Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Gorgeous mama, gorgeous baby.

Do you see that?

Can’t miss it!

Little boy blue is turning grey!

They have me.

Who could possibly resist this face – those eyes?

Not me, not in a million evenings with golden light and baby blue eyes!

Coming up with a mustang baby’s name has never been so difficult – or seemed so important.

I wanted to choose a name for this colt that reflects his heritage as the grandson of our marvelous stallion, Grey/Traveler, this home he was born to, Spring Creek Basin, Colorado, and the legacy he has inherited.

Grey Eagle was the sire of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s famous war horse, Traveller. That might be swapping things around a bit, but because Traveller was gelded, he left no offspring. Eagles – both golden and bald – can be seen here (infrequently, though a couple of Forest Service folks were here in late winter to count them and check nesting sites, and I have seen raptors of both species in the sky and on land – and fence wire). A terrific, family-published book, Where Eagles Winter, by Wilma Bankston, paints a fascinating history of Disappointment Valley and the surrounding region. The Utes traditionally hunted and traveled this land, and knew it more intimately than we ever can.

The Ute word for eagle is kwana (kwah-nah).

He may be somewhat lacking in fierceness at this tender age, but little Kwana has some big hoofprints to fill.

And he’s going to turn grey. 🙂