Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

This isn’t a super current pic of our lovely elder lady Houdini. It was taken a couple of weeks ago after a then-fresh snowfall.

When I get into Spring Creek Basin next – hopefully today – the snow is going to be even deeper than in the above pic. As I type this Tuesday night, to schedule for what will be this morning, we are getting walloped with snow! A solid 6 inches total so far, maybe 7 … and surely more by morning, let alone the end of the day, when the winter storm warning expires.

Our world looks MUCH different again from the uniform brown we had just a couple of days ago. We are getting tremendous moisture out of this storm!

And just like that, it was time for the evening trek to water, which the horses found trickling sweetly though the bottom of an arroyo. The boys are always the last to know. 🙂

Winona soaks up the sunshine while the snow clouds linger over McKenna Peak and Temple Butte.

It felt much warmer than it looks!

Doesn’t he look great? Hollywood is one of our elder stallions now – about 21 this year, if my original guess about his age when we first met was right. The last couple of years, he was looking a little lean. He doesn’t have a lieutenant, which probably contributes to his good condition. He and his band of lovely ladies do wander quite a lot. I may know relatively where to look for and find many of the other bands at any given time, but it’s always a wonder where Holls will be.

I’m really happy to see him looking so good. He may be the oldest band stallion in the basin now, but he also has one of the biggest bands!

While we wait for snow (that sticks), how about another pic of our lovely dun girls? While Aiyanna watches the pronghorns half a mile or so away, Dundee keeps her eyes on me. 🙂

Interesting how their dorsal stripes mimic some of the erosion ridges on far McKenna Peak, eh?

All that snow is BRIGHT under the Colorado sunshine! Alegre and the other mustangs do get a little squinty-eyed trying to keep out the glare.

Does she have some impressive wind knots or what?!

Sleepy, sleepy Skywalker. 🙂

All that snow acts as a giant light reflector, and while the air is cold, it also serves to create a very real warmth. And after filling their bellies, they’re very amenable to nice little naps!

By the time the sun reappeared from the snow clouds, Tenaz and Skywalker and Sancho and the band had settled into naps. That sunshine *does* feel remarkably warm, especially after a blizzard wave!

Skywalker weathers the wind while we await the first of a few days of snow in the forecast.

Spoiler alert: It’s off to a rather slow start. We do have mud – from a decent little bit of rain – but the bit of snow that fell didn’t stick.

Good news: There’s a high percentage that we’ll get *some* sticking snow this week?!

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Today honors and celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and “focuses on civil rights issues and recognizes the use of nonviolence to promote change and calls for public service.” Those are calls we all should answer.

One has to wonder whether bachelor Aspen was admiring Alegre as much as I was as she raced past, mud flying! He certainly looks to be in a posture of appreciation. 🙂