepy.
Piedra and Hollywood napping comfortably together. Comanche was just to the right, and Kestrel and Juniper just right of him.
Snow coming over the eastern ridges.
They have such a bond. She’d look at me, and he’d stretch slightly to nose her tenderly on the neck. She’d turn her head back and close her eyes, their faces together.
When Comanche stole most of Hollywood’s band last spring, Piedra stayed with Hollywood … Comanche very quickly lost them (Iya, Cougar and Sage ended up with Poco and Roach, who pretty quickly kicked Sage out; Baylee and Tenaz ended up with Storm, who were together all summer), but he never seemed to0 interested in them – and not nearly as interested in keeping them as he seemed interested in sticking close to Kestrel and Winona.
Very interesting little combined-family dynamic here. What will happen when the girls have their foals? Piedra is due the end of April, Kestrel around early to mid-May.
But now is now, and now is a beautiful season. 🙂
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
Comanche – love this big guy! The light patch on his shoulder is his breath. It was only slightly below freezing, but there was enough moisture in the air that our breath was visible. (Did you notice it in the pic of Shadow in a previous post?)
Tall, dark-eyed and dappled – wow! 😉
How handsome is he?
It was while I was photographing him and his extended family – right close with Hollywood and Piedra still – that I realized I had left all my extra memory cards at home. I had just come from a visit with Grey/Traveler’s band – one direction, McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory, the other direction, the La Sals. I used up about two-thirds of the card’s capacity just on them. But no problem, thought I. I’ll poach the card from my other camera. Except that’s the camera I used when I took pix recently of Ze and Asher and Skipper – and obviously hadn’t replaced the card yet. And I had spotted Sundance’s, Aspen’s and Storm’s bands when I found Comanche & Co. in a little swale between hills. Oh, how I hate rationing photos.
Let this be a lesson: Always carry extra memory (!). And “be prepared.” What can I say? I was in a hurry to get out to the ponies! At least I remembered to grab extra batteries, keeping warm in my pocket (and I did need them). 🙂
With his girls: Juniper and Kestrel. I don’t think of Juni as so big until I see her with mama. She’s a bit on higher ground, but still. Isn’t she a big, beautiful girl? Definitely takes after daddy, this one!
Thank you all for your votes! So very much appreciated! It makes a hard process a little easier. 🙂
Some more pix from last week’s visit. Despite the low sun, I walked out to Hollywood and Comanche’s, even though they were already on the shady side of Flat Top and the sun set before I even got to them … but I wouldn’t have missed the visit.
Last light on McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory.
Reflected light … it must have bounced off the far hills – the sun had set on the other side of this hill.
Hollywood was standing sentinel on top of the hill (one of the finger ridges that lead up to Flat Top’s top), and Juniper ran up to him …
Then he play-chased her down to where Piedra was, both of them bucking and kicking up their heels. The poor quality is because my ISO was cranked as high as it would go! But I liked the moment of suspension. 🙂
Then it was time for their evening drink at the pond. I was a little surprised to see Comanche drink right next to Piedra, who was right next to Hollywood.
He did drink next to Kestrel, too, though.
All together.
Juniper, her reflection and Piedra – love how they all line up.
Piedra grazing after drinking.
Mama Kestrel and Juniper in amazing reflected glowing after-sunset light.
Last light on the La Sals.
Comanche, one of the very last pix I took that evening.
Wow-gorgeous.
Some random photos that I just didn’t get posted during the last week from my last visit …
Biggest change – Bounce and Tenaz have picked up Seven and Storm. Happy to see those boys together.
Grey/Traveler, looking magnificent as always.
Baby Mysterium. Love this sweet dancer girl.
Mysterium and mama Kootenai
Sundance and the La Sal Mountains (Utah).
That was looking northwest; this is looking east-ever-so-barely-southeast toward McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory (Colorado).
Burly-man Comanche
Handsome Hollywood (yes, their bands are still family)
Tenaz. Hollywood’s son, fairly close here … looking at Storm …
Seven and Bounce
Leaving you with supreme cuteness – Mysterium.
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! 🙂
The light was just starting to turn into that golden shower of color. I had been sitting in the Jeep at the east end of Wildcat Valley for a bit, taking notes and watching horses, waiting for that light …
Then came the pintos, and everybody scattered.
Hollywood and Comanche and their bands came out beyond where I ended up sitting in the grass … stopped … looked back at some others … and off they went.
Handsome Hollywood
Lovely Piedra
This was when I knew for sure that Comanche still had Kestrel and Juniper, even though they were so close to Hollywood and Piedra. You can see Traveler’s band in the upper right corner.
Wowza – that Comanche has big strides!
Comanche’s daughter, Juniper, floating on light.
Juniper’s mama, Kestrel. Another beautiful girl.
Seven and Aspen were visible, too. Piedra and Kestrel are looking back at Traveler’s and/or Sundance’s, and Comanche is turning to look at Seven and Aspen (Hollywood was just to the left, and he was already looking at them).
Piedra, looking.
Seven later chased Aspen back across to where the other horses had come from. He spent a lot of time and traveled a pretty good distance to try to shake Aspen, but when he finally returned to his band (out of sight for most of the chase), Aspen followed right behind.
Seven’s band (Shane, Mona, Killian and Roja) shortly after they had come into view and he had gotten back to them (they’re looking at him).
So after waiting for that golden light with bands all around … the ponies were scattered like the wind and out of reach. 🙂 Wouldn’t ya know.
Killian, son of Seven and Roja, baby brother of Ze, who was adopted locally to an incredible home.
I had one of the best visits ever with his band yesterday. That’s Shane’s hip at right – and they’re pretty much attached at the hip. Cutest thing ever to see Killian walk hesitantly up with Shane to introduce themselves to Juniper. Little guy using big “sister” to bolster his curiosity. Juni wasn’t quite ready to play, though she gave them both a sniff, and then Piedra urged them back to their own mamas.
Wait, did I just mention horses from three different bands? 🙂
Piedra and Hollywood are reunited, and Juni and mama and daddy, Kestrel and Comanche, are reunited, and the two bands are as close as they were pre-roundup. They were grazing in a little “meadow” very near where Seven’s were napping under some trees when I spotted them. Seven ran Aspen like a crazy horse the evening before, but Aspen was napping right with them.
Mona and Roja. Mona doesn’t look terribly close, does she?
All three bands, from left: Mona, Roja, Shane and Killian, Seven, Hollywood, Piedra (Comanche behind her), Juniper and Kestrel, and Aspen at far right.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 