Seldom seen

29 08 2012

Continuing the sons and fathers theme, here’s a pic of Killian, son of Seven.

And he bears a striking resemblance to big brother Ze, from his color to the curious tilt of his handsome face!

This pic was taken one evening in the basin. He’s still with mama Roja, and they’re still in the east pocket, and still with young Storm.

Roja, looking trim and fit.

Storm, hunky hunk that he is!

Killian and mama.

Isn’t he stunning? Hard to believe he’s only 4.

I saw them only by the chance sighting of Storm’s tail flashing seconds before he disappeared behind a hill close to the road. But it was a marvelous end to a magical evening with the ponies.


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Categories : Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Storm

Contrast

23 05 2012

Maybe it’s the angle, but I didn’t realize how much bigger Mona is than little Roja. But I do very often have the impression of Roja as a Thelwell pony. 🙂

Here’s something: We watched Aspen breed Mona – twice – on Sunday. Mona, who should have been due to foal in four months. Mona, you may remember, who was due to foal the day the roundup started last fall. Mona lost that foal at some point, but it took me until October to realize it. Her only baby to date is Shane, a year and a half old, who is now with Hollywood’s band.

Contrast Mona with Kootenai, due in August, about a month before Mona was due:

Looking very round.

Mona, giving a reluctant Roja some lovin’. 🙂 Roja moved her head about as far as she could without actually moving her feet. That’s Killian at left, looking at bachelor Duke. The two girls have been together since right after Shane was born, and they seem to be fairly well bonded.

Interesting contrast, eh.


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Categories : Killian, Kootenai, Mona, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Well, Roja

4 05 2012

It’s sad news I have. Bound to happen, I tell myself – and you – but it’s wild reality. I’m pretty sure Roja had and lost her foal.

Above is a pic of the girl taken April 23.

And here she is the evening of April 30.

I noticed that she didn’t seem nearly as heavy … and then I noticed that her tail was all stringy. When I got home and compared pix on the computer, I’m pretty sure. She wasn’t actually due until May 15.


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Categories : Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Roja, soon

26 04 2012

And yes, the girl’s udder is big. Much bigger than Raven’s, even  though she’s actually due a week after Raven – in mid-May.

You can see a bit of her udder in this one.

This will be her fourth foal, all sired by Seven. Speaking of whom, though he managed to get her back from Aspen, he lost her (and Killian) to Storm … who also has Mona, stolen from Seven by Aspen.


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Categories : Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Seven and crew

16 04 2012

A while back, I promised more pix of Seven and the horses with him, but then came the distraction of baby Mariah! And now Aspen is – or was recently – alone. I haven’t seen Mona – or Storm. Bounce and Tenaz had left the bands, too.

He doesn’t lack for handsomeness, does he? 🙂 Mr. Muscle!

He definitely has Roja (and their son Killian) back, and he chased Mona back to Aspen at least a couple of times. Roja is definitely pregnant!

Mona with Aspen.

Better light on the pretty girl.

Storm, growing up and shedding out! When I confirm his whereabouts – and Mona’s – you’ll be the first to know!


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Categories : Aspen, Mona, Roja, Seven, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Storm

Overdue

5 04 2012

Hadn’t had a sighting of these horses in a couple of weeks. Thought they must be the first back to the east pocket – and there they were!

From left to right: Seven, Killian and Roja, Mona and Aspen, and Storm. Not seen up the hill to the right: Bounce and Tenaz.

Tenaz gave me a massive scare earlier this day; I found the horses – except him. I spent a fair bit of time with them while they grazed their way from an arroyo to some hills and over – not a sign of him to be seen. The photo in the previous post of Poco and Roach I got after walking out to see if he was with them and I had missed him when I saw them first – from a distance. (He wasn’t.) But when we came back around a few hours later, there he was, unscathed and perfectly fine. No idea where he was earlier.

Seven seems to have Roja and Killian back – which I thought was the case when I last saw them, from a distance. Seven actually chased Mona back to Aspen a couple of times. Bounce and Storm are fending each other off, and Tenaz seems to stick close to Bounce (which he has been doing for the last several months, and which is why it gave me such a scare to NOT see him).

I’ll have some more pix of these guys, but this one shows most of them together. Bounce is fairly lean and has quite a few new scars. Roja is just as pregnant as all get out. She’s not due till May, but until last year, she had been my first foaler (early April).


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Categories : Aspen, Killian, Mona, Roja, Seven, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Storm

Roja & Killian

31 01 2012

The little moisture we’ve had has kept things a little “damp” lately in the basin, making for restricted access if you’re like me and paranoid about getting stuck in the mud way out yonder. But I also saw Chrome’s band last week and had a nice little visit with them. It was still a bit sunny during the first part of the visit, but then the clouds took over.

Doesn’t she look like a little Assateague pony … one bright eye peering out from that lovely long forelock?

Mama and her boy

Handsome Killian. Love the lip, reaching for more grass.

Keeping an eye on me.

They were in an area they (Chrome) like(s) every winter, but I’ll be darned if I know where they’re drinking with so little snow. The rest of the year, when there’s no snow, you’ll hardly ever see horses in this area. This is in the western part of the basin. In the eastern part, by contrast, there’s more melting snow – and mud!


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Categories : Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Sweet sun dreamland

17 01 2012

My visit with Chrome’s band was a late-afternoon sweet hour in the sunshine.

And if some of us enjoyed the sunshine’s warmth with eyes closed, who could blame us?

Little mister Killian was lying down when I first walked out to them. Winona laid down beside him – that’s the top pic. Terra and Hayden were standing to the side, faces to the sun.

Terra’s eyes closed; Hayden’s at half-mast.

Chrome’s in dreamland; ‘Nona’s keeping a sleepy eye on me. This was before she laid down beside Killian.

Wake-up time. The other horses had moved off, grazing – except mama Roja, partially seen in the background. Killian shares this funny sort of stretch with big brother Ze, who had already left the family when Killian was born.

He looked at me for just a few moments, then trotted off to his compadres (not mama, interestingly).

Terrific Terra – don’t you love her face? Those amber eyes?

Classic Chrome!


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Categories : Chrome, Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

More of Chrome’s

2 01 2012

Didn’t spend a lot of time with these ponies. Sun sinking fast. So great to see them – right where they knew they were. 🙂

Handsome Hayden.

They were on a hill across a very steep drainage from the end of the corral hill, so I took pix as I climbed up the hill across from them. As you can see, we have gorgeous blue skies in Colorado!

Little stud muffin Killian. How much he looks like his big brother, Ze.

Mama Roja, watching me intently.

A bit later, when I was on top with them and they were grazing, mama suddenly looked up and gave me a weird stare. I tried to figure out what was wrong … only to notice that she had suddenly realized that Terra, Winona and Hayden had grazed on, leaving her closest to me. Oops. 🙂 She walked away, eyeballing me over her shoulder. I just chuckled to myself. Sweet girl.

You can’t tell from these photos, but the hill was steep, and my side (across a shallow drainage) was still snow-covered. Their side was muddier than it looks here.

Terra. Isn’t she growing up to be a gorgeous girl? Daughter of Grey/Traveler and Houdini. She’ll be 3 in the spring.

We could say the same about our lovely Winona! Daughter of Mouse (likely) and Kestrel. She’ll be 2 in the spring.

I just posted this one, but it’s the best I have of Chrome from that day. He mostly wandered around on the far side of the other horses, not worried about a thing, let alone looking handsome for the camera. 🙂

These are the ones I’ve tweaked so far, but I’m going to be without Internet for a couple of days, so will leave you with these. Saw almost all the horses last week – still not those elusive pintos! – but not many pix. Very warm. Very melty. Very muddy. We need snow!!!


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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Found faces

31 12 2011

Look who I found:

Look at that little boy, nearly as big as his mama.

Where are they?

Can you tell by those faces? They’re all there.

Pony babies have been hanging out behind Flat Top. Lots of territory back there – lots of tracks criss-crossing the snow. Spotted Roja from a distance, alone, dark in the glare, but with that belly – couldn’t have been anyone else. You think Kestrel’s a wide load already?

Roja used to be my first foaler, but this year, she went into May. She’s not a very big girl – like Kestrel – so that belly shows!

I was glad to find them. Now the pintos are my elusive ponies. I think they’re deep in the southern end of the basin where they can take advantage of grazing areas because of the snow (for eating). It was WARM here this week. Into the 50s. Gorgeous. Melting. Muddy. What happened to our cold La Nina winter? Well, it has just begun after all.

Speculation about the weather is like wondering where horses are – no telling, and there’s nothing you can do about it but be happy when you find what you’re looking for. 🙂


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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

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