Native pinto

25 01 2026

Who better than a pinto girl to show off our snow … and how much had already melted by late afternoon?

Thanks, Chipeta. We appreciate your lovely cooperation!

Fascinating mix of snow on the ground and still on some tree branches while south-facing slopes have nearly all slurped up all that snowy-good moisture (despite the lack of sunshine most of the day). We got maybe an inch … 2 max. It was melting while it was falling. Eh. We’re desperate for ANY moisture. I think the temp hit 40F. … The forecasters claim this morning’s low temp will be 7 or thereabouts. Yeesh. But it’ll keep some of that snow on the ground and soaking in slowly, under another full-blue Colorado sky.


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Disappointment Valley, Snow, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Ears up, everyone!

24 01 2026

Elk attention-getter squeaky toy now available online!

Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust kidding. 🙂 I didn’t use any squeaky toy or other artificial attractant. They were immediately west of the west boundary entrance to/from Spring Creek Basin, and clearly, I was the most fascinating thing they’d seen all day!

Note Ms. Grumpypants in the middle with the broken ear? I could see even at a distance that something was odd with her ear. Even zooming in, I’m not sure why she has the white hair at the base of each ear.

(If something looks odd about the font, I apologize. It looks different from usual, but in the drafting mode, I can’t tell exactly what (a serif font as opposed to sans serif?), and I’m not sure whether it’s something I did or WordPress doing another one of its odd “updates.”)


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Colorado, Disappointment Valley, Elk, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area

On the upside

23 01 2026

The weather is *starting* to look as though it’s changing, hopefully for the positive, which is – *crossing everything that can be crossed* – “AM snow showers” Saturday. The percentage chance drops a bit more every time I look at the forecast, but it’s still there. … Surely that means something??

All dances, wishes, prayers and hopes accepted!


Comments : 7 Comments »

Categories : La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Right all right

22 01 2026

Kestrel.

Blue sky.

Temple Butte.

Not much more required. 🙂


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Temple Butte

Catching up

21 01 2026

Just as I reached the top of the hill, Buckeye’s band was approaching the trail, about to head down to water. Rowan was waiting for Aiyanna and Buckeye to catch up, and Dundee already had gone ahead.

Mustangs are mostly on the same page, but there are always the ones who lag. 🙂


Comments : 10 Comments »

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

Camo shade

19 01 2026

Pretty Aiyanna stopped in just the right place to show off the big, complementarily colored (!) boulders at the base of Filly Peak on New Year’s Day. … Notice the piñon tree growing between the two boulders behind her. It doesn’t look super healthy, but that’s probably more the ongoing drought than having sprouted up between two giant sandstones. Still, pretty cool … and it makes you (OK, at least me) wonder about the eons of history there.


Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Filly Peak, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Find-her

18 01 2026

I tell Chipeta all the time (well, when I’m with her) that she really can’t hide. She’s too much of a standout!

Plus, she’s the only pinto in her band of greys. 🙂

It doesn’t stop her from trying (to hide) … and it doesn’t stop me from trying to get creative in “finding” her!


Comments : 5 Comments »

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

Streaked

17 01 2026

Oh, I just adore this little guy.

None of the pintos are very big (even in comparison to the other not-so-big mustangs), but they all have big personalities (and not just the pintos!).


Comments : 10 Comments »

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

Aligned

16 01 2026

A deep blue dry winter sky highlights both Temple and Temple Butte and McKenna Peak behind her. All in alignment as we kick off the new year.

Speaking of “alignments,” if you haven’t seen somewhere that the Year of the Fire Horse is upon us in the Chinese calendar, you might not be up to date on all the data that’s data to be seen, according to your phones and/or social media and/or whatever algorithms are at work (!). It starts Feb. 17, and according to Google’s AI feature, it symbolizes “intense energy, passion, and transformation, following the previous Wood Horse in 2014. People born in Horse years are often seen as independent, adventurous, strong, and enthusiastic, embodying the animal’s spirit of freedom, vitality, and perseverance, making these years auspicious for bold action and new growth.” 

I’m pretty sure I was born in the wrong year; sorry, Mom and Dad. 🙂 That said, I think one of my grandmothers (the horsey one) WAS born in a year of the horse, so I’ll blame her – err, claim her – for my incredibly horse-like traits!

I’ll try to find more information about this exciting development for horse lovers as the start of that zodiac calendar begins. We sure have a lot of models to illustrate all the ways mustangs embody the above!


Comments : 9 Comments »

Categories : McKenna Peak, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Temple Butte

Deep wisdom

15 01 2026

Kind-eyed Seneca indulges me with a look while her band mates browse back (way back!) at the end of last year and way back deep in Spring Creek Basin.


Comments : 10 Comments »

Categories : Filly Peak, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

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