A very far view, but it gives you a feeling of the basin that closer pix just can’t convey. Though here to there is a lot farther than it looks because of the compression of my lens! Aspen’s band, minus Roja and Killian. That’s him bringing up the rear, Mona leading and Shane behind her. They’re on what I call the north-south road heading north from Flat Top. In the far background, you can see the fog lingering over the western hills (outside the basin).
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?
~ Mary Oliver, “The summer day,” New and Selected Poems, 1992
At work yesterday, my secret Santa gave me a copy of Mary Oliver’s book of poems titled American Primitive. I’ve been seeing Mary Oliver’s name lately … I can’t remember where, and it’s not anything anyone would know – would they? My secret Santa remains just that. S/he wrapped the book with a typed note. We’re copy editors – our writing is distinctive. I used the Google machine to seek more info about Mary and found the above. It reminds me of those we’ve lost … all wild and precious lives … some went out fighting, and some laid down at the end. All our lives are wildly precious.
What is it I plan to do?
Just this, and I thank God every day that I can do it.
Had a big day on this, the 40th anniversary of the Wild Free-Roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act. What better way to recognize the people who recognized the need to protect our wild horses and burros?
Love seeing stallions with foals – nurturing the next generation. Sundance and curious Mysterium.
Lots of snow, but this time, lots of mud, too. Mostly under the snow still, but it has been warm. On the drive out, I dropped from much-missed sunshine illuminating blue skies into the Dolores River canyons and Disappointment Valley, almost entirely shrouded in fog. Would you believe the basin, across to the east, was glowing under a break in the clouds? On this blog, of course you would, and you’d be correct. 🙂
During the day, the sky over the basin cleared completely, though the fog line stayed over the western hills, then floated back and came up from the south, obscuring Brumley Point, McKenna Peak, the unnamed promontory and the far southern ridges and hills before sunset.
What I would have given to have horses in front of that delicious light! But the original horses I went in looking for were the ones I didn’t see hide nor hair of – nor even hoofprints! The pinto ponies proved elusive.
Saw most of the horses from a distance but had a wonderful visit with Sundance’s band.
The big news is what I didn’t see.
Explanation?
Who stole Roja and Killian?!
Aspen doesn’t have them! Not Grey/Traveler. Not Sundance. Not Comanche. Not Hollywood. Not Bounce, Tenaz or Seven. Probably not Storm or David (distance … trees …). Those are the ones I saw. 🙂 Maybe next week will provide an answer!
In honor of a woman, Velma Johnston – aka Wild Horse Annie – and the wild horses and burros she ought to protect …
Today is the 40th anniversary of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
The Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 is an Act of Congress (Pub.L. 92-195) signed into law President Richard M. Nixon on Dec. 15, 1971. The Act made it a crime for anyone to harass or kill feral horses or feral burros on federal land, required the departments of the Interior and Agriculture to protect the animals, required studies of the animals’ habits and habitats, and permitted public land to be set aside for their use. In addition, the act required that mustangs be protected as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West,” and that management plans must “maintain a thriving natural ecological balance among wild horse populations, wildlife, livestock, and vegetation and to protect the range from the deterioration associated with overpopulation.” Although feral horse ranges were principally for the protection of the horses, the land was required to be maintained for multiple use. The BLM was also permitted to close public land to livestock grazing to protect feral horse and burro habitat. – Wikipedia
Although in many places – and for Spring Creek Basin until the last year – it seems like not a lot has changed, I am thankful that we have good people in the Tres Rios Field Office who recognize the horses as important to the ecological fabric of the land and are willing to make them the priority on that range. NMA/CO and Disappointment Wild Bunch Partners are working through partnership and education to accomplish our goals for this herd.
To the outside world, it may seem like not much has changed here, with the helicopter-driven roundup this year. But an annual fertility control program has been implemented, and we’re on track to move to bait trapping. Our goal – and that of our BLM partners – is sustainable management with as little disruption to the wild horses of Spring Creek Basin as possible.
Everything we do is built on everything that came before – nationally and specifically. Their light is shining.
Wordless.
And a million other colors, too.
Baby Aurora nuzzles mama Alegre … whose dredlocks grow ever longer. The ends brush over the sage and saltbush when she grazes.
Talk about a splash of color! Against the glare of sunlight and snow, from a distance, she looked as black as ‘Rora.
With sister and mama.
It’s not an easy thing, photographing a wee black girl against a big white world.
Easier to shoot white on white!
Especially sprinkled with a dash of copper color!
Pale girls stand out against far blue hills.
She looks serene but for the settling toss of her mane! Caught a pause while she was rolling.
Isn’t she shiny and gorgeous? Looks so much like daddy Bounce.
Beloved boy is taking excellent care of her …
… of them all.
Silver, shining.
On a bright and shining day. 🙂
Shadow and Storm. They were waiting for Aspen’s band, who were apparently waiting for Sundance’s band to drink down in the arroyo. Shadow would get impatient and wander away. Storm would turn his head to look at her, then go back to watching the other horses. Patience of a … wild horse, that one. 😉 No sign of David, though Duke and Kreacher were not too far to the west, and Bounce, Tenaz and Seven were together far to the northeast. (They were fairly close together last week, all together, a bit east of this location.)
She’ll be 5 in the spring. He’ll be 4 the end of July.
Shadow against the La Sals (which are in Utah, this east, Colorado side of Moab).
He stood on that ridge for a long time, watching and waiting, His ridge falls away to a little bench above the actual arroyo, and I’m on the other side of it. We’re about in the heart of the basin right here.
I love how furry and handsome and shiny they are!
Nope, not daddy and daughter, not even stepdaddy. Just a big playmate who tolerates a little girl’s energy. 🙂
Fuzzy, furry filly! Feeling frisky in the frozen-ness! (Ha!)
He’s pretending to graze while he checks me out.
Daddy Comanche has her back.
Oh, the language of horses … Juniper hangs right with him, apparently disregarding completely the message of the ears. For Piedra, though, she has a healthy respect. And despite Holls’ terrible ferociousness (mm hmm) … he’s such a sweetheart with her. 🙂
Don’t you love his warmth against the cold?
Comanche – love this big guy! The light patch on his shoulder is his breath. It was only slightly below freezing, but there was enough moisture in the air that our breath was visible. (Did you notice it in the pic of Shadow in a previous post?)
Tall, dark-eyed and dappled – wow! 😉
How handsome is he?
It was while I was photographing him and his extended family – right close with Hollywood and Piedra still – that I realized I had left all my extra memory cards at home. I had just come from a visit with Grey/Traveler’s band – one direction, McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory, the other direction, the La Sals. I used up about two-thirds of the card’s capacity just on them. But no problem, thought I. I’ll poach the card from my other camera. Except that’s the camera I used when I took pix recently of Ze and Asher and Skipper – and obviously hadn’t replaced the card yet. And I had spotted Sundance’s, Aspen’s and Storm’s bands when I found Comanche & Co. in a little swale between hills. Oh, how I hate rationing photos.
Let this be a lesson: Always carry extra memory (!). And “be prepared.” What can I say? I was in a hurry to get out to the ponies! At least I remembered to grab extra batteries, keeping warm in my pocket (and I did need them). 🙂
With his girls: Juniper and Kestrel. I don’t think of Juni as so big until I see her with mama. She’s a bit on higher ground, but still. Isn’t she a big, beautiful girl? Definitely takes after daddy, this one!
Reminder: Today is the deadline to vote for calendar pix!
Some images are winners by miles; some months are tight.
I may have to exercise some executive decision-making …
If you’ve procrastinated, you have until 8 p.m. mountain time. Then I’ll draw a name to win a calendar, and I’ll announce the winner and winning photos tomorrow (Dec. 10).
Thank you all so very much for your votes and support of our Spring Creek Basin mustangs!
Shadow, yesterday.
