All together

26 01 2011

When I crested the hill, I saw a light grey horse down the hill … then a dun back … and my first thought was Seven’s.

But then I saw Rio and shifted my identification – to Chrome’s. The hill they were on is cut by tree-lined drainages that run down to a valley, cut by a bigger arroyo fed by drainages from the base of Filly Peak. Chrome, Jif and Hayden were in one drainage. Up across the hill, across another drainage and on the next “hill” were Two Boots and Rio. It’s not unusual for the horses to separate while they graze, and they certainly weren’t worried.

I couldn’t seem to capture on digital memory the 3D look the scene had in reality, with the backlit shine and country stretching out behind them.

Sweet ponies.

Chrome striking a handsome pose while he watches Two Boots and Rio come across to the hill he’s on.

Mr. Handsome

Chrome got a little miffed when Hayden tried to share his grazing. Hayden’s feelings weren’t hurt, but he did finally leave stepdaddy to his treat.

Jif watching Two Boots and Rio.

Down the hill …

Hi, sweet mama!

I liked their faces …

Rio in the foreground … Seven, Roja, Mona and Shane are in the background.

I just like this one, peace, light, a little breeze, mountains, calm … beautiful.


Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Jif, Mona, Rio, Roja, Shane, Two Boots

Gearing up for 2011

2 01 2011

With the holidays fast approaching and my Christmas trip to Texas, I never stood a chance of posting some more pix from my last visit to the horses last year. Although it was a cloudy, grey day, I spent quite a bit of time with Chrome’s, Hollywood’s and Comanche’s bands – heaven. So I’m going to try to get some more photos up of various horses before I hopefully head out again this week for my first visit of 2011!

Something I’m tremendously excited about is a two-part visit, starting this week and ending next week, to a local elementary school to talk to three students for a project they’re doing about horses! I’m talking about wild horses – of course! They’ll learn more about horses from other people involved in different aspects, including a local equine rescue group, throughout the month. I’ve been speculating about ways to get local kids involved with our mustangs for a couple of years now, so I hope this is the start of something we can continue annually. Later in the spring, I’ll take the students out to Spring Creek Basin for an up-close look at OUR mustangs in the wild. I can’t wait to learn about the students and find out what they’re most interested in regarding horses. I bet they have some super questions!

I’m also excited about being a tour leader for the third year (stymied last year because of rain) to the Spring Creek Basin mustangs during the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival. The link is to last year’s information, but they should be updating it soon. My tour will be Thursday, May 12. If you’re local, sign up! I think the cost is about $60, and it includes travel, some birding along the way to the basin and back, and lunch. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year! About a dozen people on the tour meet in Cortez and drive out to the basin, where I meet them, and we drive in to look for horses, talking about all kinds of things related to the horses along the way. The Forest Service, a partner in the festival, always has a couple of people along to answer questions about San Juan Public Lands. The year before rain put a damper (sorry) on our plans, we saw almost all the horses.

Our NMA/CO group also plans to do some educational presentations around the region this year. I’ll have more information as we make those plans.

Chrome and Hayden

Now for some heavy stuff. This year, Spring Creek Basin will see another roundup. It’s on the BLM schedule for Sept. 17-21. It hasn’t taken that long in the past, but I plan to be there for every day of it this year, and my fervent hope is that BLM will give the go-ahead for a fertility control program using native (annual) PZP and volunteer darters. We (NMA/CO) have been encouraging fertility control since the last roundup, and we made a formal proposal last year to use PZP (not PZP-22) and volunteer darters. In light of that, with my growing feeling of responsibility to provide as much information as I can as I learn and observe, I will be writing some posts this year that I hope are, in fact, educational and informative. My opinion (and it is an opinion) varies a bit from some of the “mainstream advocacy groups.” I do HATE roundups, but I DO support fertility control, and I do NOT support “let nature take its course,” aka starvation, and even with fertility control, I foresee roundups (we hope for bait trapping over helicopters) in the future, hopefully lessened.

Chrome and Rio

The horses are in great shape. Five water holes have been dug out in the last two years. We got rain last summer (a lot of rain).

Do I want to stop the roundup? No.

Yes, we will say goodbye to many horses this fall. Will it break my heart? It has been breaking  a little every day for the last few years in anticipation.

Does this seem contradictory?

The basin is fenced. It is finite. It cannot support an infinite number of horses. I would rather see fewer horses removed WHILE THEY ARE HEALTHY than many, many horses removed in the very lean condition they were in during the 2007 roundup and before the basin’s grazing and water resources are so taxed. And I want to see fertility control started as soon as possible … so that the next roundup may be years and years and years away. And it is also my hope that by saving such an incredible amount of money by reducing the frequency of roundups, as well as fewer Spring Creek Basin horses going to interminably long-term holding, we might set BLM’s sights on bait trapping – rather than helicopter-driven roundups – in the future.

Could we stop roundups altogether? I’m sure we could. Assateague Island did it. But I’m not sure we’re ready to go there just yet. That is a very intensive program – of necessity.

Chrome and Hayden and Rio

Linda on her Beautiful Mustang blog asked me a great series of questions about PZP, and has posted some of my answers, along with photos. Linda adopted a beautiful filly born in 2007 from Beatty’s Butte, Ore., and named her Beautiful Girl. And is she beautiful! (Really, she’s gorgeous!) More answers and photos to come. I’m really grateful to her for giving me another venue. My disclaimer: I am certified to handle and mix PZP and to dart, but I do NOT consider myself an expert. So I continue to read all I can and talk to people who ARE experts.

It was never my intention to use this blog as a political platform, rather I want it to be about the HORSES. Mustangs are an incredibly emotionally charged subject – and rightly so. I still don’t intend this blog to be political. Rather, I’d like it to be educational – both about the horses themselves and what they do for us – emotionally and otherwise – and what we can do for them. I want to encourage discussion and questions and come up with answers. As stated above, I don’t have all the answers, and lots of people have been working on this longer than I have! But after all this time – this year will be the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act – we have enough information *to* CHANGE.

Chrome

I highly recommend at least these books:

Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs by David Cruise and Alison Griffiths

Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West by Deanne Stillman

America’s Last Wild Horses by Hope Ryden

Please recommend others, if you like, but I found these books to tell an amazing and not always happy history of horses and humankind. I read Mustang first, about two years ago; it was published in 2008 . Last winter, I read America’s Last Wild Horses for the first time, first published in 1970, and I was struck by one major thought: Nothing has changed. I read Wild Horse Annie right after Christmas, and I thought again: Why has nothing changed? It’s not for lack of letters. Not for lack of schoolchildren – and adults – writing and writing and writing, talking and cajoling and pleading and demanding and insisting that wild horses be protected and managed in the wild.

Why has nothing changed?!

Hayden

I don’t know, but I share the conviction of many, many people that it has to and will.

I joined this fight – and it obviously is one – just a few years ago. I know people who have been fighting for 30 years. Best science is available, and many people are willing to carry it out for the benefit of our mustangs.

Rio

On my little blog, I’ll put out my opinion (what a scary proposition) and try to be a little more detailed about what we’re trying to do in our little corner of the wild horse world. And I’ll always – always – keep it about the horses.

Rio, Two Boots and Jif


Comments : 30 Comments »

Categories : Advocacy, Chrome, Hayden, PZP, Rio

Content

19 12 2010

Rio  was following mama Two Boots (that’s her tail at left), paused to check out Chrome, who raised his head up over Rio’s head and neck when he walked right in front of him – then stopped. Solid Chrome just let his chin rest on Rio’s back and continued his nap. I love these little moments that show stallions  involved with their families – not just fighters or stand-offish protectors. Later, with Hollywood’s band, they were grazing around … then I noticed Piedra had stopped grazing and walked back to where Hollywood was standing to nap with him. Companionable in close proximity. Pretty soon, the others came back and gathered close for a group nap. Comanche’s – very nearby – also stopped to nap. The funniest thing was at one point watching them start to raise and turn their heads to look up the hill – out to my left. Sage appeared over the hill, looking at ME … I was singing Christmas carols while they napped, and he came to investigate. 🙂 Have you noticed that “Silent Night” has a lullaby quality?

Jif and Chrome, sharing their own companionable nap.

Two Boots taking a break from grazing to give Rio a snack.

Handsome Hayden napped a short distance away during most of my visit. Such a quiet, laid back boy. Like his stepdaddy, not much seems to ruffle him.


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Jif, Rio, Two Boots

Catching up

16 12 2010

You’ve been working hard to select photos the last week or so, now I have some new photos to share of gorgeous ponies!

Taken last week – hasn’t Puzzle grown?!

Aw, Mom!

Maiku and Kiowa

Checking out a tendril of mama’s mane.

Today … sweet Chrome and baby Rio

Napping

He makes me smile. 🙂


Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Chipeta, Chrome, Kiowa, Maiku, Puzzle, Rio

A little background

4 12 2010

As odd as it sounds, snow seems to soften the natural features of the basin even as it brings those landforms into relief, accentuates the ruggedness and showcases the stark beauty of the basin, seen in the warm season in shades of tan and khaki and a little dark green in the pinon-juniper accents.

Shades of white and blue and grey and tan – beee-yoooo-tee-ful! A little bit of snow makes a wild difference. McKenna Peak is the pyramid-shaped hill at left, and the unnamed, prominent promontory is behind it. Though unnamed, it can be seen from nearly anywhere in the basin and is an instantly recognizable landmark.

Shivery cool, eh? Love the snow and shadows and patterns. The first low slope is the northern end of Flat Top, then UFO-like Round Top, then “spiky”-topped Brumley Point.

Does it look cold? It was just about the freezing level – and up to 34 in the sunshine. I was glad it was no warmer because the snow was melting a bit but not so much that it presented a problem for driving. It was so relaxing to sit on the snow (OK, yeah, it was a little cold, even in insulated pants!) and watch the ponies. Their interactions when you’re just another part of the landscape are so rewarding to observe. Sunshine warm on my face, just the tiniest chill, quiet, remarkable. I did a little ice breaking, which warmed me up considerably, and I had my lunch in heaven, horses near and horses far.

Now, looking in the opposite direction from the photos above:

Looking over a bit of the basin and past Spring Creek Canyon, across the northeastern expanse of Disappointment Valley to the La Sal Mountains in Utah. The northern most of the range here …

The southernmost of the range here …

And the very prominent “middle” section! I love it when the La Sals are crowned with snow – they make a dramatic background for wild horses at home in their desert environment!

Sunset on the La Sals … only the very immediate foreground is part of the basin.

And because no post would be complete without a resident of this marvelous wonderland:

Rio, sporting his wintery fuzzery … against a familiar background! This was a little before sunset; Rio is in shade, but the far eastern ridges are still glowing in the last sunlight of the day.

The sun’s advance over the basin at day’s beginning … the advance of shadows across the basin at the end of day … the progression from summer to fall to winter to spring … I feel so grounded there. The horses seem suddenly fuzzy, though they’ve been getting progressively furrier these last weeks as the temperatures dip and the days shorten – sunset just after 4:30! Another turn of seasons, watching the latest generation adapting to their environment in white. I love it in all seasons.


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Rio

Visit with Chrome’s

23 10 2010

Catching up from a week ago … Two Boots, Rio and Chrome

Mama and baby

Chrome – McKenna Peak and unnamed promontory in the background

His “magnificent wild stallion against the turquoise sky” pose. He really is quite a handsome fellow!

Two Boots and Chrome

Jif and Hayden had already come down the ridge … Two Boots took the fast way down, but although it looks like Chrome is thinking about following her, he didn’t. He continued walking along the edge for a little bit until he found an easier way down. 😉

Two Boots had been nickering for Rio to follow her up out of the arroyo (you can see his legs) … I think the big guy thought she was nickering for him.

Ending with one of Rio – such a handsome little guy!


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Rio, Two Boots

In all that matters

17 10 2010

Big “daddy” Chrome and little mister Rio (who is either Grey/Traveler’s son or Twister’s son). I love how Chrome walked with his head at Rio’s level (he’s pretty tall). Simple body language that speaks volumes about how this relatively new band stallion relates to his littlest family member.


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Rio

From a day

18 09 2010

The horses were at significant distances from the roads lately, possibly because of the activity going on – ponds getting dug out! Because two of the three ponds on the priority list filled up with water from the rain this summer, BLM looked outside the box and had the two dry ponds dug out – as well as the one dry pond on the list. The two “extra” ponds were still a little wet – in fact, the first one the BLM dozer guy dug out now actually has a little water in it from last week’s rain! And the other dry pond had gotten wet and muddy from a previous rain, and that one, the dozer guy eventually had to abandon – possibly for later – because it was still pretty wet and he had concerns about getting stuck. But it’s deeper than it was, and we’re dry again, so more rain could come at any timely moment for us!

This pond is right off the road in the eastern part of the basin. In the distance you can see the boundary ridge with the unnamed promontory and McKenna Peak (the “pyramid” sticking up behind the treed ridge, which is part of what I call Lizard Mesa).

Wider view …

Pushing sticky wet dirt/mud up the bank …

Farther east and a bit south of the previous pond, this area is called “sorrel flats.” It was on the original list of ponds to be dug out.

This is the pond up in the northwest part of the herd area. It rarely holds water and usually briefly, but of course, now that it’s on the list (anchoring the fifth and last spot), it has water – and for weeks. It’s very shallow – you can see the vegetation sticking up – but water in that area encourages the horses to use that area. Very pretty back  there – and great views of most of the basin!

While the dozer was out, the operator smoothed some of our “rough edges,” aka arroyos that were in need of “smoothing”! This one is near sorrel flats and had become a “drainage hole” with just a Jeep-size squeezable slot to drive through (ask me how I know – there’s an arroyo crossing I call “the squish” because it’s almost always a little wet and muddy; this arroyo was in danger of becoming “the squeeze” … and then impassable!). We appreciate the extra work. 🙂

And of course, we did see some horses …

Grey/Traveler napping with his girls … (Gemma is being shy)

There’s mama Houdini and lovely girl Gemma.

Very near the first pond that was dug out (a couple of weeks ago). It was dug out deep enough, and the water is still shallow enough, that we couldn’t see it, but Hollywood’s band knew it was there – and took advantage!

We also saw Liberty and Cinch just off the road.

He trotted with her a short distance away …

… then stopped and watched again. I’m not sure what he’s looking at here, but Liberty is clearly very much at ease with him.

We also spotted these boys – Twister and Cuatro – WAY on the other side of the basin from where they were last week – and minus Duke.

Two Boots and baby Rio in the shade of Filly Peak. Driving up, I almost didn’t see them because of the glare. Chrome didn’t move too much – he’s a fair distance to the left.

Hayden and his mama, Jif.

Wonderful day – full of sunshine and good spirits … and a few tears. Glad to see the ponds dug out. Now we just need them full!


Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Cinch, Cuatro, Gemma, Grey, Hayden, Houdini, Jif, Liberty, Ponds, Rio, Terra, Twister, Two Boots

Mosquitoes, mushrooms and more!

13 08 2010

Or: August = green!

Or: Holy grass!

Or: Monsoon madness!

This morning, when the sun broke through the cloud bank and turned the basin into a shimmering emerald jewel, I thought I’d been transported to Ireland. It is THAT green out there, people.

I had to fend off mosquitoes while photographing Chrome’s band, and mushrooms are growing in this crazy newly-wet beautiful Spring Creek Basin, not to mention one of the invasive types of “sunflowers.” Missing the paintbrush this spring? Not to worry, now they’re growing in bushes 2 feet tall with dozens of “flowers” on every “stalk”! I’m pretty sure they’re paintbrush, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it grow like that before, and certainly not in the basin.

I wish I could describe it in all the exquisite detail it deserves, but not even my photos come close to illustrating the green-tinged curves of hills, the grass in bunches the horses seem lazily content with – like it will last all the rest of the summer – the whole marvelous wonder of it all.

Looking south from the northwestish – Filly Peak at far right.

Looking up to the far northwest, near Klondike Basin.

From the northwest looking southeast: unnamed promontory and McKenna Peak (“pyramid”) at upper right.

Between the road and Filly Peak …

You know it’s crazy when I take pictures of actual grass!

Also a lot of this yuckiness adding to the greenness …

I think this is what someone told me will become tumbleweeds.

All of that, and two ponds are still dry. The kicker is that they’re not even on BLM’s list of ponds to dig out this year – hopefully, they can. The day’s miraculous forecast was for sunshine (been “thunderstorms likely” for three weeks now), and we’re in the middle of monsoon season, which happens every year in Colorado, and I had to leave the basin three times for rain – the third time finally kicked me out for good near the end of the day.

Here, although there’s not a horse in *sight,* they ARE there – out there! – it sums up my weekend:

Gorgeous with a touch of danger. That’s Filly Peak from the outside looking in when I had to leave for good in the evening – life-giving rain filling all the background, which is Spring Creek Basin to the faint ridge outline in the background – covered by a wildly vibrant rainbow (even with a polarizer hastily attached, the colors here aren’t nearly as magnificent as they were in person … or maybe it’s my “rose-colored glasses” … ;)). And do you see the lightning strike? Yes, OK, so it could strike a tree (or worse), but talk about lucky: That’s handheld. It’s not nearly as shocking (sorry) as it really was, either.

In addition to the shining green all around (I’ll tell ya, it makes my head spin), there are some surprises in the herd. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures (!) because I watched from a distance because a few bands had gotten together, and I didn’t want to add to the chaos. Cinch has Liberty, and Twister is with – drum roll, please! – Cuatro! They ended up playing with Ze and Sage for a little bit. Not sure why year-and-3-month-old Cuatro struck out on his own. Did he get kicked out already? His mama has a foal, and the other mare in his band (Jif) isn’t due for a month. Another dysfunctionality of our tiny herd. (I can’t explain why young Cuatro – and others as young – have left their mothers/bands and horses like Butch and Sundance – at least 4 now? – stayed with their bands.)

And because no post would be complete without the reason for this whole blog:

Two Boots and Rio.

More to come.


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Ponds, Rio, Two Boots, Water

On the way

19 07 2010

Chrome’s band were camouflaged among the rocks and trees on the flank of Filly Peak when the fire management officer and I arrived in the basin last week to check the status of the tree fire. We stopped quite a distance away to allow Jif to see us, recognize us, do what she was going to do. She had been very comfortable with visitors, but about a month or two ago now, that changed, and she’s quite concerned with vehicles …

They did run down the hill and gathered –  and stopped – right above the road. I had thought she’d take them at least out into the open – across the road – but just down from the confines of the rocks and trees and “nowhere to go,” she was perfectly content. When it was apparent they were going back to grazing and were calm and relaxed, on we drove, not even raising dust with the cautiousness of our forward-creep.

Respectful visitors get a view like this! Relaxed alpha-mom Jif and her big boy Hayden. Shot through the passenger window.

Cuatro greeting big-stepdaddy Chrome near little bro Rio and mama Two Boots. We got shade under what I think was the last big cloud of the day.

Chrome’s band? Misnomer. What I really mean to say is Jif’s band!

No disrespect, big guy. You’re a fabulous band stallion! 🙂

We saw a few other bands from a distance, but nobody else close until we got to this “exotic” band, just before we stopped to hike up to the tree:

Almost looks like they’re still shedding a bit, eh? As hot as it is! There were at least five pronghorn in this group, including a buck. I rarely see pronghorn antelope in the basin, and when I do, they’re almost always single, so this was a big group!

Always something of interest through the trees, around the bend, over the hill. Magic of discovery. 🙂


Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Chrome, Cuatro, Hayden, Jif, Rio, Two Boots, Wildlife

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