Same sire: Copper.
Big sister Puzzle takes good care of little brother S’aka, who clearly adores her. (Reya was immediately to the right.)
Puzzle’s mama is Chipeta, who is probably about 7 years old and due to foal around Sept. 1; S’aka’s mama is Reya, who is 5 years old.
Today was a good day to check the status of the Round Top pond. On the way, I stopped for a visit with the pinto ponies.
Copper walks past the Round Top pond.
Then there was some of this:
Mama Reya and baby S’aka.
And a bit of this:
Copper, with Brumley Point in the background.
And a teeny bit of this:
Puzzle with mama Chipeta and stepdaddy Ty.
And we got a nice downpour later. What a wonderful day!
Reya and S’aka.
Interesting dynamic going on with the pinto band. Corazon seems to have Reya and her colt, but he doesn’t seem interested in Chipeta and Puzzle … but Ty stays on the outskirts … but is still higher ranking than Copper. The cut on his knee is healing, but it’s still pretty swollen.
Had a surprise viewing of David and Shadow and the pintos! I’m still torn on Shadow’s pregnancy (or not) status, and my view of her was obscured by greasewood or distance.
David
Shadow. If she’s not pregnant, she’s sure healthy – and she is. Look how shiny and great she looks!
Baby S’aka taking a nap under the watchful eye of Corazon. The dynamic may have changed slightly with the pinto band. Corazon seems very possessive of Reya, with Ty giving them some space. Copper is still low man, and I couldn’t see him well enough because of the greasewood, so it was hard to see the status of his injured knee. He was moving pretty well, though.
Ty, also looking very healthy.
Puzzle and mama Chipeta. Several of the horses were coated in mud, but Puzzle was bright-white and clean! There are a surprising number of places in the arroyo nearby that have water. Muddy, salt-crusted water, but more than none.
Maiku with big sister Reya and little brother S’aka.
Puzzle and Chipeta and Maiku and Copper. Copper is Maiku’s and Puzzle’s daddy.
Puzzle, Chipeta and Copper
Reya and her baby boy – he’s been playing in the mud!
Reya, not due till the end of the month or early June, has a baby boy! Our first of the season.
Reya and her darling boy.
Thanks to DG for alerting me to baby’s arrival in the world. He has named the baby S’aka. “It means strong, mighty. It is Lakota. It is pronounced ‘Sh-aka.’ One word with a stop between the first and second syllable.”
Baby was no match for the warm sunshine.
Baby catching up to mama, walking past Chipeta and Uncle Half-brother Maiku (Reya’s little brother by their mother, Kiowa, and baby’s brother by their sire, Copper).
If you have been to Spring Creek Basin in the spring, you have done battle with the gnats. They seem especially bad in the southern part of the basin. They’re not bad – yet – but they’re out. Baby was battling them. Isn’t he divine?
Reya is being a very good mama. Her first foal was born last year, and it died before I saw it. I wasn’t looking for her to have a foal before the end of the month.
Baby and his big half-sister Puzzle – same sire again. They inherited Copper’s red bay, while Maiku takes after dark mama Kiowa.
Just scrumptious!
Switching gears just a little: I saw David and Shadow, too. No baby, and I can’t say with certainty either way: that Shadow is or is not pregnant. I will say that, from a distance, she doesn’t really seem to be.
Raven – more specifically, Raven’s belly – is huge. Ginormous. Apollo was a big foal, so maybe this baby will be, too. She’s past due. Gaia looks to be making us wait a bit. Corona seems to have lost her foal. She no longer has even a “maybe baby” belly.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 