Meet Maia

3 05 2012

Alegre had her baby!

Do you see what I see?

Now?

Shy baby.

There’s the little miss!

She is the spitting image of her big sister Aurora and their daddy, Bounce – except! Maia has two hind pasterns to ‘Rora’s and Bounce’s right hind pastern! I still don’t know whether Aurora will eventually turn grey like mama or stay black like daddy. Sable was jet black until her second summer, when she started to turn grey, and I first documented Ty as black – and look at him now!

Napping biggest sister Gaia watches her mama and new little sister.

Gaia is an Earth Day baby; Maia is a May Day baby!

Another feisty little girl, she kept her mama hopping to keep up with her!

Running …

running …

running …

running! 🙂

Mariah and Maia, Houdini and Alegre.

Mariah is 3 weeks old now.

Grey/Traveler is Mariah’s daddy and Maia’s stepdaddy.

Another sweetheart for Spring Creek Basin!





SCB mustangs in the spotlight

22 04 2012

Most readers of this blog aren’t local to this neck of the woods, but if you are, I’d like to invite you to the “Southwest Colorado Spring Creek Basin Wild Horse Management Program” at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango. It’s part of the center’s “2012 Program Series: Celebrating the Preservation of our Natural and Cultural Heritage.”

Guest speakers will be Fran Ackley from Canon City; Tom Rice from the Tres Rios Field Office in Dolores; and Kathe Hayes with the San Juan Mountains Association. Our Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners will represent our member groups – National Mustang Association/Colorado, Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen, Four Corners Back Country Horsemen and SJMA – during the event. It’s a great way to let the public know about our groups individually and Wild Bunch as a whole, and educate people about our Spring Creek Basin mustangs and how we help, including being part of the Director’s Challenge award that netted our BLM office $25,000 for projects for the horses. We’re excited to be part of this educational series hosted by the Center of Southwest Studies!

The event will start with a reception at 5:30 followed by the program at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the center’s Lyceum on the Fort Lewis College campus.

If you are local, or even passing through, we hope to see you there!





The wind in light

19 04 2012

Oh, baby.

Houdini and Mariah, walking into the light. Oh, how gorgeous you are!





Family ties

14 04 2012

Baby Mariah with her new family.

Even almost-yearling Aurora takes a role in protecting baby.

Mamas and their daughters. Notice Gaia shedding.

When the babies are little, mamas are constantly checking them, sniffing them, reassuring them – and themselves – that all is well. Each one so precious and unique.





They call the wind …

11 04 2012

Mariah

Roy grew up in Disappointment Valley. How cool is that? He and Sue come back a couple of times each year to visit the wild horses. He found the filly when she was still wobbly. How cool is that?!

Welcome to your windy world, little one. It’s howling – Mariah, you’re right at home!





It’s a(nother) girl!

10 04 2012

First (known) baby of the season in Spring Creek Basin belongs to Houdini and Grey/Traveler! 🙂

Baby is boldly marked like sisters Terra and Iya.

Since 2007, Iya has had only daughters, all grey, all but one born reddish, like this beautiful girl.

Houdini is an awesome mama. Not only has she had only fillies the last several years, all her babies have survived.

Thank you so much, Roy and Sue, for passing on this excellent news!





Coupla bellies

31 03 2012

It won’t be much longer now … baby season!

I saw Shadow the other day. She’s the first due (just before the middle of April), but she’s not very wide. And yes, she is back with David!

Piedra is due after the middle of April. She has had two colts and a filly, all by Hollywood, who also is this foal’s sire.

Kestrel is due before the middle of May. She has had two fillies, one by Mouse and one by Comanche (seen in the background). This year’s foal’s sire is Comanche.

Raven also is due before the middle of May. She has had a filly (by Corona in her native Sand Wash Basin) and a colt, by Kreacher, who also is the sire of this year’s foal.  She (and Kootenai) are both in Sundance’s band now.

Alegre is due right around the middle of May. She has had two fillies and a colt (and lost one foal). Gaia’s sire is unknown, but Bounce is the sire of the other two and this year’s foal. She is with Grey/Traveler now.

Houdini is due around the middle of April. She is one of three mares who has had surviving foals each year since at least 2007. Two different sires: Junior (rounded up in 2007) and Grey/Traveler, who also is the sire of this year’s foal. (She also had been with Grey in the early 2000s.) All her foals since 2007 have been fillies.

OK, so a couple more than a coupla bellies! Not all, though. These are just the most recent pix I have of girls due!





Escape artist

15 03 2012

Houdini, highlighted.

She wasn’t keen on having her picture taken. I just wanted to see the belly. And yes, there’s a belly on the girl. I just couldn’t resist this scrumptious, gorgeous image of the grand girl.





Days, running

27 12 2011

Even at the end of the year, where does the time go? It’s that short light … except I have that problem, too, when the days are long!

Some more pix from my visit with Grey/Traveler’s band last week … Alegre and Aurora. Starting to see a bit of  a belly there. 🙂

‘Rora on the ridge.

Beloved boy, quiet and watchful – Alegre and Aurora were just to the left.

Corona with the big view. She ought to be pregnant with Grey’s foal for spring.

Beautiful mustangy mustang Houdini-girl. She’ll be pregnant with Grey’s foal.

Alegre should be pregnant with Bounce’s foal, and Gaia should be in foal to Cinch.

Houdini leading, Aurora and Alegre following. Can’t beat that dramatic background, eh? We’re about in the heart of the basin, and those are the eastern ridges that form that side’s boundary (the unnamed promontory, McKenna Peak and Brumley Point are southish … to the right).

On top of the ridge, they could see Storm and Shadow grazing not too far away (but separated by some broken ground including one decent arroyo). Grey’s looking at them while little Miss Curiosity checks on my whereabouts.

My new favorite pic of Storm. 🙂 He’s galloping after Shadow, who broke into a run as the paths of the horses started to converge up near the pond. As far as I could tell, they (the bands) never did get particularly close to each other, and I saw them later, from another part of the basin, separately grazing.

They do use the roads in the basin – particularly in the winter – for easier walking where it suits them. Grey’s band took the Flat Top road, and Storm and Shadow took the north-south road. The snow last week ranged from a pretty light dusting (from overnight) to at least 6 inches back near the Round Top area. It hasn’t snowed again since then and, in fact, has been fairly warm – into the 40s! La Nina is supposed to give us less snow but cold temps – we have less snow and not very cold temps (the overnight lows get pretty chilly with the clear skies). We always worry about snow – more is better for the coming year. But it’s early yet … the days are just on their way to getting longer. 🙂

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!





Blues and Grey

27 12 2011

Muddy silver boy. Can’t even tell you how much I love this horse.

Corona and Gaia

Alegre, Houdini and Grey/Traveler. Don’t they look fantastic?!

* Sort-of update about Roja and Killian. I didn’t see them, but the only other horses I didn’t see were the pintos, David (alone last week when I found out that Roja and Killian were missing from Aspen’s band) and Chrome’s band. I think it’s most likely that Chrome has them … but I don’t know where the pintos are these days – or Chrome’s, for that matter! Did see Duke and Kreacher, and also saw Poco and Roach! They know where they are … I just have to find them. 😉