Roja | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Mona bulletin

20 08 2011

While I was out, I also had the opportunity to get a good look at Mona, who is due Sept. 15.

Unfortunately, that good look doesn’t translate as well to good, illustrative photos, but these give you an idea of how she is progressing.

Seven with his girls and little boy. His mane is growing out, and he now looks “ready for the show ring” with it looking “pulled” and lying nearly flat on its regular left side of his neck. He’s still Mr. Wild, though. Although they let me get this close and were OK with me sitting there, I was unwilling to move – to get better photos of Mona – lest I break the spell. When the boys later crossed the arroyo and up over the flank of the finger hill in the near distance, that was enough for Roja, and she led her family away. Bruiser, having lost Spook to Cinch, is back with 2-year-olds Sage, Ze, Cuatro and Milagro.

That’s Mona at left, and her almost-yearling daughter, Shane (sired by Kreacher, and I was thinking how much she looks like him), Killian (Seven’s son) and Roja. Isn’t Shane a big girl? Being born in mid-September doesn’t seem to have hurt her one bit.

Because Mona is an introduced mare AND is due to foal the day the roundup is scheduled to start, this band will likely NOT be targeted for roundup at all. The same is true of Kreacher’s band – which contains Raven and Kootenai, also introduced with Mona, and will likely contain Kootenai’s new foal by the time of the roundup. I’ve also suggested Chipeta’s small band not be targeted because she also will have a very new baby.

We’re having a meeting next week with BLM and the volunteers who will be serving during the roundup, and then I’ll post some info about the roundup and adoption.

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Categories : Killian, Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane

Pictures from a tough day

3 08 2011

It felt like a betrayal to even lift my camera to take pictures after what happened to Twister … though, when I saw the BLM truck leave the basin, I felt unmistakable relief. Like when I drive by Bones Valley, I think of Bones and her foal … I’ll probably always now think of that hill above Wildcat Spring as Twister’s Hill. This is what attachment and memories and love do to us, I suspect. Life.

It wasn’t until I walked out to Iya’s band later in the day, though, that the guilt of continuing seemed OK, better than OK … what I still need to do. I’ll have those pix in a separate post.

Bounce with his kids: 2-year-old son Whisper and baby daughter Aurora. Whisper had just risen from rolling – and Bounce was rolling earlier – you can see the ground right under them. Is it just me or does young Whisper look bigger than his daddy? He gets that from his mama. Aurora and Whisper are very close, despite their ages, and I suspect Whisper gets that from his big sister, Gaia. A few weeks ago, I found Alegre, seemingly alone. She looked up from her grazing, regarded me for a moment as I sat in the Jeep, then returned to grazing. Bounce appeared to see what was up, and a few moments later, Whisper came trotting out of the trees, Aurora stuck to his side like glue. I wonder how many older siblings are mistaken by observers for mothers in those kinds of situations.

Perfectly proportioned.

Zoomed out to show him on the bank of a pond that recently went from dry to water (it was dug out last year).

Mama Alegre had already left the pond and was grazing among the greasewood when ‘Rora found her for her own mid-morning snack.

Those were all taken from the Jeep.

Back around under the north hills, I found Seven’s and Spook and Bruiser where they had been the day before. They like this area because of the proximity of water (Wildcat Spring) and the grazing and the trees to seek when the gnats are just too much. I parked the Jeep almost exactly where I had the day before with Grey/Traveler’s band and just watched them for a while. Seven’s band were immediately off the road, and Spook and Bruiser eventually crossed the road.

Roja, Killian, Shane and Mona

Seven, Mona and Killian. They drifted farther from the road when Spook and Bruiser crossed, and I took this as I drove by. Roja grazing while I’m near represents a major leap in her behavior. Seven still watches for quite a while before he goes back to grazing.

Spook, one of only three true black-and-white pintos in the basin (Raven, from Sand Wash Basin, and Corazon are the others).

Bruiser

Spook and Bruiser. Seven’s are actually closer to me – they’re what Bruiser’s looking at.

Iya’s turned up deeper in the valley, on the north side of the arroyo that runs along the base of the north side of the east-west hill – basically down left-ish of Spook and Bruiser. Quite a distance from their normal territory. Unlike most of the horses, Poco and Roach have mostly stuck to a particular location in the basin, though they occasionally go wandering. And it may be Iya’s influence that has them wandering here, though both double ponds had water (both had gone dry; one was dug out in 2009).

Twister is up, way up, to the right … a guardian now, joining the others that have gone before.

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Categories : Bruiser, Killian, Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane, Spook

Seven’s

10 06 2011

We had a nice little visit with Seven’s band, and although there were two of us two-leggeds and another band close by, they were wonderfully calm:

Mama Roja teaches Killian all the good things to eat. I love how he’s imitating her! Perfect!

Mama Roja with baby Killian and Mona’s daughter Shane (bay filly on Roja’s right) walking past Seven. Shane is just about 9 months old now, and you can see her size compared with Roja, who is not a very big girl at all. 🙂 And that little hunk of a baby is definitely daddy’s boy!

Shane with stepdaddy Seven.

Seven. What a hunk he is.

I’ll have to add one of Mona. She was being independent off by herself, closer to us, actually. I’ll have some more of them from the next day. And I can’t wait to show you a pic of Seven’s son Ze, with Sage (Hollywood’s son). What handsome boys.

Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Killian, Roja, Seven, Shane

Killian

3 06 2011

While I was visiting Spook and Bruiser, Seven’s band came to the pond below us and then moseyed on out. Even that close, which wasn’t close, was too close for wary mama Roja, and off they went. I do love the pic of them trotting through a particularly lush stand of prince’s plume, though! The bay filly is Mona’s and Kreacher’s daughter, Shane.

Roja’s and Seven’s newest son has a new name, courtesy Lynn and Kathy, who braved our crazy weather to visit Spring Creek Basin’s mustangs and were the first to spot the little guy … drum roll, please …

Killian!

I love this name for one of our newest herd members!

Welcome – again – to your world, little Killian. We’re so happy to have you gracing our planet!

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Killian, Roja, Shane

Population growth

26 05 2011

Spring Creek Basin has grown by two. 🙂

Friends of the horses and mine, Lynn and Kathy, spotted this new pair this week, and I got to see them for the first time yesterday!

Although we got days and days of rain and snow, the basin is still disconcertingly dry, ponds still shallow. The dry roads made it easy to get around, but I can hardly fathom that the thirsty place just slurped up all that moisture. It shows in the green blush of hills and possibly more globe mallow and prince’s plume than I’ve ever seen.

Roja’s and Seven’s little boy already knows how to dance!

As ready as Roja was to foal two weeks ago, I think he’s probably close to that in age.

I had a wonderful visit with this band this morning and even took a nap to the music of the wind through the junipers. A hummingbird visited a couple of times! Later, when I was back in the Jeep making notes, a gorgeous little hummer with a shimmering royal purple throat came to the door three times!

Dawn found me with this lovely little miss:

Check out her little silver beard! I think she may eventually turn grey like big brother Whisper. She has a right hind fetlock exactly like daddy Bounce’s!

With gorgeous mama Alegre

Oh, what sweetness!

Belated welcome to your world, babies!

There are a few updates this week … to come!

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Categories : Alegre, Roja

Some of Seven’s

9 05 2011

Seven’s, Kreacher’s and Grey/Traveler’s bands were hanging out pretty close to each other on my last visit. That can be good in that you can hang out and just watch lots of horses from one vantage point, but it can be a little nervous with multiple families together – especially at this time of year. Unlike some, I don’t really enjoy seeing some of that seasonal chaos between stallions. It’s natural – sure – but it makes me nervous with worry! And with Seven’s being one of the most wary bands in the basin, I wasn’t sure they would be OK with the addition of me to the other bands.

As it turned out, they were fabulous!

I just sat with them for a while.

Roja is by far the most wary, and she stayed the farthest away, but she never appeared worried, and this and a couple of others are the only pix I have of her looking at me – mostly, she grazed!

And though this is what most folks would consider a “blah” photo … it’s a snapshot of triumph to me: Seven and Roja, quiet, calm, grazing, not worried about me.

Shane with them. Like most of the foals, she’s closely attached to her – in this case – stepdaddy.

I love this one of them!

Sigh. What a hunk! 🙂

Have you spotted the weirdness? What the heck happened to his mane and tail? His mane typically hangs on the left side of his neck; now he has just two dredlocks hanging, and the rest of his mane is in very short wisps! And did you spot how short his tail is? Is it all the result of rubbing? I would have said I’ve never see anything like it … but Kestrel lost most of her mane a year or so that is growing back nicely. It wasn’t maybe as obvious because she’s much younger and didn’t have a long mane to begin with. And Roach – was his roached mane and sparse tail the very first time I saw him natural?? I assumed it wasn’t, but maybe it was.

Just something more to make ya go “hmmmmm.” I think you’ll agree, there’s a lot more to make you go “ahhhhhhh”! 🙂

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane

Seven’s

21 03 2011

By the time I got to Bruiser, at least, Seven’s had become aware of me, and they watched the watching. I decided to go back and see if they’d allow a little visit before I headed back around the hill.

Mona is looking a little poorly, but hopefully she’ll rebound quickly. Shane, seen between her and Seven, looks great. Ze at right.

Roja in view … You can see that Ze is definitely going to be grey.

Daddy Seven with son Ze, 2 in just 2.5 weeks, and stepdaughter Shane, who is right at 6 months.

He looks so big next to mama. Ze and his sister, Spring, were born in early April, but Seven breeding Roja in June last year should indicate a May baby this year.

How handsome is Mr. Seven? They weren’t too interested in a long visit, so I hit a pony trail that took me up onto a ridge below Round Top. When I looked back, they were back to grazing.

I ended up going all the way around Round Top! It’s not a very big hill, really, though it stands out in the basin as looking like a giant flying saucer from the interior accessible by road. I just like saying I walked all the way around the hill. 🙂 I don’t know where Chrome’s were then, but the next day, they were on the northeast side of Round Top, right near where I walked ’round.

Comments : 1 Comment »

Categories : Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane, Ze

Spring, spotted

3 02 2011

Across the basin or across another coupla-few months? Well, it was feeling like March here lately, until the storm that blasted most of the country and left us with just a skiff of new snow and much colder temps.

This was as close as I got to them, and “this” was not close to where I left the Jeep.

When I entered the basin this morning on frozen ground, it was a balmy 8 degrees. When I decided the thawing mud I was avoiding wasn’t going to be limited to where I was walking, I drove out on “soft” ground … The Jeep’s outside temperature gauge read a downright tropical 26 degrees.

So it’s really hard to see in the pic, but Spring’s with Bruiser! He’s been alone for a while, and I hadn’t seen him for a while, so I suppose it’s only fitting that I find them together (only fitting in human terms).

Very nearby:

Fairly far east of where they were last week – Seven’s band. From left: Seven, Roja, Ze, Shane and Mona (in a fairly straight line across the bottom of the photo).

I also some some other elusive creatures I was happy to spot (though I’ve seen them since I last saw Bruiser): Duke, Twister and Cuatro. Still together and fairly close to Kreacher’s band.

And I got to this spot because I had seen two dark horses beyond a hill and through some trees … but it wasn’t who I thought it might be (though I later saw those horses, too). 😉

I thought it would be a longer trip, but as fast as it warmed up, I really did not want to get stuck in the mud! I did see a number of bands from the interior and had a nice hike and quiet visit with the horses I did walk out to. We have more chance for snow this weekend. I almost hate to wish for it when so much of the country has been slammed (including my brother in the Chicago area and uncle/aunt/cousins in Ohio), but we could sure use some more snow!

Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Bruiser, Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane, Spring, Ze

Worth the walk

2 02 2011

After some “heavy” stuff, some more pix from last week’s visit. No one figured out what band surprised me on the backside of Filly Peak with Kreacher’s? With the member I didn’t see the previous week?

How about now?

Seven’s band. From left: Roja, Shane, Ze, Mona and Seven. Definitely missing almost-yearling Spring. I’m hopeful she’s with another band.

I used this with the previous post. That’s Seven and stepdaughter Shane. She’s doing quite well.

Roja and Ze, who will be 2 this year.

Mona. How’s that for a gorgeous background?

Mona and Seven. This was a wonderful, quiet visit with this band, normally so wary.

Handsome!

Seven watched me very carefully in the beginning, but even Roja didn’t seem worried.

Beautiful boy.

My favorite. I like Mona’s and Ze’s and Shane’s faces lined up, Seven calmly watching over them.

What a wonderful visit!

Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Mona, Roja, Seven, Shane, Ze

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.