Sage | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Changes

7 10 2009

Nothing like jumping back into life after a long vacation away from home. I’ll have to break this up or I’ll never get images/updates posted!

During my first visit to the basin after I got home, Jif and her baby were the second thing I noticed. The first was this:

Kreacher and Mona

Kudos to you if you recognize that Kootenai is missing from this picture; she was missing from the entire area. Changes like this always result in a clutch to my stomach, but I won’t leave you guessing as long as I was – she’s fine. But you’ll have to wait (or scroll down) to find out who she’s with now … You might be able to guess – like I did! That’s Filly Peak behind them. Not much of a geographic change for these ponies.

Grey/Traveler’s band was very nearby, still with Chrome, who’s still the bachelor on their heels. While the stallions aren’t fat because of their constant vigilance, and Houdini and Two Boots aren’t fat because they’re nursing foals, they all look to be in good condition. Jif looks wonderful.

Steeldust’s band was napping on top of the finger hills with bachelors Mouse and Comanche. Bachelors Hook and Twister were a bit down the hill toward the arroyo, and bachelors Cinch and Bruiser were very near the east-side loop road!

Cinch and Bruiser, Twister and Hook

You never know where these spotted boys will show up.

Let’s pause the program for a moment to talk about the ponds. Nope, they weren’t dug out; Ma Nature intervened. The pond north of Flat Top has water in it, but it’s not full and it’s not deep. I didn’t hike back to check the pond south of Round Top. The pond below the roller-coaster ridge and the pond near the entrance by the road to the old trap site also have water again. That must have been some rain the basin got that kept me from visiting before my trek north! This brings us to most of the water sources having water again …

Poco and Roach appeared on the other side of the roller-coaster ridge from the pond … and Hollywood and his band were nowhere in sight. They showed up east of the road across from the valley between Knife Edge and Lizard Mesa!

Sage and Piedra

Hollywood's band

Before I left the east pocket, I hiked back to check that pond – still water – and look for Seven’s – who I didn’t see. But up by the pond right by the road, a nice little surprise – and an answer.

Duke's band

All looks normal, right?

Kootenai

Ta da!

Did you guess? And how did it come about? Duke’s and Kreacher’s territories have been close – partially overlapping – but not that close. Duke and Kreacher did pal around in the not-too-distant past as part of the Bachelor 7. But I wonder if Kootenai wasn’t the force behind the change. Wonderful Duke. 🙂 He gets an instant family when (I think) he happens across Raven and baby Corona; now, his family has increased, randomly or …?

Corona and Raven

Corona and Kootenai

You’d think they’d known each other forever.

Corona and Raven

Raven

Who looks fabulous??

Nibbling Mama's ear

Any ideas on baby girl’s color? I’m still stumped. Love her curly mane. 🙂

Kootenai and Duke

Duke takes this addition to his family in stride. Such a gentleman.

Aspen was – alone – right around the corner. Bounce and his family were down by the arroyo at the northern end of the valley between Lizard Mesa and Knife Edge. Then it was back around to get a better look at Jif’s handsome little guy, and more pix will come later as I get them tweaked. The pinto band was visible from the Disappointment Road near the county line, so it turned out that Seven’s band and David and Shadow were the only ponies not seen during my return to my very own paradise, oh-so-close to home.

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Categories : Baylee, Bruiser, Cinch, Corona, Duke, Hollywood, Hook, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, New girls, Piedra, Raven, Sage, Twister

Super-quick trip

6 09 2009

With many apologies to Amanda and Billie and others who have large ranges and big herds, in about an hour and a half Friday after work, I saw all but five of my horses. 🙂 Not seen: David and Shadow and Duke’s band. No to Jif and no to the ponds. And now it’s (finally) raining. Will those couple of ponds ever get dug out to capture some of this rain?

Don’t have many pix again because it was a quick trip – chased out again by coming rain (which eventually dropped a curtain over not only Spring Creek Basin but the entire Disappointment Valley, as seen from the switchbacks on the highway above Slickrock). The most exciting thing was that I saw Seven’s band! Where else but the east pocket. I think that’s where he’s been “hiding” – easy to be invisible back there. They were back beyond the pond, so I didn’t even take any pix. I can’t confirm Liberty among them because of distance and heat waves and vegetation, but based on Molly’s body language and occasional looks to the ground beside her, I think the filly was there. Definitely saw Roja and Ze and Seven – and though they definitely saw me (Jeep), they were apparently far enough away for complete comfort so they didn’t budge at all.

I scanned the upper hills but never saw Duke’s … but guess who I did see, in almost the exact same place above the canyon as Grey/Traveler’s last weekend?! Steeldust with hangers-on. I actually saw Cinch and Bruiser first, lower. Traveler turned out to be – seen on my “where the heck is he” outward-bound drive – up in … the “northwest bowl.” Basically over the hill from the northwest dry pond. Still with Chrome. No foal. It was a pretty far distance from where I was glassing them, but I saw Jif walking around and no foal ever getting up with her. Did confirm all the other members of the band.

Kreacher’s, of course, were right by Filly Peak, and Hollywood’s and his men were right on the hill above that first curve from the boundary. Oh, and Bounce’s were back by the east pocket, too, hanging out under some trees in the sunshine ahead of the storm (which was coming up from the southeast). That little Whisper loves to stand under the trees. I’m not really sure where he learned it – duh – but most of the time I see them, they’re in the open … except him. If there’s a tree around, he’s almost always under it. 🙂

I headed home the highway way because the south end of Disappointment Valley and beyond was beyond purple with rain, but when I drove in that way, I saw the pintos – all the spots and all the solids – very near where they were last weekend.

It was a marvelous sight to look back and see all that lovely rain over the basin and the valley. But I suppose it will delay the digging out of the ponds even longer. Would have been nice to have gotten that done before the (late) monsoons.

Some pix:

Bounce's band

(Wow – I have apostrophes now.) Alegre, Bounce, Gaia and Whisper. They were just by the hill before the curve and the “triangle” to the east pocket, where Seven’s band was hanging out beyond the pond.

Nap time

Mona lying down for her nap; Kootenai standing. Kreacher was a short distance to the left.

Storm sky

That sky doesn’t look so threatening with two lovely ladies in the foreground.

Hollywood's band

On the hill above the first curve. Poco and Roach were below them closer to me. Sage is behind Piedra. By this time, as you can tell from Baylee’s sideways-blowing dreadlock and their tails, the wind was blowing pretty hard.

Into the wind

There’s young master Sage.

Windy

Must have taken it right outta their sails because they gave each other this look … then walked away.

And that was enough excitement for me. I almost made it out of the basin before the first drop fell …

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Categories : Alegre, Baylee, Bounce, Gaia, Hollywood, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, New girls, Piedra, Poco, Roach, Sage, Whisper

Visiting dignitaries

6 09 2009

That’s certainly what I consider them: Dan Elkins and Karen Herman, who visited Spring Creek Basin in mid-August to tour the herd area and meet some Wild Bunch members and our BLM herd area manager and answer questions we had about gathering horses via bait trapping and about PZP.

In June, I wrote about Dan and Karen administering the first PZP doses to mares from the Carson National Forest: https://springcreekwild.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/pzp-partnership-in-the-carson-national-forest-nm/

Learn more about Karen’s Sky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary here: http://skymountainwild.org/

Direct link to a story about Dan and Karen using PZP (also linked from Karen’s Web site): http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/carson-national-forest-Forest-first-to-use-contraceptive-on-wil

We learned that Karen was able to get a grant to fund the PZP program for the Carson NF mares, and that set our wheels in motion. Now we have to write a proposal asking the BLM to allow us to pursue funding to implement a PZP program – which could start as soon as this coming spring! – and agree to have Dan and Karen come back to administer it. This is the good news I alluded to when I broke the bad news about Chipeta’s colt, Joven. Best of all, Dan and Karen get their PZP doses directly from ZooMontana in Billings, so we won’t have to worry about the PZP changing hands and freezing and thawing and re-freezing and re-thawing so many times during BLM transport.

Also, our herd population stands at 49 horses (BLM does not count foals till they’re a year old), we’re still well within our AML (35-65), and so we were told the next gather likely will not be until at least 2011. In the meantime, I hope our BLM is watching the goings-on at Pryor Mountain. One thing I’m happy about there is that bands are being kept together. Also, with Matt Dillon’s documentation of the horses and MOU between the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center and BLM that they provide herd information, I’m hoping we can duplicate that partnership when it comes time to round up and remove some of our horses. I’ll never be happy about that, but I also will never condone horses starving on an overgrazed range when it could be prevented. A PZP program here will hopefully slow the population growth of the herd, allowing more horses to stay wild longer. And knowing about Dan and his method, I hope we’ll never again hear helicopter blades churning over Spring Creek Basin.

Dan and Karen are awesome. Extremely knowledgeable and friendly – it was like meeting old friends from our first handshake. My hope is that someday every herd manager in the country will know Dan and Karen. I hope a contract between them and our BLM is in our immediate future, for the horses’ sake.

Here are some random pix from that day, taken in the morning before everyone arrived:

Hannah and Sable

Butch and Storm

Pinon

Mouse and Steeldust

Sage

Hollywood

Mona, Kootenai and Kreacher

Kootenai and Kreacher

Kootenai

Mona and Kreacher

As soon as I say this, they’ll leave, but if you’re in the area to visit Spring Creek Basin, I would be surprised if, out of all those 49-plus (with foals) horses, you did NOT see this little threesome. They have been hanging out in the area surrounding the water catchment for months now. The grazing is not the best, but the water is. The other bands seem to have been going for forage over quality of water, and the only other horses I’m pretty sure have used the catchment recently are Traveler’s band and the bachelors Cinch and Bruiser. Hollywood’s band has been in that general area the past two weekends; I have not seen them at the catchment. Most recently, I saw Hollywood trying to drink from the pond area off the road to the old trap site. I did not see any water from the road, and I did not go closer … Poco and Roach followed the band past the “pond” without even stopping to try to drink.

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Categories : Advocacy, Butch, Hannah, Hollywood, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, Mouse, New girls, Pinon, PZP, Sable, Sage, Steeldust, Storm, Wild horses in the news, Work projects

Wild about mustangs

4 09 2009

This post, from a visit to the basin two weeks ago, has been a long time coming, but before I get to my horses, I’d like to offer a little prayer for the Pryor Mountain mustangs and all those who love and cherish those horses in particular.

Two weeks ago, our Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners were anticipating a visit with Dan Elkins and Karen Herman from New Mexico. Dan has been doing a technique of gathering wild horses called bait trapping for the past six years. Recently in the Carson National Forest in New Mexico, they implemented that state’s first PZP program. By using his unique mineral and salt mix, Dan is able to bring horses to a trap site by band, calmly. He can then corral an entire group of horses by family band or single out particular horses for removal. Since I visited the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in September 2007 and learned about this alternative to helicopter-driven roundups, and realized documentation of a band could help, I’ve been working toward this goal for our next gather.

Dan and Karen also are certified to administer PZP, a fertility control drug that can reduce birth rates and thus the need for frequent gathers. With Dan and Karen offering both a humane option for gathering and removing horses (with just 22,000 acres of less-than-ideal habitat, it has to be done) AND the ability to implement a program designed to remove horses less often (which incidentally means the horses now in the basin may have the opportunity to live free and wild longer (forever?) on their home range), it seems to be a win-win project for us! Our fingers are collectively crossed that the BLM sees the logic here as well!

I went out early to scout the horses and spend some extra time with them alone. It was the first time I’d been out for an overnight trip since the almost-end of foaling season. And we come to the reason for such a long wait between horse stories: I saw every band but Seven’s, and I was able to spend some time with each of them – a nice change from the never-long-enough day trips. But it made for a LOT of photos, which just took a long time to go through. I do have a day job, ya know!

It was another one of those weekends that make it to the “amazing visit” category. The horses were pretty calm for the most part. Traveler’s band was the most unsettled, with both Chrome and Aspen swirling around them. And no, Jif still has not foaled, which you saw in the previous post.

Kreacher’s band was out past the Spring Creek canyon area when I first drove into the basin.

Hollywood’s band was first up at a close distance. Poco and Roach are still with the band, and they seem to have a relationship that works for all involved.

Mama, Daddy, baby

Piedra, Hollywood and Sage.

Baylee and Hollywood

Oh, that Hollywood; such a lover. 🙂

Perfect scratching post

Sage was very solid while Mama satisfied an itch.

Like begets like

Couldn’t tell these two are related, eh …??

Sage

I dare you to look at this pic and not burst into a spontaneous chuckle! 🙂

Poco

Being the lieutenant has its perks. Poco has clearly been a visitor to the Wildcat Spring and Day Spa!

Roach

Isn’t he in great shape?

Hollywood

Thanks for a terrific visit, pal!

Steeldust’s band was lounging up the hill in the shade east of Wildcat. The usual cast of characters were in attendance, including these two misters:

Twister and Hook

I was glad to see these boys still together. I don’t know that you can say Hook is really taking care of 2-year-old Twister, but at least they’re staying together.

Mahogany and Sable

While I was watching Twister and Hook, who were on a hill across a little drainage from where Steeldust’s band was, Mahogany came walking behind me, followed by baby Sable and yearling Pinon … followed by Lt. Mouse. Hmm. What’s this? I wondered whether Mouse had sort of selected them out … but they went a little farther down the hill past me, then around some trees and back to the band. Like that’s what they had intended to do all along.

Mouse

Sable

A closer look at Mahogany’s little girl.

Alpha and Luna

The queens of Steeldust’s heart, err, band.

Shady boys

Storm and Steeldust and Alpha and others hanging out under the trees. It was warm – up to 92 degrees – but not unbearable.

Had just a short visit with them that time because I got a late start to the basin, and I hadn’t yet seen Grey/Traveler and his band, which meant I hadn’t seen Jif. I got a wonderful surprise when I got around to the formerly (!) dry pond right beside the road …

Water in a dry land

Yay! We’re unfortunately still waiting for just two of the five originally identified ponds to be dug out in the hopes that they will hold water when it rains enough. I’ll say here that my idea of quality and quantity of water don’t match the BLM’s idea for what the horses need, but I’ll also say that we’re working on that issue.

Next, I had the most amazing visit with Bounce’s band.

Gaia, Whisper and Alegre

Beautiful mama with her gorgeous babies. That little Whisper is so cute I can hardly stand it! And Gaia, who has been such a mama’s girl (and step-daddy’s, too), is finding her courage to indulge her curiosity.

Bounce and family

Alegre and Whisper

Whisper

Isn’t he just handsome? Clearly going grey.

Family backyard

Bounce

Coming to say hello.

It was an amazing visit I can’t do justice to with pictures.

Then Grey/Traveler’s band was back in the east pocket beyond the pond – Chrome and Aspen both with the band. And another great surprise! That pond was full, too! Among other things, this might tell you where the rain is falling in the basin.

Little Miss Friendly

I wonder whether Daddy knows his baby girl (Terra) is fraternizing with the enemy (Chrome).

Aspen in the lead

As you can see, Traveler had other concerns. That’s Jif behind him.

Speaking of Jif, let’s show off the belly again:

Jif

She’s in good condition.

Iya and Two Boots

So … Iya, front/left, is a yearling, and Two Boots (named with a nod to Pryor stallion Two Boots, by the way) is her 2-year-old “big” sister. They don’t look much alike, besides the size comparison, do they? But as far as I know (???), they have the same sire, a grey stallion I called Junior who was gathered and removed in 2007.

Cuatro

Little man following Mama. You can see his grey-ness, too.

Terra

Big, beautiful sister! No sign of a limp.

Grandma and grandbaby

Houdini and her baby Two Boots’ baby Cuatro!

Traveler

Chrome

He is persistent …

Git

Traveler going after Aspen.

Leaving it to the lieutenant

Here, he’s letting Chrome take care of Aspen …

Airs above ground

Quite a show, but they didn’t come to blows (sorry).

Traveler had to keep Chrome away, too, and at one point, they came around the band to where I was.

One grey

Chrome

Chrome was surprised enough to find himself close to me that he was distracted, and Traveler went confidently back to his band. Sorry, pal. 🙂

As if that wasn’t enough, Bounce came trotting over to get the low-down.

Wind in his mane

Defiant

Bounce and Aspen. My goodness, check out that kick!

Dominance

There was a great deal of sniffing and posturing, but in the end, neither Aspen nor Chrome really challenged elder Bounce.

Belly view

Another view of our girl.

Jif and Iya and band

The band was remarkably calm, given what was going on, but they didn’t stay in one place very long.

So I left them to their evening and decided to try to find Duke’s merry little band. They proved not very hard to find, right by the road near the northwestern entrance.

Duke

Maybe you know my penchant for dark bay horses, but don’t tell me he doesn’t just glow in that lovely light! The sun was very low, and the shadow from the hill on the boundary was creeping steadily toward the horses.

Corona and Raven

Love these lovely girls! Corona seems another “old-soul” girl, a lot like Ember. She doesn’t emote much, but she watches everything.

Overtaken by shade

Duke, Corona and Raven

To end the day, I headed back into the sunshine, looking for horses glowing in the light.

On the move

Alpha leads boys Storm, Butch and Sundance through a shallow little draw to a meadow right by the road back near Wildcat Spring.

Year mates

Yearlings Pinon and Ember, followed by 2-year-old Kestrel.

Comanche

Bringing up the rear.

Three girls

Ember, right, grazes with “aunt” Mahogany and Sable.

Satellites

First Sgt. Comanche, right/foreground, and Lt. Mouse grazing toward the band.

Last light

It was a simply gorgeous evening. That’s Comanche.

End o the day

At some point, you just have to put down the camera and enjoy the scenery … and the company.

A beautiful, beautiful, wonderful day.

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Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Aspen, Baylee, Bounce, Chrome, Comanche, Corona, Cuatro, Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners, Duke, Ember, Gaia, Grey, Hollywood, Hook, Houdini, Iya, Jif, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Piedra, Pinon, Poco, PZP, Raven, Roach, Sable, Sage, Steeldust, Storm, Terra, Twister, Two Boots, Whisper

Earlier

4 08 2009

So … I should have posted these pix before the ones of Seven’s band and Chipeta’s new colt, but I wasn’t going to post these until I could relate the story of the whole day … and it looks like it might be awhile before I can get to all the pix, so I hope you enjoy the teasers from last Friday until I can get to the rest. I have some really lovely images of stunning Corona and her mama, so I promise it will be worth the wait.

The water situation continues to depress me, especially after seeing all the nice ponds in Sand Wash Basin – with water, not just cracked, dry depressions in the ground where water should be. Grey/Traveler was being harassed, but the fact that it was by bachelor Chrome was just something I couldn’t do anything about. Kreacher picked up the chase at the end of the day, even leaving Mona and Kootenai far behind to keep up with Grey’s band and Chrome. Maybe they didn’t want any part of it, but they always followed. When Aspen was with his band Sunday, it was at a respectful distance, and the horses were relaxed and not moving too far.

But on to happiness. When I checked Wildcat Spring – yes, water – I spied Hollywood on a hill above me, just watching me. Ha. I haven’t spent much time exploring the hills in that area, so I walked on up. The ponies have a good network of trails up there. Poco and Roach are still with them; I did take pix but didn’t tweak any of them yet. It started sprinkling out of the clear blue sky – have you ever looked straight up and had rain falling into your eyeballs, looking silver against turquoise? There was a big cloud, but it wasn’t directly above me … and I learned something new a little later: It’s hard to plan for rain coming when you can’t see it coming. I found a seat under a juniper to hang out with the ponies for a bit.

Hollywood and girls and boy

The theme of “do you think you could stand just so” kinda started with Piedra acting shy behind this little bush. This was taken from one of their trails on the side of a hill looking across a sharp drainage. The spring is basically downhill and to my left. Poco and Roach were in the trees not too far up their hill.

Photos of the babies with their mamas are lovely and aww-inspiring, but I love to see the daddies interacting with their offspring.

073109sageholls1

Sage walked over and stopped at a respectful distance. Piedra did comply with my photo direction here; she had just walked out of the frame to the left.

073109sageholls2

Then Sage made his approach. At first, Hollywood acted a little annoyed and flattened his ears.

073109sageholls3

Now look at his ears. He thinks there might be something interesting about the little mister.

073109sageholls4

Then Hollywood decided Sage was quite sturdy enough to use him as a rubbing post!

073109sageholls5

Sniffing him again. Check out the ears.

073109sageholls6

Synchronicity of tails.

Do you love those misters?? 🙂

Edge of the world

Piedra, Sage and Baylee. You can see part of the road in the distance and part of Filly Peak at far back right.

All together

Including Hollywood in the shot, and you can see more of Filly Peak in the background … which should maybe more appropriately be called Humpback Hill?

Hollywood and Baylee

This is looking almost west … like west-west-southwest-west … and the other end of Filly Peak.

Elder mister

He’s not very good at hide-n-seek. But he’s awfully cute. 🙂

It did rain then a bit later – heavier – but it was also still sort of sunny in most places. I could see the “haze” against the western hills outside the herd area that said rain, but it was weird. But the road was also starting to get gummy already by the time I got to the catchment! When I first got there, I saw Kreacher’s band and Cinch and Bruiser (as not-good as the water is, it’s better in the north than in the south, apparently), then Grey/Traveler’s out on the corral hill. Wouldn’t you know it, by the time I got to the flats below the catchment on my way out – in the rain – and did I mention the road was getting gummy and a hit to the brakes meant a bit of a slide in the wet before actual stoppage – they were right off the road? Confirmed that it was Chrome with them – and so Twister still away (and he’s with Hook, at least) – and no foal for le petite dun Jif. OK, OK, I’m leaving already. I went down the county road to see if I could catch enough of a glimpse of the pintos to see Chipeta and/or walk in to them – nada. A couple of hours later, it was sunny and warm and breezy enough, I decided to try the road into the basin again – no problem-o.

Horses and hills and sunshine and shadows

Left to right: Cuatro, Two Boots, Iya, Grey/Traveler, Jif. Houdini and Terra (still OK) were to the right. Chrome was to the left … and now for a wider view …

Love that after-rain light

I know the horses are small, the land large, but can you make out who’s there? I love the graphic quality of these photos, by the way. This is looking sort of east-east-northeast-east. I don’t think there’s ever an easy single direction anywhere out there! They’re up in the area by the catchment – I think I took this from some point alongside Filly Peak – but although I have confirmed Kreacher and the mares drinking from the catchment troughs, I haven’t yet seen Grey’s band drinking there (and to go slightly off-topic for a minute, I did see Cinch and Bruiser very close to the troughs Sunday). Chrome was (mostly) dogging them pretty hard – he’s the grey at far left in these seemingly quiet moments – so they kept moving and moving – they went down off the “edge” south of the catchment to the flats, then ended up moving toward Spring Creek – north-northeastish. And in the foreground? Left to right: Kootenai, Kreacher and Mona. Just “above” Kootenai are Terra and Jif, and then Houdini out to the right. Horses to the left of Jif same as in the picture above this one.

From here I also spotted Steeldust’s band up in the north hills above the northwest road. Those ponies think they’re mountain goats lately. Driving out to see them, I found Duke, Raven and Corona! Now that was a hoped-for treat, having just seen Raven’s former band stallion and Corona’s likely daddy in Sand Wash Basin!

I hate to leave ya’ll hanging, but as of now, I have just one tweaked photo. Time … it’s all a matter of time. A full-time job, a taking-its-sweet-time computer. I’ll put up more soon; I promise.

Duke

This might be one of my favorite pix of the boy. Isn’t he handsome? They were watching Steeldust’s band in the trees up on the hill, so I walked way out around them to get better light.

And it’s late again …

I must have been happy to see my ponies – I took lots and lots of photos – I was on my second memory card before I left. Always great to visit other horses, but it’s great to be home. 🙂

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Categories : Baylee, Chrome, Cuatro, Grey, Hollywood, Houdini, Iya, Jif, Kootenai, Kreacher, Mona, New girls, Piedra, Sage, Terra, Two Boots

Interaction

18 07 2009

For the latest installment, a little more intimate look at the interactions of a couple of bands. Visits when I see all or most of the horses are great because I get a sense of everybody’s overall well-being. Visits when I get to hang out with a couple of bands are great because I get a more intimate feel for individual horses and personalities. Visits are great.

David and Shadow were visible from the county road again. They led me to their water source …

Hoofprint puddles

David and Shadow

They seem very bonded, this pair. Shadow is 2 this year … not sure about David.

David

Shadow

She looks like her mother, Ceal.

Then it was on to the main entrance of the basin.

Bounce’s band – and Cinch and Bruiser – were hanging out in the meadow area above the second intersection. Tiny bits of rain drops were falling intermittently. Some clouds to the northeast; some clouds over the western ridgeline. The pressing goal was to find and check on Terra … I did find her, finally, with her band, through binoculars, up on a hill along the eastern hills. She was standing and moving – and up on a hill. Thunder and lightning cut short the visit and any hope of seeing her from a closer distance …

Bounces band and Cinch and Bruiser

When Whisper was first born, I noted that he had the same trot as his daddy; here, he mimics mama.

Alegre and Whisper

Heading toward the road.

Following

Where ya going?

See the likeness?

Wait for me

Cinch

Wait for me, too

Bruiser

The discussion

Oddly enough, it was Bruiser who engaged Bounce. They’re probably fairly close in age?

The conclusion

Bruiser let fly, but he didn’t connect.

One way

The other way

To the rescue

Alegre and the youngsters were walking toward me when Bounce arrived to put an end to that nonsense.

Family

Favorite of the day.

Second favorite

They’re heading away from the second intersection. In the far background, you might be able to pick out part of the loop road where it heads on south from the east pocket.

I drove on (this was on the northwest road, by the way) to visit with Hollywood’s band.

Safe Sage

Piedra grazes close while Sage naps.

Sage and Piedra

Brumley Point (which seems to lack an actual point) in the background. The band was on the north/northwest side of the road between the intersections, southish of the northwest road.

Poco

McKenna Peak (which has a point) and “the promontory” in the background.

Roach

The boys are sticking close – but not too close. They are with company, but I feel some sadness for them, too … close but not close enough to having what they had.

Piedra and Baylee

Baylee

Sage and Baylee

Hollywood

All together

Cheeky

Biting mama’s ear

More cheek

The boy defines “cheeky!”

Ha ha!

So he’s yawning, but what a funny little mister. 🙂

Sweet boy

Quiet

What an angel he is.

Whew, it was hot out there. I left pretty soon after that last picture. The boy’s tummy was full, and he was sleepy again. He laid down for another nap, and I left the ponies to sunshine and browse.

On the way out, to the tune of thunder and a show of lightning, right before I spotted Grey/Traveler’s band on the hill, Steeldust’s were coming out of “hiding” from the direction of Wildcat Spring. All the ponies seen last weekend but Seven’s band. Was particularly glad to see David and Shadow.

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Categories : Alegre, Baylee, Bounce, Bruiser, Cinch, David, Gaia, Hollywood, Piedra, Poco, Roach, Sage, Whisper

The dry and the wet of it

1 07 2009

They might have been waiting for me, as close as Steeldust’s and Hollywood’s bands were to the entrance when I returned to Spring Creek Basin for the first time after my recent vacation. They were working their way up the main drainage that comes down to Spring Creek from the upper north hills. Spring Creek has some water in places; the arroyo they were in is dry.

Some good news: The little pond by the road to the old trap site at Spring Creek has water! The proof of recent rain is evident, but the roads were all dry. It’s pretty green, and even though most of that is vegetation like four-winged saltbush and greasewood and sage and etcetera, there actually is some grass – besides the gone-to-brown cheat grass.

The ponies are in great shape. The babies are growing stout and healthy, and even the stallions, who got a little lean last spring sparring for the girls, look super. So good to be back!

Sage

The little mister is trying to give us a glimpse of his true color … but what will it be? Keep in mind his dorsal and zebra stripes. Mama is grey – likely born bay; Daddy is dun … grandma may have been grulla (that is to say, the mare I think is grandma was grulla).

Watchful

Steeldust and his band pay close attention to Hollywood’s band and friends Poco and Roach.

Siblings?

Little Hannah, now almost 3 months old, with big sister Ember, barely seen behind Butch, with Sundance at right. Brothers? Hannah and Ember’s brothers? You can see Sundance is still keeping his “pink” shade, while Butch is tending more toward grey now.

Must be lunch time

Storm, 11 months old, is still nursing from Alpha. At left, you can just barely see Hannah’s chinny-chin-chin as she nurses from Luna. Two-year-old Kestrel (who no longer shows signs of a bulging belly) is in front; big daddy Steeldust is in back.

Pinon and Storm

And a little action: Although Pinon is two months older than Storm, Storm’s mama is an “alpha” mare – that would be Alpha! – and he inherits some of her status. He’s a big boy, outgoing, confident and strong. And look how grey he has become!

Heads and tails and a baby face

Extended family

Comanche at left, Steeldust’s in the middle, Hollywood’s at right. Poco and Roach were out of the frame to the right. Steeldust’s is Piedra and Baylee’s original family band; Mahogany is Baylee’s dam, possibly Piedra’s … possibly Sage’s grandma! Fun. I love watching their family interactions. This is looking to the northwest. Between the nearer green hills and the hills dotted with pinon-juniper is the little valley through which the upper northwest entrance road runs.

As I headed into the heart of the basin, clouds were looming over the western horizon, but I was prepared to wait out any rain from inside the basin (serious danger alert: you better be prepared with food, water and possibly sleeping bag and extra clothes if you’re going to do that; know that the roads will – eventually – dry out, but it might be several hours, even the next day). After three weeks away, I really wanted to re-connect with Grey-my-boy.

I spotted Bounce and his girls and little boy up on a clear hill near the road to Horse Park. My, they were up high(er than usual). Then, below them and more west or northwest, ghosts in the trees … Grey/Traveler and Houdini and the fam! They were headed down out of the trees toward Wildcat Spring. By the time I got around to that area, the horses were on the trail to the open from the spring.

Time to play

When I got to them, I was surprised to see a couple of the youngsters playing “chase.” Now for the cool part: That’s Twister – 2 years old – chasing 2-month-old Terra! Houdini was already across the road (to the right) by this time. Cuatro, infected by the fun, was trying to get mama Two Boots (also 2!) to play, but she wasn’t nearly as accommodating. Jif leading and Iya bringing up the rear.

Playful Cuatro

Catch me if you can

Hide n seek

I love this scene. Daddy Grey in the foreground – ears up, happy. Cuatro at right, trying to get mama to play. Then, see that butt? That’s Twister. See the sly little girl hiding around the tree at left? Ha! A couple of moments later, she took off for mama.

All right with the world

Grey/Traveler, Terra and Houdini

Jif with da belly

Someday soon …

Two Boots and Cuatro

Just about now it was starting to rain, so I headed back to the Jeep – all the better to protect the camera, see.

It rained for about an hour and a half – a nice, gentle, excellent rain. The ponies mostly stood napping as it rained, but as the rain started to ease, the horses started grazing, moving back toward me but not all that close. The ground was wet, with puddles, but it wasn’t sloppy muddy. It had cooled down quite a bit, from the 70s to the 60s, so I put a jacket on and started to head out toward them … when I heard a sound – loud, like ATVs.

Watching

I kept watching back around the curve of the road for people on four-wheelers, wondering why they were out so soon after it rained (but look at me, waiting out the rain IN the basin). The ponies watched, too …

Away

But then they started running …

… and then I realized why.

Bird of prey

To wild horses, especially those that have been rounded up by helicopter, helicopters might as well be hawks, the horses, rabbits. “Mad” doesn’t begin to describe my emotion watching that helicopter cruise over the basin – over Grey’s band, over Bounce’s band and over, as I found out in the next moments, the bachelors (Aspen, Chrome, Hook, Cinch and Bruiser – yeah, they were back in the north). Traveler, Bounce and Bruiser all were gathered in 2007 – with their families, by helicopter.

I don’t know the origin of the helicopter, private or otherwise, or on-the-ground launch site. It came from the west and flew almost directly east. How low was it? Low enough. I’m willing to entertain the thought that it was related to some kind of firefighting effort – bless those brave folks – but way not cool to fly a helicopter so low over a wild horse herd management area.

Still running

They ran from about the middle of that big open area west (southwest?) of the east-side loop road to the road past where it curves south.

STILL RUNNING

They’re on the road now … still running. I don’t know that it’s possible to convey the distance with photos, but they were running after the helicopter – and the sound of it – was gone.

Bounce’s band just disappeared. I became aware of the bachelors when they came galloping down out of the hills and into that open area.

Running away

They ran in the opposite direction from the helicopter, got to the cottonwoods in the Wildcat drainage and finally stopped. Then they headed toward the arroyo and the east-west hill.

Rollin

They found the spot to roll in the mud – yummy! Cinch had already rolled; Bruiser went all the way over!

Thats the spot

There’s Cinch checking out Aspen.

Telling secrets

It’s gotta be the sweetness that keeps the spotted boys coming back …! Is this weird: Cinch and Bruiser come to the north, but I’ve never seen the northern boys in the south. First thing that comes to mind: water.

The clouds disappeared, and the sky was bluer than blue (well, it was). I wasn’t driving anywhere any time soon, so I followed the path Traveler’s band had taken. They got to the dry pond around the curve (still dry), then headed toward one of the saddles of Lizard Mesa, up and over. I found them grazing on the east side of Knife Edge.

But this is the real news:

Water, flowing

How cool is that! OK, so it’s pretty cool. Hard to tell, I know, and it was muddy, but no one looks down their muzzle at flowing water in the basin – unless it’s while they’re sipping.

Water - more - flowing!

What can I say, flowing water deserves photographic celebration.

I went on up to the crest of the east-west hill to watch Grey/Traveler and family, and I got another surprise: Seven’s family was on or near the west-side loop road! How ironic; can’t get to them because of the mud, and they wouldn’t have stayed on/near the road with company of the two-legged variety anyway, but there they were. I watched them (both bands) through the binocs for a while and did finally see both of Seven’s foals – Ze and Liberty – so I headed west along the top of the hill back toward the Jeep. Beautiful, glowing light. Lovely visits with the horses – dumb, crappy, insert-bad-name-here helicopter notwithstanding. Did I mention I was glad to be back?

You can get lost in the basin. Not geographically (too many landmarks) but in thoughts and emotions. The magic of the basin, when it envelopes you, does it subtly, gently. It’s the horses – they have their own magic – but it’s the light, too, and bucking the “nothing is out there” myth, the air, the breeze (against you when it brings dust, dries out ponds; your friend when it keeps the gnats away). It’s miles away from people and what doesn’t matter.

I was lost in THAT place walking across a bench above the arroyo (flowing water!) toward a hill when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye: Alegre … Whisper … Gaia … I froze, camera on the monopod over my shoulder (I cleaned out my Jeep for the trip home, so excited to get back to the basin, forgot to replace my backpack; I know, I said I was prepared – mostly!), and watched them come up out of the arroyo. I thought Gaia saw me, but Alegre – leading – didn’t until she had come many steps closer … to me … frozen in … THAT place … in wonder … in the magic.

Then ‘Legs saw me, and Bounce came up at the same moment, and they changed course and trotted up the hill in front of me.

Mama and her boy and her girl

Those horses … that light … that place.

Sweet girl, lovely mama

They stopped at the top of the hill. I was glad to see them at the end of the day, and again, after the helicopter.

Bounce

Magic.

Doesn’t get much better than that.

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Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Aspen, Baylee, Bounce, Bruiser, Chrome, Cinch, Comanche, Cuatro, Ember, Gaia, Grey, Hannah, Hollywood, Houdini, Iya, Jif, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Piedra, Pinon, Poco, Roach, Sage, Steeldust, Storm, Terra, Twister, Two Boots, Whisper

Peek-a-boo

10 06 2009

See Whisper follow Gaia

See Whisper annoy Gaia

See Whisper look innocent

See Whisper act shy

See Whisper love Gaia!

Big sister is SO good with little brother, and mama Alegre takes full advantage of Gaia as babysitter.

Just like first-time mom Piedra has already learned that Baylee makes a great auntie to her little boy!

Baylee and Sage

It was a windy day, and I just love her tousled look here.

Roach and Poco are still hanging out with Hollywood’s band as their adopted family. I won’t be sorry to see it last awhile. They’re seeing some new country, and they’re not alone.

Raven and Corona

Had a bit of a scare Sunday when artist Karen Keene Day and I found Duke alone and obviously searching for Raven and the baby, but on our way out, we saw them through the binoculars, reunited. I’m happy to see these ponies sticking together as a family, too. Mama Raven has relaxed her high-alert mode, and during this visit, she was super about showing off her treasure! If you look past the obvious color difference (!), don’t they look so similar!?

I’m sure sorry about the vague and limited reports of the ponies lately, but I’ve been crazy busy, and now I’m going on vacation – a much-needed vacation to family and horses I can touch any time I want. 🙂 I’ll miss the Spring Creek Basin gang, and I’ll try to post some pix while I’m away. We’re still waiting on Jif to deliver her bundle of joy … I’m not so worried about Kestrel … but I think we might get a double surprise in the not-too-distant future.

And Two Boots’ boy has a new name! But so I don’t spill the beans locally, I’ll wait till after the Four Corners Back Country Horsemen’s announcement of the name at their meeting before I break the news here. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

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Categories : Baylee, Corona, Gaia, Raven, Sage, Whisper

Checkup and another surprise

3 06 2009

Rain kept me from visiting the basin as much as usual the past couple of weeks, and life has kept me from posting recently.

I made a very quick, short trip to the basin last-last weekend – almost got stuck but didn’t (and no, those ruts by the V arroyo aren’t mine) – and took pix only of Roach, which probably sets some kind of record. My main objective was to check on Two Boots’ baby, but as it turned out, rained chased me away before I could find them. Did see Steeldust’s band with Mouse and Comanche, Aspen, Chrome and Hook nearby, Bounce’s band (only Whisper appeared to see me, but he didn’t give me away), Hollywood’s band – with Poco and Roach – and Kreacher and the girls.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Rain again so I waited then hiked. Far. Long. Sunshine appeared between waves of rain, then dark skies again. Saw Duke, Raven and Corona up in the north hills and Kreacher and the dunnies by the water catchment. All the other ponies were back in the east pocket … including the surprise.

Some pix in random order:

Three generations

Houdini and her baby and her OTHER baby and HER baby.

Two Boots and her colt

Just for fun …

Before names

I dug this photo out of my 2007 archives. That’s Houdini and Two Boots from April 22, 2007, when they were with Junior, before the roundup. Two Boots was just a day or two old there, I figured.

2Bs boy

Two weeks old.

Hello, silver

Jif, ever-expanding, was playing mountain goat up on the hill in front of Grey/Traveler. He came around the hill and looked up – before I knew she was there – and that’s how I knew she was there. She didn’t come down, though, so a little later, he went around the other side and up, and pretty soon, here she came, back down to the meadow with the others.

Piedra and Sage

Pretty girl and her little boy.

Gaia and Whisper

Pretty girl and her little brother.

When did my babies grow up into yearlings?! They all look so big … and more than one young lady was being investigated by the stallion of her band, who is NOT her daddy, biologically. How do they know?!

Did you notice the shift from sunshine to shade? Clouds moving in, thunder booming; time for the long walk back.

Another day, and I was back. Lotsa clouds early gave way – without raindrops – to lotsa blue sky over paradise. I didn’t find Grey/Traveler and his band, but the news was that Jif still hadn’t foaled. But it turned out to be better luck for getting pictures of our newest herd member.

Pied piper

Test your knowledge. The surprise is the wee-est in the middle.

Studly Seven

Have you made the ID now? Molly was VERY disinterested, but she finally stood for him.

Almost 2 months old now; what a handsome little bugger!

Baby makes nine

I was in stealth mode because this band is one of the most wary (and rightfully so). Based on my feeling that the baby – a filly – was about a week old and basically confirmed by Seven breeding Molly on her foaling heat, I’m giving the foal a Memorial Day (May 25) birthday (which also happens to be the birthday of one of my uncles!). So I asked my dad, a 20-year Army veteran, to name her. Welcome to the world, Liberty. 🙂 (Is that not perfect?? Thanks, Dad!)

Sky ranger

Seven could hear my camera shutter but wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from. Molly and Roja and the foals were down in a wide arroyo, browsing on greasewood.

By the way, Molly’s surprise comes from the fact that she got the PZP in 2007. Her foal Starla died in August 2008 (after the band was chased by that moron, but there’s no proof he had anything to do with it); she should not have had a foal this year. Ninety-percent effective, I believe?

Roach

Looking toward the band.

Poco

Round Top in the background.

Sage

He’s standing on the road; the Round Top intersection is to the left.

And that’s all I have for now. Haven’t had a close sighting of Duke, Raven and Corona for a while, so I’ll be looking for them. We’re down to just one pond holding water – east pocket. It’s very shallow, and it was clear Sunday, so the horses hadn’t been there recently.

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Categories : Gaia, Grey, Houdini, Piedra, Poco, PZP, Roach, Sage, Seven, Terra, Two Boots, Whisper, Ze

Before the count, part 2

21 05 2009

The pintos had gone unvisited (seen from a distance a couple of times from Round Top) for quite a while – since the start of foaling season – so I decided to check in with them Friday morning. I hiked in at dysfunction junction, but they weren’t on “their” hill. They were quite a bit farther southwest, on a hill kind of above the road, as it turned out.

They’re all still together, and Copper still seems to be the dominant stallion. Mesa is still low man on the totem pole, so he gets the duty of being first contact, while Ty and Corazon freely (mostly) wander with the band and bug Copper.

Hmm. WordPress doesn’t seem to like my first picture. Moving on …

Mesa

Look at his face. Does he remind you of anyone? Same color and same lack of markings, but the similar faces have had me thinking for a while that Mesa is Poco’s son.

Spook and Kiowa

Spook’s birthday was May 1, and Kiowa hasn’t had a foal this year (and shouldn’t). I love how shiny and healthy she looks.

Kiowa and Chipeta

Kiowa again (Spook behind her) and Chipeta. This is Chipeta’s second season without a foal; so far, the PZP is doing its job.

All but one

This was the first one I tried to post. Only Ty is missing from this picture. From left, Reya, Spook with Kiowa’s back just visible over hers, Chipeta being followed by Copper, Corazon with the heart on his side and Mesa at right.

Ty and Corazon

My black boy Ty has a grey tail and mane, and his face is getting pretty “grizzled” as well. I’ve been calling him black, but he’s always had this not-quite-black look. He’s surely the darkest grey I’ve ever seen at this age – and I don’t know how old he is, just that I’ve never seen a grey horse this mature still this dark! They’re shiny, healthy boys, though, huh?

After I left the pintos, I stopped at the corrals to visit with the Back Country Horsemen early arrivers. As my visit stretched on past noon, the place started filling up with trucks and trailers, people and horses! The small contingent from the Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen, based in Montezuma County, arrived, and it was great to see them. I never know how much human info to reveal on this blog, but T with MVBCH and P with 4CBCH are representatives to our Wild Bunch group. P and her husband, F, started the wild horse count partnership with the BLM about 11 years ago, and they continue to organize the annual outing. T really came up with the idea of all our groups getting together for the horses and has been a source of great information and ideas. She let me ride her fantastic pinto Curly horse last spring during a camping trip to the basin!

K with our group also came for the day. I think she’s a member of each group represented, and she organized work projects Friday. She brought her husband and a friend, and they and I and P and Claude Steelman (he’s already famous!) dug post holes and set posts (husband B and friend D), and we put our backs and McLeods to some illegal routes people have driven in. Claude pounded in three new carsonite signs, and K attached the “No Motor Vehicles” stickers. We also had more fun than should be allowed with such work, rolling rocks and pulling old tree trunks down the hill and making a former trashed “campsite” look as inhospitable to setting up a tent as possible. That was back in the Wildcat Spring area. The reclaimed road – work done by fabulous University of Missouri students back in March – still looks awesome.

Not a bad bit of work for a couple of hours in the sunshine and company of wild horses! On our way to Wildcat Spring, we were treated to an up-close and personal view of Raven and baby Corona when they popped up from below the road between the two intersections! K and P were with me, and we got the best view! Yes, Duke is still with them. I’d say he was “leading” the band, but mostly he just follows wherever Raven goes – ha! Hollywood and his band, with Poco and Roach (!), were up in the meadow by the second intersection. Baby Sage is such a darling, and I’ll have more pix of him later in the program.

There is quite a bit of water at Wildcat Spring (relatively speaking), and while it smells less than stellar as usual, there is water trickling through, although the actual stream bed is dry from just below the spring.

We split after our work; I continued on east, and the other workers went back to the corrals. Steeldust’s and Bounce’s bands were still in the area of the east-pocket pond, but Grey/Traveler’s band was out toward the gap between Knife Edge and Lizard Mesa, so I went toward them. This becomes fairly important later on (that I saw them), but at the time, I just parked the Jeep to watch (no pix). Ahh, the sunshine was so warm and lovely. There was just enough breeze to keep the bugs away – I didn’t think they were bad yet this year? (I did remember, though, the next day at Round Top that we were battling them last year.) I snoozed right there in the Jeep, and by the time the back buckle of my visor was digging into my head too much to ignore, the ponies had crossed over to the greenery of “sorrel flats,” one of the pond areas to be dug out this spring in the hopes that it will fill with water when the monsoons come. That’s on track to happen; we just don’t know exactly when.

So I went back to visit with the other horses and see how week-old Whisper and Sage were getting along.

Whisper and Alegre

Just a handsome bugger!

Charmer!

Daddy Bounce

And no wonder! This is Whisper’s handsome daddy!

Gaia

Baby girl seems to have gotten over her shock at not being Mama’s one-and-only anymore. Here she’s giving me the weird-eye. In color and markings, she does look like J and V’s Spring Creek Basin mustangs – which they bring back and ride during the count weekends! – but her “look” and conformation are different.

Nourishment

In this pic, you can see his not-quite-black sheen.

In-bound

What had their attention? Steeldust’s band was heading toward the pond for their evening drink.

Shades of ... grey

I guess Mahogany wanted to be part of the “in” crowd, so she gave herself a coloring! I didn’t really think about it until I looked at this picture on the computer and realized they were all “grey”! That’s Alpha beside her and Steeldust at right.

Mouse

Lt. Mouse was actually first to drink, as the band milled around between the pond and Bounce’s band still just up on the little hill.

Family?

Those boys – that’s Sundance at right and Butch second from right – do stick close to Luna … The shorty red trying to squeeze in is actually Storm, not Ember. Hannah was pawing at the water – everybaby (!) knows it tastes better when you splash it a few times!

Storm

Here’s Stormy Jones trying his best to impersonate a shedding bison! But under that curly winter hair and mud, look how grey he has become.

Hannah

Super model girl. 🙂

Size comparison

Check out the green grass, and check out the size/angles of Sable and Hannah. Sable was a week and a day old here; Hannah was about a month and a week old.

Brother, sister, Mama

See, I don’t *forget* to take pix of Pinon … he’s just always around other horses! He had just celebrated his 1-year birthday.

Awwwww

Sable discovered mud.

Horseplay I

Storm and Pinon. You can see Storm still has his red shade in the sunlight, but check out how grey his face is.

Horseplay II

I saw this sign in a science lab this week at a local school … I smiled and wondered, when did “horseplay” become a bad thing? 😉

Mystery belly

I’ve been ignoring this little bulge on 2-year-old Kestrel for the past few weeks, hoping she takes after her mother – butterball buckskin Luna – and/or that she’s really getting a lot to eat this spring.

Kestrel

Something happened Saturday to make me REALLY start to wonder …

All in good time.

Dust to dust

After they drank, they followed the doubletrack right back the way they had come, back out to open meadows of green.

I headed out as well and thought I might get to see Hollywood’s family again on my way out. (Sorry, Aspen, but I’m glad he got his girls back!)

Just past Wildcat, I saw movement up on the hill that turned out to be Kreacher and the girls. Kreacher-feature was trying to snake them toward the trail to the spring, and the girls were oh-so-politely and resolutely refusing.

Kreacher

Taking a break under the scrutinizing eye of the photographer.

Mona and Kootenai

Love that soft light? The girls were fixated on *something* out of sight, and there are a lot of pinon-juniper in that area, so I wondered if maybe Hollywood had already brought his group to that area to drink at the spring. So I walked back and up the hill we rolled the rocks down and looked down at the spring, but there was nary a horse to be seen. I walked over and looked to the southeast, too – nada.

When I got back to the Jeep, the girls and the boy had resumed their dance. Boy insistent; girls refusing!

I found Hollywood and his lot down to the east of that section of road between the intersections. Poco and Roach still with them. The boys had a little tat for about two seconds, then settled. Far different cry than the frantic running, running, running when Roach was temporarily with Steeldust.

Poco

He’s looking at the band. This isn’t a good angle to compare him to Mesa, but I’m telling you, it’s there.

Roach

Looking at … something else? Poco and the band were behind him.

Sage, Mama and Daddy

Invitation to play, but they weren’t buying.

Baylee was back to the left, so he went back to show off for Auntie.

And hes off!

To set the scene, Baylee was to the left, and Piedra and Hollywood were about the same distance to the right. Baylee was the start/finish line.

051509sagebend

And he rounds the bend, looking for the home stretch!

051509sageleap

And it’s a leap over four-wing saltbush on his way to the finish line! Can he keep his momentum?!

051509sagerunbaylee

And the winnah is Sage by a mile!

Too bad I don’t have a video camera – he was fantastic! 🙂

Baylee and Sage

Bayles is a super auntie and babysitter for the young mister. He has just finished his race, and now he’s taking her back to Mama and Daddy so he can be congratulated.

Need-a-snack

Of course, racehorses need good nutrition …

Nap time

… and plenty of rest. 🙂

Check out his dorsal stripe. He has faint little leg stripes, too, mostly visible on his front legs now. I’m kinda holding my peace on what might be his actual color …

Hollywood

Terribly concerned, the elder mister would raise his head to look at me for about 2.7 seconds – long enough for me to straighten my camera but not enough to do that and focus, too – then go back to grazing. So what you see is (mostly) what he did!

Such a peaceful visit – and entertaining!

Sweet boy

Just the sweetest little heart!

And with that, I left the ponies and called it another beautiful day in the basin. My oh my. How can you not believe in the absolute magic gift of life seeing a colt so overjoyed just to RUN?! I do love these ponies. 🙂 I smiled all the way back to camp.

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Bounce, Corazon, Gaia, Hannah, Hollywood, Kestrel, Kootenai, Kreacher, Luna, Mahogany, Mesa, Mona, Piedra, Pinon, pintos, Poco, Roach, Sage, Spook, Steeldust, Storm, Ty, Whisper, Work projects

Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Changes

Super-quick trip

Visiting dignitaries

Wild about mustangs

Earlier

Interaction

The dry and the wet of it

Peek-a-boo

Checkup and another surprise

Before the count, part 2

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