From sunset one night:
Love this sweet, sweet boy – Varoujan.
Look at him looking! Love the light, the swish of mama’s tail, the brace of his legs as he finds milk and comfort.
With mama and brother Gideon …
All those faces – faces of family – at sunset, the dawn of a beautiful life.
Our little Gideon was a year old Sunday.
From the beginning, I knew this little was different than most of Luna’s.
But not tooooo different – mama Luna loves them all as if they were the one and only.
Mama still loves the mister. He’s the only one of her older babies still with her – Kestrel and Ember are mamas themselves now, and Hannah is with Ember.
About two months ago.
He’s a stinker. 🙂
He is growing up into such a handsome boy!
Butch has been stepdaddy the past year, but I think they’re brothers, both sons of Steeldust.
Darling boy, happy birthday! You bring us such joy!
Also going back a couple of weeks to photos I didn’t have time to tweak and post. A visit to Luna’s was my last of this particular day.
They were napping out past the double ponds. One got dug out two years ago; the other wasn’t because of some sort of problem. The non-dugout one has been dry for a while already this year. I saw tadpoles there earlier this spring (later this winter?), and the one that got dug out is probably dry now (it was down to a puddle last week) – though it did have a shallow bit of water there when the horses were there.
When I walked out, Mouse was off a bit, napping, and the others were almost all in a row. Luna was grazing (baby is getting bigger all the time), but the others were watching me walk up – I had to go out of their view past the lower pond, into and through the arroyo and up the hill – and I climbed up to five amazing pairs of ears – all but Luna’s at first – greeting me!
You may notice I just changed the “banner” pic at the top of the blog. Aren’t they the cutest? I love Alpha and the boys. It may be because of Storm, but Gideon seems to really have become attached to Alpha. I love their big-to-little arrangement … though Storm’s as big as Alpha! Notice Steeldust. Guess where Mouse is.
I dropped to the ground as soon as I came up the hill to this amazing view – just had to take it all in! Mouse here is framed through the branches of the tree on my left. And between him and the band is … you guessed it. Steeldust.
Well, here, I have five ears of four horses … but only two eyes! The wind was blowing really hard from the south. They were somewhat protected here in this little valley – there’s a tall ridge/hill above the arroyo to the right – but it was still blasting. I love to see them so wonderfully relaxed.
Now different eyes, and Gideon’s letting me know what he thinks about the whole thing.
Before I knew it:
I really love it when they’re this relaxed.
Awww … but you know what’s coming …
That’s karma, kid! I couldn’t help laughing about the times he did exactly this to his younger “sisters” in the band.
Ugh – breath mint lately? he seems to ask.
And over he goes. 🙂 Isn’t he adorable? Soooooo sweet and innocent??? Alpha knows what’s coming, though …
… and she’s outta there. Check out Luna’s expression. Gideon had to step back when Storm rolled up – and yes, his forehead is right against Gid’ th’ Kid’s chest.
And what goes around comes around – literally. When Alpha walked behind them, it prompted Butch to move Luna – and there’s Storm about to come to his feet. Poor guy – his nap was so short-lived.
He went over to stand by mama. Look how big he is.
Gideon went to his mama, but she is in the grouchy don’t-bother-me stage of pregnancy. She IS a mama, though – HIS mama – and he did find some comfort:
Just don’t interrupt the girl’s nap. 🙂
And I left ’em to it and tiptoed away through the wind.
Lovely, lovely Alpha-mare
Cute-n-curious Gideon
The boy with his mama Luna
When Storm and Twister finally had enough and went their separate ways, Storm came innocently back across the arroyo and up the trail toward mama. But it was also the track straight to Luna, and Butch was charging after him in a flash – not play but a definite warning! Storm got away and came up the hill on the other side of mama – where she was napping still as you see in the photo.
Butch back with Luna – I noticed these interesting curls on the back of his hind legs. How cute is that?
A scattering of pix in this post … mostly it struck me how intent Fierro was on the goings-on, despite his family – and Steeldust – keeping him safely out of the fray.
The little guy with auntie Hannah (mama Ember’s little sister).
With other auntie Sable (mama’s little half-sister).
With Uncle Pinon (mama’s half-brother). I’m not at all sure why Pinon didn’t join the games … I suspect it has a little to do with the little mister and possibly a little more to do with the girls. He’s very attached to Ember – year-mates. Probably the only reason Hook tolerates him in the family … and I wonder, too, how long that will last … and until Pinon finds himself with Twister and Co. (or?) …
Hook and Fierro, Hannah, Sable and Ember below. Fierro had earlier tried to snuggle up to Hook, but Hook wasn’t having any of it at the time. Here, Hook walked up to Fierro, who is now looking back at stepdaddy’s attention.
Luna and Alpha trying their best to catch some shut-eye with all the goings-on (across the arroyo to the left). This was just after Butch had rejoined Luna after his little foray with the boys. Luna looks decent for a girl who has had multiple foals in a row (this will be her fifth foal since I’ve known her (Kestrel, Ember, Hannah, Gideon). I’d love to give her a rest … She should stay, not only because of her outside genetics (she and two others came from Sand Wash Basin in 2001) but because of her wise alpha-mare status (like Alpha above her).
Some of the boys’ roughhousing brought them down into the arroyo and up the hill a bit, and Steeldust charged down in warning – you can maybe see a little of the dust obscuring the saltbush below him. I found it so interesting that he didn’t need to wade in – knew it was play – and he had his own role – protecting Alpha. What a dynamic this little band has. How long will it be before Storm leaves mama? Will Steeldust and Alpha and Butch and Luna stay together? Mahogany and Sundance and Aspen left … at whose instigation? Will Butch eventually challenge Steeldust for Alpha, too? Steeldust backed down to him last spring … but Butch was focused on Luna and never challenged for Alpha. And with Butch’s “must-be-at-her-side-always” style, how many mares does he think he can care for? I think Alpha will stay with Luna as long as possible.
When Storm and Twister resumed their play after their intermission and greeting of baby Gideon – and Mouse stepped in – Gideon retreated to mama. Check out his body language. Doesn’t it scream “little brother sent home”? 🙂 Patience, little.
Clearly still finding comfort with mama, who has just as clearly weaned him and wasn’t in the mood to baby him. He sought a snuggle, and she pinned her ears at him for his efforts. Though she didn’t mind his nearness – nor Butch’s, immediately on her other side. (I’m not sure I’d be less grumpy with a baby in the belly.)
Fierro was looking for somebody to “practice” on, and Sable seemed to fit the bill – at least briefly.
Twister and Cuatro walking up away from the arroyo. Storm followed closely – Duke and Mouse stayed below (grazing). They paused at a stud pile – which Twister contributed to, which prompted yet another “discussion.” 🙂
Hook eventually chased his group away over the ridge and to the next ridge – which led to them going the opposite direction as the others ended up going. But that little Fierro just couldn’t get enough!
And Hook couldn’t resist a last look, either. 🙂
This was too cute not to share right away (and then I got carried away …). I was looking back for pix of Gideon with the big boys after I did the last post and found these. He came across the arroyo and was sniffing noses with Twister when Mister Mouse came striding up and sent Gideon went scurrying around to the other side of Storm.
I just adore this:
Mouse sniffing Twister, Twister sniffing Gideon over Storm’s back while Storm looks up the ridge at Hook’s!
Talk about jumping around. And this would probably have made for exceptionally interesting video to really tie it all together as I’m obviously failing to do. This, right here, is how I know without a shadow of a doubt the boys’ “fighting” was play – practice for a year or so in the future when it will be for real – to win or keep or add mares – to prove their strength and courage – and intelligence. That really struck me as I watched them spar. There’s definitely *thinking* at work – it’s not just brute strength – there’s craftiness and cunning – and obviously learned behavior. They circle – closely – shove their shoulders into each other … What do we do when walking behind a horse? We give them a LOT of room – or “don’t walk behind the horse,” parents tell children at the fair – or we talk to them, keep a hand on their side, hip, hindquarter, tail, as we walk right around them – close – too close for a kick to land.
Play and learning, youth and exuberance – a little showmanship? They learn their moves, they learn the moves of their peers. Steeldust is the only one I’ve ever seen with his courbette move – charge – rear – vertical leap. How did he learn that one? Fighting against bigger stallions? It certainly seemed to have helped him (and the chaos of the last roundup, too?). He had the biggest – by far – band after the last roundup.
The “before” pic to the top pic … Mouse approaching while Twister greets Gideon during a break in his play with Storm (behind).
Mouse is the lone bachelor left following Steeldust’s band – which is really Luna’s band. Spoiler: Mahogany, Sundance and Aspen are together – separate. (Only distance pix for documentation.) Mouse has been with the band since before Gideon was born. Gideon has never not known Mouse, though he’s always been on the outskirts – and always protective.
When Mouse got closer, Gideon spooked and ducked behind Storm (who is family) – and then the top photo. I couldn’t tell what sparked that … and what was Mouse’s motive to walk over in the first place? Protection? Curiosity? “Pick on someone your own size”? Though clearly Twister was not threatening the little guy in any way.
A few moments later:
Mouse wandered off again, Storm turned around. Storm and Gideon are the same ages (about) as Pinon and Fierro.
And here comes Mouse again. Isn’t that interesting?
Wide view (how *exquisite* is that light on the far hills!): Mouse and boys in the lower foreground, and above, left to right: Pinon, Fierro, Hook, Sable (Ember and Hannah behind).
I missed the “drama” of Steeldust hustling Fierro back to his band because I was so focused on the interactions of the closer boys, but …
Gideon takes advantage of the action to sneak a sniff of Mouse – they’re watching as Fierro walked past Hook and seemed on his way down the ridge to join the fun … but Luna and Butch and Alpha and Steeldust are at right – Steeldust on duty. Steely Dan put the kibosh to curious George’s track … and then this:
Check out Hook’s look – directly at Steeldust. Is that a “hey, thanks, man, I owe you one”? It appears I wasn’t the only one distracted by the play of boys. 😉
(Again, that light in the background!)
And that’s all I have time for – work calls. More to come!
Snow-white Alpha at home in the snow.
What a super visit to kick off the new year! It was a visit of some firsts: first visit of the year, first visit ever to see wild horses … I had a special visitor today! We had tried a couple of times last year to get out to see the horses but were stymied by bad weather each time. Today proved worth waiting for with bright sunshine, pristine snow and freezing conditions perfect enough to drive right in!
She’ll be back for sure … C, I hope you enjoyed your first visit!
We saw lots of horses – very far away – and visited with just Steeldust’s and Kreacher’s bands. We helped a fellow in need, who was performing ice-breaking duty for the horses and for the cattle that are in through February. Always nice to have a set of eyes out there – and the ice-breaking is awesome! Thank you, B! All around, a wonderful day!
Aspen
Mahogany
Gideon, Steeldust, Alpha and Storm
Gideon
Storm and mama Alpha
Mahogany and her boys
Sundance
Steeldust
Very cold – in the mid-teens – but it didn’t feel that cold in the sunshine … until the sun was very low on the horizon. The snow is just amazing – pristine, glittering like infinite rainbows … and when the sun hit low and orange – WOW! Unbelievable gorgeousity!
Special thanks to another C, who gave the thumbs-up on driving in after her lovely visit on New Year’s Day!
While we were watching the boys, it was fun to also watch the mamas and their babies – the little baby as well as the big baby!
Luna and her baby boy, Gideon
Alpha was giving Storm a motherly scratch on the withers while they – and Gideon – watched the goings-on among some of the boys.
Alpha and her (big) baby, Storm
Luna and Gideon and Alpha
Lovely and handsome!
Lovely Alpha
More handsome and lovely!
Growing up handsome!
Luna and her little man, Gideon.
There’s a theme … really …
The horses were just going crazy with bugs or flies or … I think it’s the wetter-than-usual conditions (although it was fairly windy and dry right at the moment) because usually we’re past the bugs by now – and they weren’t going for me at all. Alpha was seeking a little protection under Storm’s neck and got the double benefit of Luna’s tail; Gideon in the foreground. He’s 2 … but still her baby.
I am completely in love with these two – yep, with Comanche, “back” with “Steeldust’s band.” Love how they’re “sharing” an eye in this image.
Baby ‘Nona is a knockout, and I’m not the only one who thinks so …
She loves me!
Err … she loves me not? Or: Gideon gets his first lesson in the mystery of the opposite sex.
She loves me – I think?!
Oh, that little ‘Nona … 😉
OK, not a baby, but I can’t resist that sweet baby-face – bachelor Mouse.
WARNING FOR SNAKE-O-PHOBES!
Depending on how you scroll and the size of your monitor, that warning may not help …
Are you ready?
You’re wondering how this could POSSIBLY fit the theme – I know you are. When I first saw “this” snake, it was little, and I identified by the very teeny tiny tip of its testy tail that it was a rattler. Look at the rattle in this picture. Not very teeny, eh? The out-of-focus blur at right is the rock the teeny tail disappeared behind as I came walking up. Disclaimer: I’m not nearly as close as this photo – cropped after being shot at 400 mm – would have you believe. Impact is everything, after all. Because of the grass and distance, I couldn’t really see much detail through the viewfinder, but I knew enough that I didn’t want to hang around. Theory: This is mama snake, after baby snake of the teensy rattle crawled back to the “home hole” for safety.
Baby love, indeed. 🙂
Here’s the little series I’ve been wanting to show for a while …
It was a beautiful morning in early June. Remember this?:
Gideon napping while Mouse (bachelor) stands guard and Aspen (bachelor) grazes nearby.
Napping was the “activity” that morning:
Head … so … heavy … This was seconds before he was flat out …
Which Storm found utterly irresistible! However, Butch is a bit different than playmates Hannah and Pinon, and he was NOT amused, and Storm did NOT stick around to bother him – even though Butch didn’t get up.
Big guy … They look so vulnerable like this, don’t they …
Not far away: Gideon still napping … Mahogany grazing while Sundance, Mouse and Aspen (in that order) try to catch some winks behind her. They’re still following her like this (which was less than a month after she lost her foal).
And pretty soon, she also laid down … She’d kind of nibble around her … then have a great, legs-to-the-sky rollover … then quiet again …
Comfortable enough to stretch full out with the boys standing guard over her. Interestingly, I’m sure Sundance is the youngest of these stallions; I think Mouse and Aspen are roughly the same age. Sundance grew up with “rank” in the band, though, while Mouse and Aspen came in as bachelors.
But idyllic summer mornings don’t last long … Pretty soon, Mahogany was up again, which prompted some stallion action, which alerted Gideon, who realized Mama had grazed away a short distance …
While stallions’ “snaking” behavior looks rather fierce and “mean,” it’s really a protective gesture, meant to move horses in a particular direction – including wayward sons back to the protection of the band/their mothers. You can see by Gideon’s body language and ears that he’s alert to and responding to Aspen’s signal to move, but he’s not afraid of Aspen.
Then Mahogany cut across behind him (probably also a protective gesture on her part), which prompted Gideon into a gallop – but he’s still relaxed.
Such grace …
He found Mama nearly immediately and with the single-minded focus of foals was concerned – immediately – about connecting with his morning breakfast! But look at Luna – very tense and ears focused on the drama behind her. She did not allow him to nurse just then. Too much going on to fall into the trance state of baby nursing.
This is quite an illustration: They’ve come around and are now “in front of” Luna and Gideon and Butch (back to the right). Mahogany is looking for a way forward from Sundance (behind her) and Mouse (left) and away from Steeldust (right), who is blocking her from getting to “his” band, which includes Alpha and Storm and Luna & Co. – *because* she brings trouble – aka Sundance, Mouse and Aspen – with her. She had first tried to go to Steeldust’s right, but he blocked her, and now she’s going around his left.
That’s right – you’re on camera! Mouse now turned toward Aspen to keep him away from Mahogany – and Sundance. Poor Mouse … always the bachelor, never the, uh, groom.
I’ve mentioned before, but the dynamics of the band formerly known as Steeldust’s band have changed, and that’s what I’m trying to illustrate here (although I didn’t include pix of Alpha, she stays pretty close to Luna). Butch ignores Alpha in favor of Luna (and Gideon). In an interesting switcharoo, Steeldust has become the “lieutenant” to Butch – who is very likely his son – in his effort to keep Alpha, who has apparently bonded tightly to Luna (interestingly, the bond from Alpha to Luna is more apparent than vice versa … it may be because Luna has had foals the last two years, and Alpha has not (she got the PZP-22 at the 2007 roundup, and it worked only on her of four surviving mares; because of her likely age – 15+? – I’m grateful, at least, for the break in babies for her)). Mahogany found herself pretty much on the outskirts – with Kestrel for a while, until Kes had Winona – and surrounded by hale and hearty young stallions. They separated for a while – with Kestrel and her new stallion, Comanche (former first sergeant to Lt. Mouse), following at a slight distance – but just after Mahogany foaled and lost it, she was back with “Steeldust’s band,” which, I suppose, is more appropriately now called Luna’s band because, although the stallions very zealously guard their girls, Luna clearly is alpha in all senses.
So now we come to the little series I thought was so interesting and amazing at the time and had planned to post long before life took other directions (which simply means I didn’t have time, then forgot about it).
In the course of all the running around, Mahogany “pooped.” (Really, is there a delicate term?) And thus began the topic of this post: the stallion – and soon-to-be – samba:
Gideon and Butch were the first to discover the delightful pile – eau de Mahogany (sorry – really!).
But Butch asserted elder dominance and claimed it even while Gideon was *trying* to mark it – see Butch pawing and see Gideon “clacking”?
Gideon gave way, and there’s Butch with one more particular sniff before stepping forward to pee on it. (Look at Gideon’s face …)
Butch finished, Gideon took his turn … but look who’s coming up behind him …
Now this one, I just LOVE: Check out Steeldust – he is completely crowding the young mister, who is NOT giving way! Look at his face – the posture of his head and neck. He’s a little intimidated but determined! “I had to wait for Butch, Daddy, now you wait your turn!” This little one is one to watch!
Now look at him – all relaxed and happy! Steeldust pees while Butch pretends to graze while he shepherds the young man back to Mama – who is just ahead of him – I think you can see her shadow on the ground through his legs.
But wait!
Here’s Storm, almost 2, last in the samba line, giving it a determined sniff …
Circle of/cycle of life … importance of mamas AND daddies (even stepdaddies) and all ages to learn the ways of the world. It’s a small world, but it’s THEIR world.
Pretty damn incredible, right?
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 