Raven | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Catch-up

19 07 2010

The morning I found the tree on fire, I had seen bands at a distance and was headed out to visit them. After I called in the fire (with randomly and surprisingly found cell service), I went on to visit.

What a(nother) great surprise to find Duke with Twister (center) and Cinch (right)! Bruiser still not with the boys, but I’ve had a recent update from this weekend that he has been seen – alone but apparently just fine. I stopped the Jeep and took pix from it …

… but the boys “made a mad dash” anyway. 🙂 Look at that handsome Duke! So elegant! His mind is on Cinch, and Cinch’s mind is on Duke, and young Twister (3 years old) is just happy to be part of the gang.

Stopped again. I didn’t know it at this point, and I’m not sure whether they did … but somebody(s) were up the hill in the trees ahead of them …

I drove on, looking for Hollywood’s band, which I had seen earlier, and it does seem like these boys – Cinch and Twister before Duke joined them – are hanging out close to Holls’ band again. Just below a little “rise” or “edge,” almost to the fence, I found them. They were napping under a tree, and the proximity to the fence was unfortunate because they felt the “squeeze” and immediately started walking out into the open. I stopped a little way on so I didn’t block them, then got out to watch the parade.

Iya leading – she’s not terribly long-legged for her size, but she is a big girl. Sage tossing his head against the gnats, big Tenaz and mama Piedra.

Hollywood in the lead, followed by Baylee, Piedra and Tenaz (Iya and Sage now bringing up the rear).

Piedra, Tenaz (look at him looking!) and Iya, sneaking in a sniff of baby where mama Piedra can’t warn her away. See the dapples in their summer-slick coats. 🙂

Following Baylee. A couple of things about this image: First, see how big he is! His bay-black legs are starting to shed through his baby-fine . But do you see how much he resembles Hollywood? I think Sage tends to resemble Piedra, but this big boy definitely looks like daddy! He’s about a week away from being 3 months old.

Sage and Iya broke off for a little detour visit. Brave ones of the group, these two.

Meanwhile, Holls and the girls and his little mini-me waited at the stud pile(s) for them to catch up. 🙂 Look at that handsome Tenaz – cute!!

On they went, then, heading up the valley toward the boys … who went closer to the hill and found …

Do you see them? Everybody in Kreacher’s (lower left) band is at least partially visible – though not very well, admittedly. 🙂 Mona is above Kreacher; Kootenai is to the upper right; and nearly smack dab in the middle, you might be able to make out Raven’s legs through the tree … and immediately left of her, Corona.

Later, after I’d gone back to watch the fire and then was on my way out, I found them again:

Drinking at the trickle – found enough water to splash in! It collects a little below this but is pretty stagnant there; they drink uphill, where it comes out – a barely slurpable trickle, but clear. (Mona was just to the right.)

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Categories : Baylee, Cinch, Corona, Duke, Hollywood, Iya, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, New girls, Piedra, Raven, Sage, Tenaz, Twister, Water

Happy Independence Day

4 07 2010

Freedom is not free, as the saying goes. It means responsibility. It means fences. It means cooperation. It means a greater good. It means my right may not be your right, but it’s as important to me as yours is to you and should be acknowledged as such – and vice versa.

Independence doesn’t mean thrown away. It means pride – and having the courage to look beyond pride and ask for help when it’s needed – it means giving help before it’s asked of you.

Our “free-roaming” wild horses and burros are not. Not really.

Kreacher and his girls can circumnavigate Filly Peak, but they have no access to the pinon-juniper-dotted hillside below the clouds, touching the sky.

Are they less wild? Less free? We all have chains snugging us to the responsibilities and demands of life.

Mustangs are “America’s horses,” more than any other breed in existence. They evolved here. They returned here. They thrive here.

Their freedom depends on us to make their lives as independent as possible.

Let freedom ring. 🙂

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Categories : Advocacy, Corona, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, Raven

Curve of the day

27 06 2010

Some more pix from the first day of our visit last week.

Hayden and Jif. They were relaxed but shy and grazing.

Grey/Traveler’s band. Gemma is going grey first right over her butt and from a distance looks a little like an Appaloosa with a blanket pattern.

We saw a collared lizard on our walk back to Wildcat Spring, but it wasn’t interested in visiting with us. This guy, however, defended his rock – right in the middle of the road – while I drove right by him! He looks fierce, eh? But I think this was his way of venting some heat – although getting off that cooker of a rock may have helped, too! We had a nice breeze (not enough to rid us of the gnats), but it was warm – up to 92 by the Jeep’s gauge. I love these lizards’ bright colors and muscley little legs!

Hook’s band was only mildly interested in us. Right to left: Hannah, Sable, Hook, Ember and Pinon.

Toward the end of the day, we decided to take one more pass past Wildcat and had a nice surprise: Bounce’s and Kreacher’s bands, right off the road.

From left: Raven, Corona, Kootenai, Kreacher and Mona

Whisper and Liberty. They’re not as close as they appear, and Liberty is standing a bit farther up the hill. They look pretty similar in size here because of lens compression of the scene, but Liberty is still noticeably smaller than Whisper.

Whisper in the foreground and Alegre at right.

T spotted the almost-full moon coming up over the eastern ridges. This is looking out toward the east pocket. A little farther to the right would be McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory.

Mona and Kootenai caught in a rare moment of affection. Usually Kootenai bugs Mona, who is very laidback, and Raven usually comes to her rescue by pinning her ears at Koot.

Kreacher, Raven and Kootenai walking toward us.

Kreacher, Raven and Corona. You can really see Corona’s wide blaze here in her mother’s shadow. She’s also still nursing.

We were able to sit with them for a bit in the evening light – wonderful! There’s Bounce in the background … and they’re watching some newcomers.

Seven and his band – Roja, Ze and Spring – were coming up toward Wildcat for an evening drink. They hadn’t been visible when we parked and walked out to sit just off the road with Bounce’s and Kreacher’s bands, but as it turned out, I had parked a bit “ahead” of where the trail comes out, and Seven was not pleased. (As a side note, can you see the extreme resemblance to Grey/Traveler??)

He trotted back and forth, looking hard and blowing at the Jeep while Roja stayed some distance back with Ze and Spring. I keep coming back to this, but they haven’t forgotten and so neither have I. It was almost two years ago that they were chased by a man in a truck. They remain extremely wary of not only people but also vehicles. It’s important to know here that although I was parked in their line of sight, the Jeep was not blocking their wayS to water. But because of their extreme sensitivity, it might as well have been. Most of the other bands respond very well to quiet, careful viewing, but Seven’s have never gotten over that incident – maybe others? This is their home, so we quietly walked back to the Jeep and drove away, taking the “danger” with us.

Roja and Spring – pic taken from the Jeep. Look how big Spring is! (I haven’t taken many pictures of her *because* of their wariness.) She looks so much like Molly. She has little black spots on her knees, and I’m sure her legs will darken. Check out Roja’s loooooong dredlock!

And Seven and Ze … now much calmer and at ease. A great sight to leave with.

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Categories : Alegre, Bounce, Corona, Ember, Gemma, Grey, Hannah, Hayden, Hook, Houdini, Jif, Kootenai, Kreacher, Liberty, Mona, New girls, Pinon, Raven, Roja, Sable, Seven, Spring, Terra, Whisper, Ze

Dapple light

20 05 2010

Had a simply gorgeous time in the basin … despite the forecast that called for – you guessed it – rain/snow – again – right smack dab on my weekend. The forecasters were wrong! (Please forgive my wicked glee!) The sky looked threatening the whole way out, but then it was sunshine and layer upon layer of thick fluffy white clouds from here to the horizon. Ma Nature brewed her dark clouds over the La Sals to the northwest, and assistant Wind dutifully carried them east and south, but Storm’s corridor was just along the northern and eastern ridges and on down to the far southern reaches of Disappointment Valley and beyond, leaving the basin just a paradise on the edge of the world.

An example – this patch of sunlight illuminated the finger hill Bruiser, Twister and Cinch (reunited) were standing on while the ridge behind them stayed in shadow. They were looking down on Hollywood’s band, who eventually went north, while the boys moseyed down off the hill and across the arroyo and up onto the bench that carries the west-side loop road toward Round Top and points east.

Even more is blooming now – late this year. I’ve been keeping track, but – crazy! – I haven’t stopped to photograph the flowers yet. The paintbrush has been trying its best to find the sunshine and warm breath of spring, and more is blooming every week. Prince’s plume started last week … the globe mallow was out just this week – not so much in the basin but very much along the private road leading to the basin. Hardy phlox – white and pink – has been out for weeks and still blooms, some of the petals looking a bit windblown. Loco weed also pops up in places. Some isolated yellow daisies-something-or-other. The cheat grass is still green but starting to flag. Greasewood is greener than green (it’s possible) and was budding last week. Water holes are dry or very shallow. One pond holds decent water, and a couple of bands are in the vicinity of Wildcat Spring. At least one band is using the catchment, but they have to range far for forage because it’s just not that great in that area. The claret cups are tightly furled within their nests of thorns … not blooming yet. I saw a couple of bunches of lupine (my very favorite wildflower) near Dolores, but that was it. We don’t typically get lupine in the basin (I’m so jealous of the opportunity on Pryor Mountain to photograph babies in fields of blue lupine!)), but there are spots along the Dolores-Norwood Road where they’ve been insane in past years. Given the great snow we had this winter, I’m looking forward to a great show of wildflowers here in Colorado this year.

The horses are mostly shed out now – last year’s youngsters still fuzzy in most cases. Nights still dipping into the 20s (occasionally) and 30s (commonly). The temp reached at least 72 while I was out. Just beautiful.

The first horses I saw were Chrome’s: Jif, Hayden, Two Boots, Cuatro and Chrome, taking his time, bringing up the rear. Can you tell that Jif is slick while Hayden is still fuzzy? Oddly enough, because he was born so late in the year, I’ve never seen Hayden shed out. His face is starting, though, and I think he’s going to stay sorrel – he’s going to be just as handsome a devil as his daddy!

Two Boots is starting to look a little closer … Can you see the little hunks of hair Hayden is trying to shed?

“Wait for me!” They walked on by and down the hill on a horse trail, then Chrome looked up from his lolly-gagging (grazing) and decided he was being left behind, so he went galloping after them.

I saw Seven’s close to Grey/Traveler’s close to Bounce’s, who turned out to be close to Kreacher’s who were close to … Luna’s. (Some stallion weirdness I’ll explain in a minute, so for now, it’s Luna’s band because everyone is following her!)

Didn’t take pix of Seven’s or Grey’s. Seven’s were very close to where I saw them last week. I just sat in the Jeep and watched them. Roja grazed and watched and watched and grazed for about 10 or 15 minutes, then oh-so-casually led her family away. She is so wary and so protective, and because I’ve witnessed them being chased (a couple of summers ago, after which I never saw Molly’s filly Starla again), I just don’t have much heart for even attempting to get too close for her comfort – which isn’t close at all.

Grey’s were moving toward the road on which I had stopped, so I enjoyed my vantage of being able to watch them as they grazed their way closer and eventually crossed to where Seven had had his band.

Who’s who? Doesn’t Whisper, left, look just like daddy Bounce? He’s going grey, though … I love seeing the resemblance.

Gaia and Liberty

And this girl is pulling a Luna on us – two weeks past her “due date,” and she barely looks pregnant at all. Even with her most recent spa treatment in evidence, isn’t she just beautiful?

Raven and Kootenai. You may remember a few posts ago, I referred to their mid-morning nap … here we are smack in the middle of their middle-of-the-afternoon nap!

Corona – no, she is NOT white! – Mona and Kreacher. I know she looks white – she’s blown out, too – but she’s not. She has this very unusual flecking of her palomino color … like Ma Nature couldn’t decide what color to paint her.

All but Mona, who was just off to the left.

And there’s baby Gideon with Mama Luna and Butch, Storm and Alpha at right. Steeldust was nearby but not too close.

Steeldust

Who could resist this gorgeous matriarch? One of the great grand dam(e)s of Spring Creek Basin.

Storm and Alpha watching Kreacher’s band. (And yes, he’s still nursing.)

While I was watching this, I kept one eye on Steeldust, who watched but never moved a hoof. Butch has bred Alpha in the past, but he didn’t now, though she’s clearly in heat.

Butch did a little dance (like a very slow motion passage) over to Steeldust, who didn’t go after him, but neither did he back down. It did provoke him to mark his territory, and Butch went back to Luna, who took the opportunity to walk away …

… followed by Alpha …

… to the very shallow nearby pond. Here’s Steeldust at left – rear – while Butch leaves a territory marker as Luna leads Gideon and Alpha and Storm around the pond – effectively separating Steeldust from the mares.

Luna walked around the pond, but Alpha stopped. Butch continued after Luna, and Steeldust stopped with Alpha.

Think that looks terrible?

How about this?

The good news is that BLM is supposed to have several more ponds – hopefully including this one – dug out because they’re all very shallow (because of the highly erodable soil). The bad news is that neither of the two ponds dug out finally last fall have water right now (I was so optimistic), and the ponds to be dug out aren’t even on the schedule until August or September.

Here’s Butch getting great enjoyment out of his “spa treatment”! Check out how he’s tilted his head and closed his eyes to avoid splashing mud. 😉

He splashed a few times, laid down just so his cheek appeared to touch mud, then got right back up again.

Kreacher, Mona and Raven watch Luna lead the band away from the pond. Butch is looking back at Alpha and the others.

They’re really all quite polite with each other. Whether that’s something conscious – “don’t want to get involved in THEIR drama” or “I think I have enough …” – or bonds keeping them together, who knows? The girls from Sand Wash Basin seem quite content with their boy.

Alegre napping at the base of the hill while the babies (not “babies” anymore!) graze in a bunch. Bounce was down a bit watching the two bands.

He has such a presence, but he’s really not a very big boy in size.

Our very own wild black stallion. He has a heart of gold.

Mahogany, Sundance and Mouse …

Kestrel, Winona and … Comanche, still guarding the girl and the babe!

Notice anybody missing?

There’s Aspen at far right …

Notice anything else, hmm, “odd”? Kestrel and Winona in the background … and in the foreground, Mahogany (front), surrounded by boys, left to right behind her: Mouse, Sundance and Aspen. And not quite ready to present her baby … but close …

Comanche … Hey, who’s that behind him?

Do you see? Recognize? Now do you see who was missing from Mahogany’s band?

Hannah and Sable. When I saw Mahogany – without Sable – I hoped fervently that she had joined her yearmate and big brother Pinon older half-sister Ember with Hook. This kind of thing makes me wonder how “off” our herd dynamic is with massive roundups that take most of the horses every two to four years. Hannah and Sable are yearlings. In a normal environment, I don’t think they’d have left their dams this soon. In both cases, they left before their mothers had even had this year’s foals.

Left to right: Pinon, Hook, Sable, Ember’s head, Hannah

Kestrel

I thought she was going to put on a show like Gideon did last week …

…

But this wee girl is more reserved than her uncle.

Mama and first-born daughter

Snack time

Love her expression here … *drinker of the wind*! Trying to catch a whiff of this weird two-legged.

Baby girl laid down when Kestrel was grazing with her head hidden from me by a greasewood bush. But then Kestrel grazed her way around her like this, and it looked to me like a little “hug” of the baby – a cocoon of sun-warmed grass and mama’s protective presence.

Comanche grazes by Kestrel as she stands over Winona. The other horses were never far away. I wonder whether Kestrel will continue to follow Mahogany or whether she and Comanche will eventually split off on their own.

Baby napping under guardian legs. Could anything be sweeter?! (Don’t answer that, and if you’ve made it this far, more sweetness is coming …)

With all those boys together, there’s bound to be a little of this. Mouse, left, and Sundance.

And then Hook had the audacity to strut up the hill from his little flock toward Comanche, Kestrel and Winona. Kestrel never looked up, and it didn’t – immediately – interrupt Winona’s nap – but Comanche took immediate notice. And Hook got a little shock:

He took off after him – HARD. I had started to leave them, so I missed the beginning stages of this chase with the camera.

So Hook, former lowest man on the bachelor totem pole, has a band of four now, and Comanche, former first sergeant for Steeldust’s band and then low on the bachelor pole that developed when SD’s band split, seems to have acquired a mare and her foal … and former Lt. Mouse seems to be still in that position – to Sundance, who seems to have been born into and at least grew up in the band? – with Aspen at the low end of THAT heirarchy. Following in the footsteps of low-man Kreacher and low-man Copper … Smarts, not necessarily brawn, with this group?! Or is the bottom of the heap the place to be when it comes to “acquiring” those that lag behind (whether youngsters or a mare that goes off to foal)? Always a myriad to ponder …

Hollywood’s band was almost the last I saw (I saw Cinch, Bruiser and Twister again, far off). Not too far from the road, and I was able to get a nice look at Piedra’s newest son.

No lupine … and greasewood doesn’t quite have the same luminous quality, but baby in a sea of green appeals just as well to my heart.

Piedra and her little boy – see how his star makes a heart at the top – like Hayden’s? Or another upside-down aspen leaf …

Baylee and Sage

After a bit, he got up to nurse, but I loved this look he’s throwing back over his shoulder.

Then Piedra decided that was enough exposure to a two-legged, and she walked down to Hollywood. Iya in the foreground. She turned to follow them, and I wish I’d been about five steps to the left or right because Holls bent his neck around to greet his son for a few seconds before Piedra turned and walked a bit farther before settling back to grazing. The whole moment was blocked because I was behind Iya in a direct path. Oy. As much as I love to capture the interactions between the mamas and their babies, I love to capture that between the stallions and babies – just more rare to see. They like to portray this stoic tough-guy front, but they’re big softies when it comes to babies! Just like all of us!

The Four Corners Back Country Horsemen’s annual wild horse count is this weekend – I hope you folks see all the horses and new babies and have weather as great as mid-week!

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Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Aspen, Bounce, Bruiser, Butch, Chrome, Cinch, Comanche, Corona, Cuatro, Ember, Gaia, Gideon, Hannah, Hayden, Hollywood, Hook, Iya, Jif, Kestrel, Kootenai, Kreacher, Liberty, Luna, Mahogany, Mona, Mouse, New girls, Piedra, Pinon, Raven, Sable, Sage, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance, Tenaz, Twister, Two Boots, Whisper, Winona

Everyone should have these

3 05 2010

Mid-morning naps!

Trying to find some time to get to some photos I’ve taken in the last few weeks that haven’t seen beyond my memory card or hard drive. This was such a lovely morning, two, maybe three weeks ago now. Corona was half-heartedly poking at Kreacher while he tried to nap among his girls. He was almost completely unperturbed. Their faces were close, but she was almost totally in his shadow from the rising sun.

He is soooo good with her … but I can’t help but remember how good Duke also was with her.

I was so intent on capturing Kreach and his lovely stepdaughter through the lens that it took me a minute to realize Kootenai had laid down just beyond them.

Do you want to sit down? Relax? Take a little mid-morning nap?

I did exactly that. I joined them … they joined me …?

Mona laid down, too.

Corona came over for a mid-morning snack, then she laid down, three!

Little peek-a-boo miss. Can you see her wavy forelock?

Are you sleepy yet? 🙂

Kootenai, who had been napping longest, eventually got up and stretched – arched her neck and stretched one hind leg waaaay back – and walked over to stand behind these two. Kreach thought Raven was being neglected, so he walked over to her, but she gave him the cold shoulder and walked off to graze. I could have stayed there forever in that long, perfect moment under the morning sun, but I left the girls to their naps and carried away that beautiful morning as memory … and pictures to share.

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Categories : Corona, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, Raven

A Raven and her shining Corona

22 03 2010

Another little teaser photo … Life is hectic, and I am finding it impossible to find the time to go through my photos from last week, let alone tweak them into an adventure story of what the ponies are up to. (I have not even been able to sit down and look at the pictures yet!)

But here’s another one, of lovely Miss Raven and her darling girl, Corona, from early in my visit. They’re still part of Kreacher’s band with Mona and Kootenai.

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Categories : Corona, Raven

Threat of snow

7 02 2010

In reality, it was less than the weather man predicted, and I was able to drive into the basin. For all the snow where I live and all the snow out to the rim of Disappointment, the valley and basin have less than I expected. But the soil is wet – OK, it’s downright muddy – so I hope it still bodes well for our moisture there this year. And more is coming … it’s only February, after all!

I found little man Hayden and his family for the first time in two visits … and Iya, who was not with Grey/Traveler when I last visited two weeks ago, was not with them. Gone back to her mama? I don’t know; I didn’t see them this visit. In fact, with the cattle spread throughout the interior of the basin, it was difficult to spot horses at all. I do wonder how much the cattle disperse the horses. Report is that at least four cows have calved, and they’re being checked at least every other day, so there are good eyes watching. I still hope they’re all out on time this year.

Also found Kreacher’s band. Wait till you see Corona! Oddly enough, I didn’t see Steeldust’s, so I also don’t know whether Duke is still following them, but it made me realize it has been a long, long time since I’ve NOT seen Steely Dan’s band during a visit! But I did see a threesome I haven’t seen since better weather: Cinch, Bruiser – and Twister, still with them! They were close to David and his Shadow. And not close to them but close to me, on the road, the pintos. And a handful of deer and elk for good measure. Anyone know when deer and elk drop their antlers? I thought it was around now. Both the (young) bucks I saw still had their antlers (all the elk I saw were cows and last year’s calves).

Kreacher and his girls.

A little closer …

And a wee bit closer. Gotta love a zoom lens. 🙂

Can you believe how she’s changed?? No doubt who her daddy is! Check out that wavy mane! Daddy must be Corona of Sand Wash Basin, otherwise known as “Fabio”! Oh, she is destined to break some hearts, isn’t she? 🙂

Her “aunties” clearly adore her. Here, Kootenai is upset she’s not the one right next to the baby, and Mona is giving no ground.

But a few steps later, they were happy again.

Krazy Kreacher and Mona

Mama and her girl

Spent a little time with Chrome’s band next.

Welcome from the boys!

As mentioned, Iya was not with the band, and I wondered if she’d gone back to mama … Couldn’t confirm because I didn’t see Grey/Traveler’s band this visit.

Note the new scars on Chrome’s face. From scrapping …?

Snug as a baby bug in a fuzzy fur coat!

These two little boys are, well, typical little boys. Hayden has no idea he’s the baby of the family and is completely confident as first son of first mare. And he has the ‘tude I would expect of Grey’s son!

The innocent approach …

He just can’t resist …

Cuatro is a very tolerant “big brother.”

Hey … what are you doing there?!

Cute!!

Check out Cuatro’s lip.

But before long, the little couldn’t resist brother’s fuzzy cheek.

See how tolerant?

I can hardly stand the cuteness. 🙂 Do you see the darker hair on the front of Hayden’s face? It’s like a long horseshoe-shaped whorl. I think Jif has it, but otherwise, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it before – and it didn’t show up until he was full into his winter coat.

And again, he can’t help himself!

Sheesh. 🙂

Cuatro finally crossed the little arroyo to the left, and Hayden followed – actually right beside him – and THAT finally irritated Cuatro, who laid his ears back and snapped at him.

Meanwhile, mama Two Boots kept an eye on the proceedings but didn’t interfere. And Jif, who already had crossed, trusted her cheeky boy to follow her … eventually.

The boys finally settled to the business of filling growing-boy tummies. All the horses seem to have gotten into the habit now of eating snow. A little farther up this drainage, they paused in a particular place to take advantage of a particular drift.

Not far as the raven flies, Cinch, Bruiser and Twister were grazing close to David and Shadow … and a few elk and deer.

One big pretty girl. Doesn’t she look to be in great shape?

Two more beautiful girls.

And then the pinto band was very near the road!

From left: Spook, Kiowa, Mesa, Reya, Corazon and Chipeta, Ty and Copper.

Independent Milagro was just a bit to the left out of the frame of the first pic, facing away from the band, standing slightly uphill, taking a little nap!

I sat in the Jeep on the road long enough that three muley does started walking toward me on the road. The horses took quite an interest in them. At one point, they jumped the fence into the herd area … but within just a couple of minutes, they jumped out again.

Chipeta set herself as guardian, while the other horses mostly ignored the deer in the beginning. Ty, in the background, watched them, but he had stopped grazing and was just kind of dozing.

There’s everyone but Mesa, most now clearly watching the deer. I’m not sure where they came from exactly, and they didn’t seem to know where they were going.

So it was quite a nice little visit! Utah was visible all day, but by the time I headed home, my Colorado views (Sleeping Ute, Mesa Verde ridges, La Platas) had completely disappeared. My grandma’s favorite views were always farmground views – flat, low horizons – but I like my views “cluttered” with hills and crags and mountains. No views here means low clouds, which, now, means snow. Sure enough, about 10 miles from home, the flakes started hitting the windshield. I definitely offered some thanks to Mother Nature for the little weather window that allowed me to visit my ponies. 🙂

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Categories : Chipeta, Chrome, Copper, Corazon, Corona, Cuatro, Hayden, Jif, Kiowa, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mesa, Milagro, Mona, New girls, pintos, Raven, Spook, Two Boots, Ty

‘Once around the sun’ in Spring Creek Basin

22 01 2010

With humble acknowledgment of the book with the title Once Around the Sun in Yellowstone, I thought it would be interesting, if slightly late, to share some pictures from (mostly) last year.

Every year since I first moved to Colorado in 2001, I’ve done a little calendar for my family. They started out as images strictly from Colorado, but then there was the year when I moved from Colorado to Montana and back to Texas before returning to Colorado on Jan. 2 the following year, so that was a mixed-image calendar. And then last year was, literally, the year of the horse, and family got all mustangs, every month. This year is no different – and I’m late in selecting images – again – which also doesn’t break my typical pattern.

But one difference: I thought I’d share the images I selected here on the blog, with a brief explanation of why I selected each – a memory of the day/moment. I think most of the images have appeared previously on the blog, with maybe a couple of exceptions, and all were taken last year except December’s boy, which was taken this January, and all except the October image were taken in the month it represents (October’s was taken in November).

We’re in the middle – maybe trending toward the end – of a blizzard, so I’m homebound and looking back through pictures of my beloved wild ones … as if I needed an excuse. 🙂

Enjoy!

Cover

This shot of our littlest wild ‘n wooly, Hayden (thus named because I was in Yellowstone, one of my other favorite places on the planet, when he was born last fall), makes the cover because it was the day after Thanksgiving, and I was having a lovely end-0f-day visit with him and his mama and his new stepdaddy, Chrome. The coyotes were singing and the moon was plump and I didn’t yet know about Molly … and because he gave me this look, full of baby-curiosity. Hayden is the son of Grey/Traveler, which careful readers know is my beloved favorite ( 😉 ), and he has had my heart since I first laid eyes on him. I hope he long carries on his daddy’s legacy in the wild heart of his western Colorado home.

January

Speak of the handsome devil, here’s Grey/Traveler as Mr. January. You can see that last year’s January doesn’t begin to compare with this year’s snowy January. The band was on the west end of the corral hill – almost to the boundary fence. You can just see the base of Filly Peak at right, and in the far background are the La Sal Mountains of Utah (on the other side of which is Moab). I love starting off the year with my boy!

February

Ahh, happy days. Duke and Chrome were still bachelors last February, still part of the even-then loose-knit Bachelor 7, and they were shadowing Steeldust’s band this day, back in the area southish of the roller-coaster ridge. Sometimes, I have to see the pictures at full resolution on the computer screen to know what I have, but with this moment, as it happened and as I hit the shutter, click after click, I knew I had something special – the capture of a bond between stallions, friends, before the spring frenzy. I had walked out to the band and was sitting on the ground enjoying the visit while they grazed … and then they walked toward and past me, bringing the sounds of their lives with them – hooves on ground, lips and teeth nibbling, gentle snorts as they came – and went – and me, near-breathless at the seeming miracle of their wave on wave. As it happened, Duke stole Raven and her filly, Corona, in late April and had them most of the year until Kreacher stole them back and injured Duke in the process, and Chrome ended up dogging Grey’s band around the end of the summer, persistence that finally paid off when he stole Jif and Hayden about three weeks after he was born … and then acquired Two Boots and her colt, Cuatro, and now presumably has Iya as well.

March

Well … what can I say? 🙂 This image has been my desktop image since then. A magical combination of roselight and gorgeous grey and wild life. Shot across an arroyo as he came up from water in the bottom.

April

This picture was taken after I knew Bones was gone. Roach (pictured) and Poco were grazing alone on a ridgetop. I hiked out, hoping Bones was just over the edge, just out of sight. She wasn’t, and I knew. I walked the whole ridgeline, looking hard on both sides, still, just in case. When I walked back, Poco was leading the way at the base of the ridge, toward an arroyo. I waited till they were on the other side, then followed while they stood there, facing me, watching. On the other side, he led me farther into a narrow valley until he stopped again and faced me again and watched me again while I watched him back, then sat, then got up and explored among the trees. He never moved. Behind him then, motion – a golden eagle launched into the air, and I found what I had dreaded: Bones and her partially born foal. Indeed one of the saddest times I’ve had in the basin. I couldn’t bring myself to use a pic of my bonny Bones, so I used this picture instead, a beautiful picture. It reminds me, though, and that’s enough.

May

Oh, this one I love. This was a day or two before the wild horse count by the Four Corners Back Country Horsemen, and I was out till the very end o’ day, captivated by young master Sage, racing the wind, testing his legs and lungs and baby muscles running circles around Auntie Baylee. Then it was back to mama for celebration, dinner and a nap, and there he is, after sundown, all at peace, Piedra calm, watching over her firstborn son.

June

I tried not to repeat horses (too much), but I couldn’t pass this one by. That’s Sage and his Auntie Baylee. She was just 2 last year and a great playmate and babysitter to her sister’s (I think) son. It was a dry spring, and a windy one, and I love the greens and greys and their wind-tousled manes and tails, not to mention their obvious bond.

July

If ever there was an image that said “I am wild … I live in Spring Creek Basin,” this is it, I thought that day. Duke and his family I hoped he’d have forever, napping in the summer light, McKenna Peak and the unnamed – but absolutely recognizable – promontory in the background. Saltbush and mustangs and eroded hills, jutting buttes and clear blue sky … it could be mustangs anywhere, but it’s Spring Creek Basin. Duke’s always-home … and now, hopefully, Raven’s and Corona’s, too.

August

If you had such a subject, no doubt he’d appear multiple times in your calendar, too! This was early in the time when Chrome started following Grey’s band, and this image happened when Grey chased Chrome away – toward me. Chrome broke off when he realized I was sitting there, and Grey trotted back to his family.

September

Toward the end of last year, the ponies started appearing in high places, on hill sides and tops, places I had rarely previously seen them. Untouched forage, maybe … maybe a breath of cooler air above the basin floor. Houdini and Terra pictured. Iya was just to the left out of this image, and Two Boots and Cuatro – and Chrome – were higher to the left. Grey/Traveler and heavy-pregnant Jif were napping at the base of the hill, and Kreacher and Mona and Kootenai (Raven and Corona still with Duke then) were wandering, grazing, between the hill and the road. Unique placement made for unique – to me – photos, and, on their own, reminds me of Little Book Cliffs terrain.

October

What a fine morning this was (actually in November)! First-thing-in-the-morning sunshine gave way soon after this image was taken to high clouds, but this was quite a lovely morning. Chrome had stolen Jif and Hayden by this time, and Iya was vacillating between her band – very close by – and Chrome’s. So many images to choose from for this month, from this morning alone, but this was the one. He’s so much like his daddy.

November

Another beautiful morning (and cold) … but this one, tempered by sadness. This was the morning I realized Molly was gone, when I found her filly Liberty, right, with Bounce’s band. Here, she’s with yearling Gaia. Molly and Liberty spent at least a few days with Bounce’s band after they left Seven’s (Liberty’s sire), and I was hopeful they would adopt her when the time came. I am happy to report that as of at least earlier this month, Liberty still has a place with wise Bounce and his young mare, Alegre, and her babies, Gaia and Whisper.

December

Surely you’ll recognize handsome Hook! This was taken most recently, in early January of this year. This was the day I realized former bachelor Hook had stolen Hollywood’s lovely mare Piedra and her colt (and Hollywood’s son), Sage. I had had a wonderful visit with Steeldust’s band just earlier, then spotted these horses farther away … then made the surprising ID. Cloudy, snowy, wintry. Wild in winter.

Again, I wish all of you a wonderful year, filled with horses and kindness, and I hope that in December, you all have a year beautiful to look back on … another “once around the sun” … and may it be filled with more light than shadows.

Comments : 13 Comments »

Categories : Baylee, Chrome, Corona, Duke, Gaia, Grey, Hayden, Hook, Houdini, Liberty, Piedra, Raven, Roach, Sage, Terra

Two ponds dug

25 11 2009

I have to start this post with the good news (there isn’t any bad): Two of our ponds finally got dug out! The work was done before the snow the weekend before last, but the dozer just left this past weekend. I think the ponds look fabulous, and they’re both deeper (much deeper!) and can’t help but provide more water sources for the horses next spring! I wish I could remember the contractor’s name; I’d thank him right here on the blog – thank you, contractor! Your work will provide a direct benefit to the horses! And thanks to BLM for starting the process rolling by securing the funds.

Let’s start with the pond behind/south of Round Top.

This what it looked like “un-dug.”

Here it is dug. Just imagine that baby filled with water!

Now here’s the other one, one of the “double ponds” off the far east loop road:

It blends in, doesn’t it? 🙂 That’s OK – perfect, even! In the foreground is the wide arroyo the road crosses, and about midway up the left side IS the road … and up to the right, about midway, is the pond. (The second of the “double ponds” is back farther, closer to where the arroyo comes down from the east ridge.)

Here it is a little closer (zoomed in). I hiked back to it after a visit with Poco and Roach and just had my long lens. From closer, I couldn’t get nearly all the pond in any composition!

Another comparison:

This is the big pond below the roller-coaster ridge. Yes, it’s shrinking (it was the one pond that didn’t go dry in 2008; it did go dry this year, then filled back up), but look how shallow it looks compared to the ones that just got dug out! That’s serious siltification! (I have no idea whether that’s an actual word.)

Snow is still in patches throughout the basin, but the roads were mostly dry. It was a little soft back near the double ponds, so I didn’t go all the way around. Molly and Liberty and Duke remain elusive. I did see Seven’s but not Bounce’s, so Molly and her filly are a mystery right now (if Molly’s time has come, I’m expecting Liberty to show up with one of the other bands … maybe back with Seven, her sire, or with Bounce, who she and Molly spent at least a few days with after they left Seven’s band). Little Hayden is adjusting well to his abnormal babyhood. He’s fuzzy, and both Jif and stepdaddy Chrome are protective of him. I saw them just from a distance, walking along a ridge. Jif was leading, and Hayden was a short distance behind … with Chrome *right* behind him. He easily could have passed the youngster, but he stayed right with him, even stopping with him for a rest while Jif walked on till she realized they had stopped. Nothing’s more important than family, no matter the season. 🙂

Poco has regained some weight he lost while he and Roach were with Hollywood’s band.

Roach, low man on the totem pole, still looks great.

I was having flashbacks with regard to Kreacher’s band like with Seven’s band after they were chased last summer: I hadn’t seen them except very far away since the ATV hunters spooked them. Found them finally a bit out of their normal territory, but then they ended up on the west-side loop road and were completely calm when I gingerly approached them to say howdy.

Looking out toward the eastern ridge/boundary. It doesn’t look very snowy, but patches were hiding in the shadows of saltbush and grassy stuff! You can see the tracks from the dozer on the road.

Corona seems to have made a connection with Kootenai since Koot joined them with Duke.

I caught them during their late-afternoon nap …

By this time of year, the mamas seem to feel like their ever-more-independent babes regard them just as milk bars. But every now and then, you can still catch them in a tender moment …

And a mother-daughter portrait or two. 🙂

Mona and Kootenai … still napping … on the other side of the road (no jokes!).

They’re very fuzzy (Kootenai, in particular, has a lush, furry coat; maybe it’s her color that makes it so apparent). Corona was a bit muddy, and the mud just accentuated her curls. 🙂 She’s SO cute!

Just before sunset, I found Hollywood and his family, getting a drink at the Flat Top pond, which was on the dig-out list but didn’t get done because Mother Nature saw fit to rain enough just before it was to get done that water collected a bit here. About a third of that surface area (it didn’t fill) is dry again now.

This is the view from the road. It’s the opposite end that’s drying first.

Hollywood and his shadow. 🙂

I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you are or who you’re with. Other than my family, of course, I’m most thankful for the wild horses of Spring Creek Basin and elsewhere, and I’ll be gratefully and thankfully spending the holiday with them this year. Bounty of good life to you all!

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Baylee, Corona, Hollywood, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, New girls, Piedra, Poco, Ponds, Raven, Roach, Sage

Troubling encounter

5 11 2009

We’re almost to the end of hunting season. I was hoping we’d make it through with only the respectful people I’d seen thus far, but it wasn’t to be. Despite the fact that we reclaimed the old illegal road to Wildcat Spring, hunters apparently drove in a new “route” up on top of the next hill right above the spring! I guess they couldn’t read the very large sign at the entrance to the herd area telling ’em to stay on designated routes!

This is what the sign says: “Travel restricted to maintained roads. Cross country travel prohibited.”

Who thinks driving off the road and up onto a hill is OK? These guys.

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It’s hard to see the trucks and stock trailer and utility trailer and big canvas tent up on the hill, but they’re there. Note the old road to Wildcat at lower left. Lots of tire traffic and some boot traffic to the boulders (and walking past) to check it out. One of the dead trees the students “planted” was knocked over, whether human-caused or natural, I don’t know. I stood it back up. Thank goodness for the boulders, methinks.

To make matters worse, three men – one on an ATV and two on a “gator” or “mule” or some little golf-cart thing – came up behind my Jeep while I was watching and photographing Kreacher’s band from the road, drove around me and sent the horses galloping away.

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Check out the passenger shading his eyes so he can see the horses better. The carsonite sign at left marks the intersection with the road to Flat Top.

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This was my next view of Kreacher’s band. 😦

I just read a really great Writers on the Range (High Country News) column written by a guy who used to be an avid off-road ATV rider … until the day he was hunting elk and a group of off-road ATV riders zoomed up and scared off the elk … and didn’t understand why the author was PO’d.

To go back in time to a more positive encounter, when I first passed Kreacher’s band, just on the other side of the road from where this happened, I was heading back to get a closer look at the camp. I drove slowly past the band and took pix through my passenger’s side window. Then I noticed a truck coming up behind me. I drove on, watching carefully in my rear-view mirrors, but they were very respectful and also drove very slowly past the horses, who stayed right where they were, completely relaxed.

Do you get the point? Some visitors respected the horses and were able to get an amazing view of them. Then three visitors completely disrespected them, and the horses galloped away to protect themselves, making it impossible for anyone to enjoy them further at that time.

In addition to the fact that chasing/harassing the horses is completely illegal, it’s just plain stupid, disrespectful to the horses and rude to other visitors. ARGH!

I sent an email to BLM that night, and I received a near-immediate reply that not only had they had law-enforcement rangers in the basin the day before but that they would follow up on my report. Very much appreciated.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

There were still patches of snow in the basin – more than I expected, truth be told – but it was obvious there had been plenty of vehicle traffic because the roads were mostly good (though a bit more rutted). I did hear what sounded like a stuck truck, but I could never figure out where it was coming from.

Kreacher’s were first on the flats below the catchment. There were a lot of human “visitors” in the basin. I parked up near Flat Top and hiked the old road around the hill. Grey/Traveler’s band was on the north side of the hill. I followed some ATV tracks that went up actually onto the hill … maybe before the sign went up … maybe ignored. I spent some time just visiting with Grey’s band but didn’t take any pictures, then kept going around to the “saddle.”

Hook and Twister were hanging out in the middle under some trees. Twister was lying down with Hook standing over him when I first saw them. 🙂 The trail was somewhat dry – and considerably drier than the ground right off the trail (snowmelt) – so I sat down on the trail to watch the boys.

Steeldust’s band was out by the west-side loop road; Hollywood’s were a little closer to Flat Top. They ended up going all the way over past the pond to the roller-coaster ridge, up on top, then back to the west end. Aspen was with them when I first saw them, but I didn’t realize until I looked through my photos at home that Hollywood’s followed them.

Bounce’s band was over by the west end of Knife Edge … without Molly and Liberty. I never did see them. (Also didn’t see Duke that day, or Chrome, Jif and baby Hayden.)

Cinch and Bruiser also were on the saddle – closer to Round Top – and then I saw David and Shadow back toward that far yucky water puddle. It and the one close to Flat Top both have a little water, and by the hoof prints, horses are drinking at both.

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You can see the snow … and the salt in the soil around the puddle.

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While I was watching David and Shadow, I saw another “shadow” under some trees in the middle of the saddle, between D&S and Cinch and Bruiser …

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Ze, Roja and Seven … Bruiser in the background.

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It’s so weird to see them without Molly and Liberty.

I went back around the hill – Grey/Traveler’s were right up at the base of the hill then – and took the horse trail to the pond. It’s shrinking every time I see it.

I was almost back to the main road when I saw the camp and went to investigate.

That’s when I passed Kreacher’s band the first time.

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