Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

The background is, once again, a fairly dominant ridge in Spring Creek Basin known locally as Knife Edge (at least, that’s what it was called when I started documenting the horses many moons ago, and that’s the name by which *I* know it). This time, it provides a fabulous – and color-coordinated – backdrop for lovely Maia, who was quite interested in the presence of two of her band mates, only barely visible in an arroyo.

It’s hard to tell – and she’s remarkably mud-free – but the ground in this part of the basin is still pretty damp and greasy (getting in and out of or up and down any even slightly sloped sides of arroyos, by either (wo)man or beast, is a slippery business!).

Rain, then snow coming tonight?! It should be less damaging here than in California … and we also need the moisture quite a bit. (California readers, I hope you’re all on high ground and safe! It’s wonderful to read that the rain pounding your very dry state (and blanketing your Sierra Nevada) is resulting in significant increases in the levels of many of your reservoirs!)

This was the day of the pronghorns, and while Tenaz was laser focused on those speedy critters (who, by the time I was taking this pic and others, had settled down to nap and browse), I was quietly taking about a billion pix from as many angles as I could on the slope slightly above him. Because … that background! The light and shadow. The bare ground and the snowy ridges. The gentle rolls and the sharp corrugation of erosion lines. The open range and the pinon-juniper forest.

The gleam in the eye of the handsome bay mustang. 🙂 He was even gussied up with a bit of bling in his mane!

I love that beard! 🙂 Pretty Piedra clearly has been to the winter spa. We don’t have the snow of the surrounding area (I was astounded at the snow everywhere BUT Disappointment Valley!), but we do have a bit of mud (although, also not nearly the mud of the places that have melting snow!).

Even muddy-girl, she’s gorgeous.

Sundance relaxes after a fairly quiet little chat with a gang of young ruffians, aka bachelor stallions. 🙂

Actually, they’re not too bad, those youngsters, and they can all learn a thing or three from stout Sundance.

Corazon is looking a little moisture streaked and bedraggled the morning after a nice snowfall recently. … But still ever so handsome as he flirts with his mare!

Hondo follows his mares over a little finger of a ridge. They were moseying on, and he was initially slow to follow. Wind in the winter usually means weather is coming!

Mostly, we’re in the mud now in Disappointment Valley. Up-valley still has good snow, but lower, ours has melted, and the warm-ish temps keep it thawed for all but the deepest parts of the early, early mornings.

Gaia-love is always a bright spot, even when she tries to “hide” unseen in a cluster of pinon-juniper. Her broad, bright blaze is a welcome “white spot” among the green (trees) and brown (landscape).

There will come a day – and not too far in the future if past experience holds – when we’ll be in the midst of ultra-dry … and wish we had some mud. 🙂 And so we carry on!