And a couple of his girls:
Alegre. You’d be able to see the La Sals behind her if it hadn’t been snowing yonder.
Houdini, looking very healthy.
Grey/Traveler with Houdini
He was aged at “aged” at the roundup (up from 17 in 2007 and 10 in 2005). He has the biggest band in the basin (again).
Isn’t she gorgeous?
Isn’t he gorgeous?
🙂
Another collection of fairly random photos, related only by the horses and the basin.
Chipeta and Puzzle
Puzzle
Grey/Traveler and Houdini
Corona
Mona, Shane and Killian
Closer of Mona and Shane
Shane and Roja
Aspen and Killian
Mona
Aspen
Mona
Enjoy! 🙂
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.
Always the gentle suitor …
Do they make a handsome pair or what?
The world is an amazing place, the creatures upon this Earth a wide and incredible variety, the magic they emit some sort of secret we humans don’t seem to be quite in on. It’s hard to think of us humans as part of this magical place … such is the harm we do to it and each other and our fellow creatures.
Sometimes my thoughts lead me to dark places, but how can a body possibly be melancholy faced with …
From high on the north hills of Spring Creek Basin, looking westish-southwestish. That’s Filly Peak in the far distance. Just beyond, the basin drops off over the rimrock edge of the world into the wider Disappointment.
An evening spent with Grey/Traveler’s band. I found a place in the open, in the sunshine, and watched and waited and felt the darkness leave my soul … as always happens …
And from that place – on the hill, in the light – the horses moved around me, in and out of my field of vision, never far away, always aware …
And I saw the color of the light change …
And heard the sound of the air quiver into its end-of-day hum …
As I watched up the hill …
And across the hill …
Caught the filtered softness of light …
And the tiny things out standing in the light …
And the very last hurrah of light …
And never wanted to leave.
Such is the magic, eh?
In 2005, Traveler was aged at 10. In 2007, he was aged at 17. In 2011, he was aged at … “aged.”
In 2005, Traveler lost about half his band to the roundup. In 2007, he lost all his band. In 2011, one daughter went to Canon City (Gemma, with some lameness issues; she has an interested adopter) and one was adopted (Deniz). One daughter (Terra) is with Chrome. He has regained Houdini and Corona and added Alegre (and Aurora) and Gaia. I think somebody forgot to tell the boy how “old” he is. 😉
Alegre and Houdini
Corona, Gaia and Aurora
Corona and Traveler
Traveler and Houdini
Houdini has a story to tell about how she got from Bounce to Traveler – he’s in the same place I found him last week, but Bounce has moved. She seems content … and she’s not talking (to me).
With everything that has happened, the adoption behind us, people working for the horses at Canon City, the horses in the basin are now foremost in my thoughts. Getting back to them is what I look forward to now.
We’ve all been on an emotional roller coaster, but just like last time, we’re already at work evaluating what happened and what we can change, what worked, what didn’t, ways we can offer our help.
Lots of positives, starting with these:
Copper
Chipeta and Puzzle – they’re with Ty, still, and back with Reya and Maiku. Copper is with them.
Maiku
Ty, trotting out to have a chat with Copper. After so long in Copper’s shadow, Ty has asserted his dominance.
Reya, Puzzle, Chipeta in back and Maiku
Gaia … might be expecting a spotted baby in the spring …
Aurora
Alegre (Aurora is nursing – see her ear?) and Gaia.
Traveler … looks pretty good for an “old” man, eh? He was aged at “aged.” How I love him.
Always stunning.
Tenaz and Corona
Corona
All the BLM folks have been amazing. I’m not sure whether I should name them because I don’t want them to be targets any more than they already are, but they were excellent in all regards. We couldn’t have done anything that we did – and have done – without them. JD, WW, CC, TR, LA, JG, SB, LB, SW, JJ, MJ, HP, KW, SM, AB … thank you so much for your support and calm and level-headed approach – and for always thinking of the safety of the horses and humans. We appreciate you more than we can possibly express. We’re so grateful to have achieved what we have with your partnership, and we look forward to achieving our future goals with your help.
BLM has plans to re-seed the trapsite area, and that could happen as soon as next week.
Monday, after everything was over and everyone else was gone, I went back to basin.
If you go out looking for horses, be patient, use your binoculars, scan slowly and in seemingly unlikely places – and some of the same – and you will find them.
I saw Aspen almost right away (though I thought initially he was Duke, right in his home territory). Then Seven’s … Then black and grey – Bounce and Alegre?! Horses in trees … and below them … and nearby …
Bounce sticks out here … but he’s not with Alegre – he’s with Houdini. She’s right above the “C” in Creek.
While I was looking at them, I spotted another pair:
Right by the brown guzzler, Chrome and Hayden.
I went back around to where I’d seen horses in the hill, and that’s where the wild magic started to work its healing.
Traveler (back right) with Alegre (grey), Gaia (sorrel) and baby Aurora.
Tenaz and Corona. Tenaz was almost caught … Baylee was caught (she’s awaiting adoption – big, beautiful bay girl), and Storm gave observers a show when he galloped away right past them on the hill above the trapsite.
Watching the pintos …
Left to right: Reya (4), Maiku (1), Puzzle (1) and Chipeta. They’re a long way from “home” territory. Chipeta is the dam of the foal that has now been adopted. We don’t know how they got separated. The helicopter pilot was excellent about not even targeting the horses we asked him not to. That’s why he left the bunch alone when he realized they were with the youngest foal. What a story that foal could tell … I’m not even sure who the horses were that were with Chipeta’s band when the pilot did see the group. So all the pintos (and their hangers-on) are accounted for except stallion Corazon.
Here they are with Ty, who is now dominant over …
Copper, who is sticking with them.
I finally left them to find Seven’s and see whether Mona had had her foal yet. The pilot had seen “the pregnant mare” and of course left her alone. (We did see Kreacher’s band before the roundup even started – they ran across what would later be “the observation hill” with SUNDANCE immediately behind them and Kreacher following (?!). Chrome broke away from his band to follow them … leaving his band separated for quite a while (they were later captured all together). People were camped farther north on that hill at the time … we didn’t see the horses again. I am very eager to find them.
From left: Roja and Killian, Seven, Mona and Shane.
The lone bay turned out to be Aspen.
I also saw Shadow the end of the day Sunday – alone. But if I had to guess in normal circumstances where she might be, she was right there. Wind and Coal came to the trapsite with Iya and Cougar. Have not seen David.
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)!
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 …
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 