Copper

9 08 2012

Copper is looking hale and hearty. Moving well after his knee injury earlier this year.

Spotlight on bay boy!

I do love those handsome bays!

He’s still hanging with the pintos.

Almost-2-year-old Puzzle with daddy Copper in the background.





Big sister, little brother

7 08 2012

Same sire: Copper.

Big sister Puzzle takes good care of little brother S’aka, who clearly adores her. (Reya was immediately to the right.)

Puzzle’s mama is Chipeta, who is probably about 7 years old and due to foal around Sept. 1; S’aka’s mama is Reya, who is 5 years old.





Diggin’ the spots

6 08 2012

Today was a good day to check the status of the Round Top pond. On the way, I stopped for a visit with the pinto ponies.

Copper walks past the Round Top pond.

Then there was some of this:

Mama Reya and baby S’aka.

And a bit of this:

Copper, with Brumley Point in the background.

And a teeny bit of this:

Puzzle with mama Chipeta and stepdaddy Ty.

And we got a nice downpour later. What a wonderful day!





Surprises

26 05 2012

Had a surprise viewing of David and Shadow and the pintos! I’m still torn on Shadow’s pregnancy (or not) status, and my view of her was obscured by greasewood or distance.

David

Shadow. If she’s not pregnant, she’s sure healthy – and she is. Look how shiny and great she looks!

Baby S’aka taking a nap under the watchful eye of Corazon. The dynamic may have changed slightly with the pinto band. Corazon seems very possessive of Reya, with Ty giving them some space. Copper is still low man, and I couldn’t see him well enough because of the greasewood, so it was hard to see the status of his injured knee. He was moving pretty well, though.

Ty, also looking very healthy.

Puzzle and mama Chipeta. Several of the horses were coated in mud, but Puzzle was bright-white and clean! There are a surprising number of places in the arroyo nearby that have water. Muddy, salt-crusted water, but more than none.

Maiku with big sister Reya and little brother S’aka.

Puzzle and Chipeta and Maiku and Copper. Copper is Maiku’s and Puzzle’s daddy.

Puzzle, Chipeta and Copper

Reya and her baby boy – he’s been playing in the mud!





It’s a boy!

12 05 2012

Reya, not due till the end of the month or early June, has a baby boy! Our first of the season.

Reya and her darling boy.

Thanks to DG for alerting me to baby’s arrival in the world. He has named the baby S’aka. “It means strong, mighty. It is Lakota. It is pronounced ‘Sh-aka.’ One word with a stop between the first and second syllable.”

Baby was no match for the warm sunshine.

Baby catching up to mama, walking past Chipeta and Uncle Half-brother Maiku (Reya’s little brother by their mother, Kiowa, and baby’s brother by their sire, Copper).

If you have been to Spring Creek Basin in the spring, you have done battle with the gnats. They seem especially bad in the southern part of the basin. They’re not bad – yet – but they’re out. Baby was battling them. Isn’t he divine?

Reya is being a very good mama. Her first foal was born last year, and it died before I saw it. I wasn’t looking for her to have a foal before the end of the month.

Baby and his big half-sister Puzzle – same sire again. They inherited Copper’s red bay, while Maiku takes after dark mama Kiowa.

Just scrumptious!

Switching gears just a little: I saw David and Shadow, too. No baby, and I can’t say with certainty either way: that Shadow is or is not pregnant. I will say that, from a distance, she doesn’t really seem to be.

Raven – more specifically, Raven’s belly – is huge. Ginormous. Apollo was a big foal, so maybe this baby will be, too. She’s past due. Gaia looks to be making us wait a bit. Corona seems to have lost her foal. She no longer has even a “maybe baby” belly.





Spots and not

27 04 2012

More of the spotted ponies seen about a week ago close to the Disappointment Road:

Peek-a-ponies! Chipeta and daughter Puzzle, trying to hide behind the greasewood.

Corazon was being standoffish. He’s usually right in with the band.

Big guy Copper was very relaxed and comfortable.

Mr. Ty, easy-going. The storm brewing to the south never made it to Disappointment, but it made for a nice background over the far cliffs!

Little Maiku is such a sweetheart. He likes to stick close to big sister Reya.

Pretty Puzzle, striking her glamour pose!

Chipeta. Isn’t she lovely?

Leaving you with a shot of the expectant girl, Reya.





More pintos

24 02 2012

It has been a strange winter, in a recent trend of weird winters. I haven’t actually driven into the basin in almost two months now. Partly mud (OK, lotsa partly), partly busy hiking other areas. Interestingly, I’ve seen the pintos much more this winter than any other band.

Here are some more pix from a couple of weeks ago, shortly after fresh snow (which is visible only on the background ridges).

Corazon with the unnamed promontory in the background.

Puzzle

Puzzle and mama Chipeta – love their spots.

Corazon and Maiku

Corazon, Puzzle and Chipeta

I think I’ve posted this one of Reya before, but I like it, so thought I’d include it again. 🙂





Mix

23 02 2012

Good news: Copper has reunited with the pinto band.

Although he looks like he’s moving through frosted greasewood, it’s not – just normal winter-grey. But there was plenty of snow underfoot, err, hoof!

Youngsters Maiku (front) and Puzzle napping in the morning sunshine.

Ty – who knew grey-on-grey could be so vibrantly beautiful?

Maiku and Ty

Pretty girl Reya is *glowing* with good health, eh?

Maiku

Daddy Copper

I’m not sure when he reunited with the band, but I’d bet it was shortly after I saw them apart. The horses were visible right from the road – and very close – this day (about a week ago), but they haven’t been so visible or close since.





Corazon and no-name

12 02 2012

Corazon in the shade below sunlit unnamed promontory.

Corazon with Chipeta and Puzzle. His relationship with the horses – and band stallion Ty – continues to be a source of curious fascination to me. This young stallion (I think he’s probably around 6 now?) has free rein with the horses, and both he and Ty are relentless in keeping Copper away (when he’s with the band). Maybe he’s Kiowa’s son … which would make him half-brother of Reya and Maiku … or …?





Background

11 02 2012

From last week. It had snowed earlier in the day – lightly – and the sun was out and behind clouds, which made for interesting light.

Chipeta and Puzzle grazing in the shade with McKenna Peak looming in the sunshine above them.

They were separate from Copper this day. I hope he reunited with them.