Positively pony time

13 05 2010

Remember this?:

That was last week.

This is now!:

Welcome, Gideon, to your world! (from Emmy Lou Harris’ “Red Dirt Girls”) This is the first time Luna has had a colt since I’ve known her – and no, he doesn’t match the colt of my dream …

But this little one almost does:

I found Kestrel first and her nearly-brand-new buckskin filly! I named her Winona, which means “first-born daughter.” Coincidentally, she may share her birthday with my grandpa – my dad’s dad – who lived with my grandma in a town called Winona all their married lives.

Yesterday was simply gorgeous from about daybreak till about 2 p.m., when the clouds just took over and hogged the formerly turquoise sky. No rain till about midnight last night, though, which was good for my visit … but a real bummer for the dozen or so people who had signed up for the wild horse tour today as part of the Mesa Verde Ute Mountain Ute Birding Festival. We did see a little yellow bird (goldfinch?), but, because of rain, we couldn’t even drive into the basin and therefore didn’t see a single horse. Last year, I was so happy to be able to show folks all the “northern” horses … but this year, it just wasn’t to be. Interestingly, the very first time I went out to see the horses, it was with a smallish group, and it also rained, and we also couldn’t even drive in and didn’t see horses. I went back later by myself … and the rest, as they say, is history!

Hopefully, if any of you are reading this after the fact, you’ll be able to “virtually” see some of the horses I saw yesterday and early this morning.

Kestrel’s was the first new foal I saw yesterday, but her group wasn’t the first of the day. Pinon was leading Ember and Hannah along a ridge down by Spring Creek … and Hook was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t believe he’d gone off and left them, but that’s exactly what he did. Where did I find him? Running circles around Kestrel and filly, fended off by Comanche, with Sundance, Mahogany (close but not yet), Sable, Mouse and Aspen right nearby. What a goofy boy. Like he has any chance of getting one little mare of two mares guarded by four stallions! This morning, he had reunited with his flock, and all was well.

Isn’t she divine? Almost the spitting image of her mother – and her grandmother!

Just a little bitty thing

She doesn’t seem to have a speck of white on her unless it’s just hard to see right now on her light coat.

Kestrel has never really taken on any babysitting duties that I could see, but she is a doting mother.

So where was Steeldust? Well, the Steeldust-led big band is no more. Not only have youngsters Pinon, Ember and Hannah gone off to seek their fortunes with Hook, Steeldust and Alpha and Storm have followed Luna and Butch. I’m not sure who Winona’s sire is … possibly Mouse, who I noticed was very interested in Ember last year. Kestrel never seemed to draw the same attention, so daddy is just unknown.

But I am assuming Steeldust is Gideon’s sire, as I assume he’s at least Hannah’s sire and possibly Ember’s.

The little guy is the same color as Tenaz, Piedra’s son. The edges of his mane and tail look dark here, so I’m guessing they’ll darken – like their legs – and both boys will be bay.

Grey/Traveler’s band was close by …

… as was Bounce’s band. No baby yet for Alegre, and she doesn’t look like she’s close, despite being a week past her due date. All the bands were very cordial of each other, and there was no interaction at all.

Seven’s – I saw later – also were in the vicinity. I watched them nap this morning, but no pix because I couldn’t get into position to take pix without suddenly “appearing” on them, so I didn’t take any and just crept away. Right after that, I realized I was in trouble of getting rained upon – I did – so I boogied out of there! But that was today.

Here are more pix from yesterday:

The always lovely Alpha …

Alpha and her almost-2-year-old son, Storm sharing a scratch …

Storm looking for a little snack while Steeldust looks on … but I think that free lunch is about at an end. The PZP-22 did work on Alpha (and only on Alpha), so we may be looking for another July baby from the girl.

He’s just as sweet as can be …

!! And look how big her “baby” boy is!

Gideon nursing with Terra, Gemma and Houdini in the background.

Speaking of Gemma, here’s the 3-week-old girl:

To give you an idea of her size, here she is with mama Houdini:

She’s a big girl!

Daddy Grey/Traveler with his 2-year-old “baby” girl, Terra.

Gideon

He’s going to be cheeky, like big sister Hannah … I can see it coming.

And he’s off!

Keep those legs untangled, mister!

Didja see me, Mama? I was RACIN’!

Every growing little boy (and girl) needs plenty of milk …

… and plenty of shut-eye.

🙂

Babies have lots o’ itchies!

No question this little girl will turn grey.

Big sister is going grey, too.

Daddy, of course, is pure silver!

Isn’t he gorgeous??

I took some also of Bounce’s family members, and at the end of the day, I found and took pix of Chrome’s band. I’ll have those up later.

It’s still one-day-spring, the-next-day-winter in Colorado on the Western Slope (and I think the Denver area got slammed Tuesday with snow?), so these babies have to be tough right out of the womb. Good thing they have excellent mamas watching over them. 🙂


Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Bounce, Gaia, Gemma, Gideon, Grey, Houdini, Kestrel, Liberty, Luna, Steeldust, Storm, Terra, Whisper, Winona

Two in one

2 05 2010

Happy May 2 – snow on the ground!

On to Steeldust’s band … which is kinda splitting at the seams these days. For the sake of convenience, I’m still referring to them collectively …

I think I mentioned that Hook – as of last week – was perfectly content and quite separate with Ember (2-year-old filly), Pinon (2-year-old colt) and Hannah (yearling filly). Hook had been a bachelor for as long as I’d known him. He appeared briefly this winter with Piedra and Sage (Hollywood’s mare and yearling son), then back with bachelor pal Aspen as hangers-on to Steeldust’s band.

I will take the opportunity to mention that this is at least the third time I’ve seen the “low man on the bachelor totem pole” end up with a band of his own (Copper took over the pinto band, Kreacher got the introduced girls; Duke was sort of in the upper ranks of the Bachelor 7 when he got Raven last year). However it worked, it worked.

Mouse and Comanche are still with “Steeldust’s band,” but Mouse is now apparently Sundance’s lieutenant keeping Aspen away, and Comanche is low man – as he was before Aspen and Hook came back. (Poor guy … but maybe some of the low-man luck will rub off on him!) Butch is glued to Luna, who stays with Alpha – or vice versa – they stay together – and Steeldust is glued to Alpha – and Storm, of course, still is glued – quite literally – to mama (he’s still nursing!).

So there I’ve *told* you what’s going on (via my observation; no doubt to the ponies it’s much more). Ready to *see* it?

I first saw them down in a “valley,” then Luna started walking along the arroyo. They went out of sight, and I waited awhile but didn’t see them reappear, so I walked out to the edge of a hill and found them like this: By a dry section of arroyo. One little puddle of water. It seemed as windy there as anywhere else, but there they were, napping. Front left, Luna; front right, Butch. Back left to right: Steeldust, Alpha and Storm.

And here’s Sundance and the gang, just to the right of Steeldust’s. Left to right: Mahogany, Kestrel, Sable, Sundance, Mouse and Aspen.

Then I saw this critter:

He was on my side of the arroyo from the horses, and I think he saw me just a second before I saw him – we looked at each other for another second, then he was off!

I like to see the pronghorn antelope. They sometimes act as sentinels for a band. One “barked” at me once, to alert the horses I was there. I think that was Steeldust’s band, too, and they weren’t worried, which seemed to bother the poor prongs.

The horses are watching the pronghorn, but Luna is watching something else …

… something that made SD a little restless. I also included this pic because I love the “frosted” effect of Storm’s winter coat as he sheds his baby red for big-boy grey.

Off he went across the arroyo to tell Comanche in no uncertain terms that his proximity was unwelcome!

And trotting back to his lady before Butch could get any ideas (too late for the ideas part …). And I included this photo in part to show how scarred Steeldust is. I’ve seen pix of grey stallions from other herds looking mightily battle-scarred, but not so many of our stallions show that degree of scarring – except this boy. (Mesa, the solid bay stallion with the pintos, shows a fair amount of scarring, and Aspen does, a bit, too, but they really show up on SD.)

Comanche was unperturbed and settled in for a nap of his own.

You have to use your imagination here a little, but he is definitely nursing – she finally took a step forward, raised her hind leg when he tried to go back for seconds – and he smacked his lips while enjoying up the last delicious yumminess of mama’s milk!

Love this. 🙂

Different angle on SunnyD’s: Aspen behind Mouse, Sable, Mahogany facing away, Kestrel and Sundance.

Butch and Luna at left; Sable, Mahogany, Kestrel, Sundance and Mouse clustering against the wind, and Aspen.

Together … separate.

Instead of getting kicked out of the band, Butch and Sundance seem to have figured out ways to stay … We’ll just have to stay tuned, won’t we!?


Comments : Leave a Comment »

Categories : Alpha, Aspen, Butch, Comanche, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Sable, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance

Boys (and girls) of spring

12 04 2010

It was such a busy couple of days in the basin last week – just a snapshot for me of their daily lives – that I hardly know where to start. Well, Roja’s foal – that was the obvious start. 🙂 But step two?

The boys are *charged* right now, and it seems no boys nowhere are more charged than those swirling within and around Steeldust’s band. In fact, I’m starting to think it’s a bit of a misnomer to call it Steeldust’s band – he has eyes, it seems, only for Alpha and watches the chaotic goings-on around him with no apparent interest in getting involved himself. I did see him one day – from a distance – being chased in circles by Sundance or Butch, and I was amazed to see that Butch or Sundance had the upper hand – err, hoof. The pink boy finally let up, and Steeldust loped (yes, loped – slow and easy like he had all the time in the world) back to Alpha and Storm. Butch has latched firmly onto Luna (?), Sundance hangs out mostly with Mahogany and Sable and Luna’s daughter Kestrel. Ember and Pinon seem to hang out together – with Hook!? Aspen – wait till you see an up-close and personal shot of that boy’s cheek scars – is nearly constantly pushing against Mouse and Comanche in his quest to sneak somebody – anybody? – away.

And then there was Hollywood and his new acquisition – which was only temporary, much to – warning, anthro – her relief and my delight. The proximity of – at least – those two bands made for some wild and crazy horse action … and it’s likely to only intensify as the mares foal and come back into heat. I think we’re standing by for some possible big(ger?) changes this spring in band dynamics.

But to take step two and ease a bit of the previous post’s dour (but realistic) mood, here is a series of three pix of two of our youngest boys, Cuatro and Hayden:

The sniff

The nibble

The truce

Of course, a little later, Hayden was following Cuatro … with his stout little baby teeth firmly clamped upon most of Cuatro’s tail. 🙂

Are you curious about Aspen’s sparring scars?

Ouch.

The ponies were grazing right up on the very sides of Round Top, which placed them very conveniently for me on my way to get a look at Roja’s “shadow.”

Kestrel, Storm and Colorado mountain goat, err, I mean Alpha. What do you think about Kestrel? Pregnant? She’s 3 this spring. She’s in my “expect to foal” category. She looks it from this angle, eh?

Steeldust and Alpha …

Luna and Butch …

All together now …

Storm-chaser on guard …

Ain’t he a handsome sucker? Oh, and I think I wrote in a post from last week that Alpha seemed to be weaning him … but in the evening of the day this was taken, I think I saw him nursing – but I was too slow in swinging the camera on them (they were at a distance) to see for sure.

More to come … and an update from a fellow visitor: Shadow, David’s black 3-year-old mare, may have had her foal!


Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Alpha, Aspen, Butch, Cuatro, Hayden, Kestrel, Luna, Steeldust, Storm

Easter blessings

4 04 2010

Happy Easter!

From my wild family to yours, I wish you all the joy and optimism of spring of a new year, when all of life is bursting with joy at its new beginnings and ripe potential.

I had forgotten … but now it all makes sense: Storm’s adoration of lovely Mistress Hannah. He was smitten from the very beginning. 🙂


Comments : 7 Comments »

Categories : Hannah, Luna, Storm

Stallion circus … then naps

1 04 2010

Spring is in the air, but it hasn’t quite sprung … as evidenced by the fresh coating of snow we have this morning. And the ponies are all still quite fuzzy, so I knew we were not quite done with this long winter.

The following pictures are from my visit last week with Steeldust’s band. The stallions were kicking up quite a fuss from the time I saw them initially to a few minutes after I arrived to visit them … then they apparently came to some agreement, and it was nap time!

Here we have Butch guarding Luna with Steeldust, Storm and Alpha in the background. I can’t quite explain the behavior here, even if Butch is NOT a son of Luna’s … because Luna hasn’t even foaled yet. However, she should be quite close. She’s “due” next week. Steeldust and his little mini-family were, with a nod to Storm’s name – the eye of it – they barely moved during the whole visit, even with stallions and the other horses swirling, literally, around them.

Daring Aspen, walking quite close to the band. Aspen isn’t even one of the two semi-permanent bachelors attached to this band. That’s Sundance, possibly Butch’s brother, trying to fend him off.

Now that’s Mouse in the background, and although it looks like he’s after Sundance, he’s just hurrying him on his way (after horses you’ll see in the next image) so he can deal with Aspen.

Sundance was happy when he got back with the girls – Kestrel, Mahogany and Sable.

Sundance and Butch were likely born into this band, and, for whatever reason, Steeldust seems to have no interest in kicking them out. So they have a free pass to wander within the band. Mouse is the lieutenant …

… and Comanche has his back as first sergeant. The pix are a little out of chronological order now, but it illustrates the hierarchy. Here, he’s chasing Aspen, the bay, and Hook, the grey at left. Aspen outranks Hook (but it should be noted that they both have stolen lovely Piedra from dun Hollywood – in two separate years). In the back at right is almost-2-year-old Pinon, still too young – mostly – to join in stallion games.

Hook. This pic and the next were taken before the above “chat” between Comanche, Aspen and Hook. Hook was minding his own business on the very outskirts of the band. Two youngsters were keeping him company … or he was keeping them company …

Ember, left, and Pinon are yearmates. Ember is about a month older than Pinon, and she calls the shots (her mother also outranks his mother), but one of the things I love about watching wild horses is evidenced right there in that image. It’s quiet. It’s not obvious, but it’s right there. It’s a deep bond between two horses that have known each other their entire lives, have grown up together, surrounded by adult horses that feed them, teach them, nurture them, include them. It’s a beautiful thing. It IS obvious.

Notice how Steeldust, Storm and Alpha have barely changed a step since the first photo. 🙂 Behind them: Kestrel, Sable and Mahogany. In the middle: Hannah and Sundance. Luna and Butch at right, and behind them, Mouse. They’re starting to settle down.

Sisters Kestrel and Ember, almost 3 and almost 2.

Luna, Hannah and Butch, shortly before Hannah laid down.

Baby girl down. (She’ll be a year old next week!)

Sundance standing with Sable and Mahogany. Sable will be a year old in a month.

SunnyD and Mouse

SunnyD at left, Sable lying down, mama Mahogany standing, Kestrel behind her, Aspen in the back.

Kestrel down … and here you can just see Ember’s ears behind her and Sable.

After SunnyD laid down.

Wider view … (no Aspen)

Four-square faces. 🙂 (And just the edge of Ember’s.)

Storm-chaser and his mama … my, what a big boy you are! He’ll be 2 in July. For the first time, I saw him make a half-hearted attempt to nurse, but she backed away from him, and he stretched and abandoned the attempt.

Sleepy Storm

Steeldust and mama Alpha

These next two pictures are the ones I “stitched” in Photoshop:

Left side …

… right side.

Luna is due next week … did I mention that? 🙂

Lovely Luna

I eventually got chilled by the relentless wind, so I tiptoed away. At the top of the ridge, I found a small group of muley does. I stopped, but when I moved again, they realized I was “not native” (!) and took off!

Down the other side, they found Bruiser, Cinch and Twister for me! From the top, I watched them, then saw the pintos … and watched Mesa go out for a chat with the boys. Ty was napping with Reya standing over him … Hmm … When he got up, though, they walked back toward the band. I’m kind of expecting almost-3-year-old Reya to have a baby this year. I didn’t go down to them for a closer look, though. I noticed water in the dugout pond, and by that time Steeldust’s band was grazing their way toward the ridge, so I thought they might be coming toward the water. I took another trail back to the base of Round Top.

An hour or so later …

While I visited with Grey/Traveler’s band, this was my last view of Steeldust’s band, on the ridge from which I saw the pintos, out on the other side. 🙂


Comments : 7 Comments »

Categories : Alpha, Aspen, Butch, Comanche, Ember, Hannah, Hook, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Pinon, Sable, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance

Steel-o-pan-o-rama

27 03 2010

While the horses in Steeldust’s band were still napping, I tiptoed away, then turned back to take this pic – actually, these two pix. Then I let Photoshop stitch ’em! The horses were so quiet and still, they apparently didn’t move a hair! So my first attempt at a panorama of animals has turned out better than any series I’ve ever stitched together of inanimate objects!

Go figure. 🙂

From left: Alpha and Steeldust, Hannah and Storm (yes – note the slightly redder hue of her coat and the browner hue of his – they’re lying flat out 🙂 ), Sundance behind Mahogany, Sable, Kestrel, Mouse behind Kestrel, Ember, barely a bit of Comanche and Aspen!

It’s so hard to get all the horses in one picture close enough to identify them and not have them be just a blob of horseness out in the distance. While they were quiet, it was cool to take a couple of pix and combine it later. Not in the picture are Luna and Butch – to the left – and Hook and Pinon, hidden in a bit of a draw behind these guys.

I’m slowly but surely getting through the pix and posting stuff as it moves me – hope that’s OK!


Comments : 9 Comments »

Categories : Alpha, Aspen, Comanche, Ember, Hannah, Kestrel, Mahogany, Mouse, Sable, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance

Mudders

5 03 2010

It was April 3 last year before I reported in my notes that I did not see cattle in the basin. Shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that some cattle remain in the basin past their deadline to be out again this year.

That’s the herd area boundary fence. I’m on the road, just before crossing the cattle guard into the horses’ home.

She looks dark  – she’s dark red. No calf. The other cows I saw both have calves.

This was just one of those stellar kinds of day. It included horses and hikes and back to the Earth, staring wide-eyed and grateful at clouds in the turquoise heavens. Can you imagine it? It was warm, but there was a nip – still – to that returned March wind (ooh, yeah, it’s back). Perfect day to be walking around the far-out outback, a place filled to the brim with wild still-muddy magic.

So it’s a bit messy … life ain’t perfect. 😉

Steeldust’s mob were the first visible, so I made for them. They were napping as early clouds gave way to sunshine. Aspen and Hook are still hanging on. Storm, Hannah and Alpha were lying down when I arrived; Comanche, Pinon and Kestrel laid down while I visited. Ol’ Steely Dan has a few new scars. He continues to stick close to Alpha; Storm continues to take advantage of the mommy bar.

Nap time (back, left to right: Alpha, Storm and Steeldust; front from left: Sundance, Mahogany, Sable, Luna and Pinon)

Did you see this in the background of the above pic?

Then there was this …

How familiar does this look? (Notice Comanche giving them a wide berth in the background as Steeldust guards Alpha.)

Boy’s got it bad for the girl. 😉

Ember’s hanging out with big boys Aspen and Hook.

Kestrel and Mouse

Sleepy tired boy Pinon

The sun finally cleared the clouds, and I left the ponies to their naps (Butch makes an appearance here, behind Luna; SunnyD is beside her, Kestrel behind them).

All hills make for good mysteries – what’s over the summit? What’s around the bend? In the basin, the potential for horses to be around every bend, on the other side of every hill, below every ridge, is enormous.

Seven’s were out on the saddle, relaxed and soaking up the shine of late-winter sun.

At first glance, they were alone, but guess who was around another bend – or three … a ridge or two?

Pinto ponies

And look who else was closer:

Bruiser …

David and Shadow (oops! I thought I had put their picture into the post but realized later I didn’t) …

… and Cinch and Twister!

It was great to see them, but our visit didn’t last long. They decided they’d rather be on the other side of that hill, and I just didn’t have the oomph to continue on through the mud in the “away” direction. So I went back to share lunch with Seven’s.

OK, so they weren’t interested in what passed for my lunch, but we shared a little stretch of real estate between hills, bounded by ridges, together under the sun.

They were as relaxed as I’ve ever seen them, OK with me sitting on a branch, elevated above the mud.

They’ve been playing in the mud fields …

I might feel compelled to eat my shoe if I ever found out he was NOT a son of Grey/Traveler’s. If he was aged correctly, the boy is 10 this year (hard to believe, eh?). He certainly has gone grey-er in the past couple of years. Handsome, handsome mister … just like daddy.

Speaking of, two white “dots” sandwiching a dark speck way out yonder turned out to be my boy and Houdini and Terra. Seven decided to take a nap under a tree, so I hit the trail.

Headlights caught my eye, flashing as the truck to which they belonged popped over a hill on the road out yonder. The road was a little soft, a little dry, a little damp … I was surprised to see it. But before long, it stopped … hit reverse … discharged a camo-clothed passenger … swapped end for end, re-admitted the man and headed back the way it had come. I found their ruts later.

Bounce’s band came into view … then Hollywood’s. Then … Jif! She was walking up out of an arroyo kind of between me and Bounce’s band, and pretty quickly, Hayden and Cuatro, then Chrome, then Two Boots followed her. What a wonderful surprise! And a reminder how easy it is for horses to be out of sight very nearby.

Hayden is nursing.

Cuatro grazing with stepdaddy Chrome.

Cuatro grazing with stepbrother Hayden!

Fuzzy-fuzzy!

See the white dot, the dark dot and the grey dot “above” Jif? That’s Grey/Traveler, Terra and Houdini.

Sweet, sweet day in the company of many of those I hold dear. Always a wonderful way to spend a day.


Comments : 19 Comments »

Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Aspen, Bounce, Bruiser, Butch, Chrome, Cinch, Comanche, Cuatro, David, Ember, Gaia, Grey, Hannah, Hayden, Hook, Houdini, Jif, Kestrel, Liberty, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Pinon, pintos, Roja, Sable, Seven, Shadow, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance, Terra, Twister, Two Boots, Whisper, Ze

Big band on the prowl

22 02 2010

During last week’s visit to the horses, I was able to drive deep into the heart of the basin – and I was able to walk in even farther. I parked near where I found Hollywood’s band, but because they were all lying down when I arrived, I set out on a roundabout walkabout in search of some other ponies I hadn’t seen for a while: Roach and Poco, Bounce’s band … whoever else might appear.

As it turned out, all I saw on my loop were bovines (at least six calves) until I came around full-circle to the dun boy’s band (oh, and I also saw a LOT of elk up on the north hills). Really never expected to not only find Iya with them but to find that he had regained Piedra and Sage from Hook! But it’s not the first time Holls has lost his favorite, and I suppose it won’t be the last.

Early on, I caught sight of Chrome’s band out on the saddle between Round Top and Flat – little red mister is surprisingly easy to identify! Then, when I was walking down to Hollywood’s, I spotted Grey/Traveler nearer on the saddle between Flat Top and Round … but didn’t see Houdini or Terra.

My visit with Hollywood’s band ended when Piedra caught sight of Steeldust’s band coming around the end of the roller-coaster ridge basically toward us. Maybe she knew Hook was with them and didn’t want to take any chances because she came completely alert from her relaxed grazing and trotted resolutely away, everyone following in her wake.

Luna had been leading when SD’s band first came into view, but as they paused to watch Hollywood’s band vacate the vicinity, Alpha took the lead and led her charges through the big arroyo and straight up a not-so-straight spiney ridge  toward the base of Knife Edge – and that’s where I had a lovely visit with the many lovelies of the big band.

Kestrel, almost 3, and her little sister Ember, almost 2, walking the ridge.

Storm. He’s 20 months old. Wait’ll you see what he’s still doing.

Young Pinon also is almost 2 years old, and that’s Hook with him.

Handsome Pinon. He looks a lot like his big sister Baylee, eh?

Mouse, left, dropped back to have a chat with Comanche.

Comanche, right, responded with a half-hearted little rear …

And Mouse decided he was OK with that response. Here, he’s looking at Aspen, who is watching the goings-on from the background.

These two seem to have developed quite a little friendship. Since the day I witnessed Storm pestering Hannah while she was trying to take a nap, when I see them, they’re never far apart.

There’s Storm and Hannah, Sable, Comanche and Ember at back right.

My experiences with the wild stallions and babies of Spring Creek Basin have always been illustrated by this very scene: Curious and tolerant of the youngsters, whether theirs or otherwise. I have, of course, been very lucky to have witnessed very healthy babies. Comanche is a bachelor, second to bachelor Mouse in the hierarchy of Steeldust’s hangers-on.

Now back to baby drama: What prompted this little action? Storm is just to the left … and baby sister Hannah got snippy with big sister Ember!

And then poor Sable, right, who was just walking along …

… became a victim of the trickle-down effect!

All’s well that ends well.

My goodness … it’s getting close to baby season again, isn’t it? 🙂 Mahogany – Sable’s, Pinon’s and Baylee’s mom (at least). Luna in the background.

I just love these lovely ladies! From foreground right: Mahogany, her daughter Sable, Luna and Alpha. I love how Luna and Alph are grazing with their eyes practically closed.

Who’s the ginormous baby boy still nursing at 20 months old!? 🙂 I’m starting to think I’m going to see him at some point down on his knees to reach under mama’s flank. Steeldust in the background.

Aspen and Hook bringing up the rear. These boys share another similarity now: They’ve both stolen Piedra from Hollywood … and they’ve both lost Piedra back to Hollywood!

One more:

Whaddya make of this? This little stealth plane zoomed over us during my visit – on a basic north-to-south trajectory – pretty low. But where the horses totally freaked out when the helicopter chattered over them last year, they didn’t seem to mind these fellows (two people in the cockpit?) at all. Can you read the USAF on the left wing and the U.S. Air Force on the nose? Another bit of a puzzle.

Before I headed back to the Jeep, I spied the back of a dark horse way out yonder on the north side of Flat Top. Couldn’t see Grey anymore on the saddle, but I couldn’t see enough to ID Terra positively. But I know it was her because I did finally see all three – Grey/Traveler, Houdini and Terra – later on my way out.

This is the end of the day’s “chapter 2” and represents the farthest I’ve gotten on tweaking the day’s photos! Visits with two more bands are to come! All’s well that starts slowly … and all’s still well with one particular little band that took in an orphan late last year … 🙂


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Alpha, Comanche, Ember, Hannah, Hook, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Pinon, Sable, Steeldust, Storm

Deep in the heart of winter

9 01 2010

Do you see what I see? Steeldust’s band (mostly stretched out from left to center) and cattle (mostly at right) and snow, some clouds, some blue skies. Winter in Spring Creek Basin.

The day was beautiful with some clouds. I had been watching the forecast extremely closely – and snow in the forecast – again – had me threatening postal actions if it kept me from the horses – again! Someone must have been listening (!) because it was a lovely day and fairly warm, and I was able to drive quite a way into the heart of the basin before I started my hike-about.

As you can see from the above photo, snow covers the ground fairly uniformly in the basin, even though most of the upper Disappointment Valley was just spotty with snow – again. Brown across the vast sweep … until the western rim of our small wonderland, tucked up against the eastern ridges.

Shades of blue and grey and red-going-grey.

But before I saw Grey/Traveler and Houdini and Terra … I had a Duke sighting! He was napping, so not moving, and he was far enough away that I couldn’t see details about his condition, but it was great to see him.

And I saw three horses, even farther away – mostly likely Seven, Roja and Ze, though it was hard to tell for sure with the sunshine glaring against the bright snow.

Daughter and Daddy

Stepping in sync.

And this was the first change: Iya is not with Grey’s band now … likely with Chrome’s, but I couldn’t confirm that because I didn’t spot them this visit.

Some of the cattle have ranged out to the east-west hill, and that’s where I found Steeldust’s band. Aspen was with them …

… but not Hook.

Comanche (above) and Mouse are still with the band, of course, and Mouse is finally interested in Kestrel.

I’ve been waiting … 🙂 But she seems to be making him wait, too. We won’t know for sure until later this spring whether she’s already been bred, but from his interest, I’d guess not, even though it seems unlikely at her age (3 this spring). Then again, she’s still with her natal band, which also is fairly unusual.

Sable-girl is still nursing.

Luna looks fabulous as always!

And so does her littlest girl. She had just settled down for a nap, and I was preparing to move sideways to get rid of the bush in the foreground and the manure pile behind her … but she had caught the attention of someone else …

Lift your right hoof up and shake it all about!

Lift your left hoof up and shake it all about!

That didn’t seem to have the desired effect, though, so he regroups.

He starts his new approach … sweet nuzzlings …

Until he finds something sweet to nibble.

Take that! For whatever reason – maybe it would have put her off balance – she didn’t crane her neck back and bite him in the schnoz!

He is not deterred, and she is getting mad.

What? he asks. He’s the very picture of innocence!

And finally she can’t stand it anymore! What a little schnitzel, that Storm!

He’s a growing boy – look how big he looks next to Steeldust. He’ll be 2 this summer.

Steeldust with Storm’s mama …

Isn’t she a lovely, lovely girl!

What do you suppose Sundance is thinking?

Ember and Comanche lagged behind as the horses crossed a shallow arroyo toward a group of cattle, but they caught up quickly. Comanche has never been quite as outgoing as Mouse, but he’s pretty comfortable with the youngsters. He was first through the arroyo and stopped to wait for her … but she tossed her head at him as she passed. Well, in another year, she may feel differently … 🙂 She’ll be 2 in April.

Dancing Mouse

Three of the ma-moos sharing the basin for the next less-than-two-months. Heavy pregnant (should be), but they’re sure in good shape, eh?

Ahh … this is the better view, eh? Mahogany and Hannah … and a familiar background …

When the horses walked this way, they directed my attention to three horses farther on, at the base of Knife Edge. My mind was on Hook, most recently known to be with Aspen, and my first thought was Hook and – little reddish-grey with a star – Twister – back together? But who was the third horse? Could have been a mud-covered spotted boy (Cinch or Bruiser) with the other one out of sight … could have been a mud-covered Roach (looked bigger than Poco) with Poco out of sight … But while I was trying to identify the third horse, I finally realized “Twister” was, in fact, Sage! Which meant Piedra. So then I thought, OK, it’s Hollywood, covered in mud and looking grey. I headed toward them … and made the ID.

Did no one figure out – from the post below – it was Hook, with McKenna Peak in the background? 🙂

Welladay, isn’t that a surprise?

Not a sign of Hollywood and Baylee … presumed still together.

She looks concerned, doesn’t she. One day at a time … it’s a good lesson for us all.

Well, you see how I could have mistaken him for Twister … from a distance … Don’t worry about the strange look of his lower side and back leg – it’s just wet from lying in the snow.

Knife Edge in the background.

Look wintry enough for ya’ll?

I think Sage got his daddy’s ears. 🙂 And look how fuzzy they are! I’m still thinking Sage is turning grey, but he still has a dorsal stripe. And lest ya’ll forget it’s high desert in far-west Colorado, check out the yucca behind Piedra.

His namesake hook-snip has faded, but he’s still a handsome boy.

We get used to the families, but their families are dynamic, and dynamics change. It’s natural for the young bachelors to seek their own families, and in the few years that we have between roundups, we start to see some of the natural dynamics more easily seen in larger herds – all the more fascinating and amazing.

The more things change … some things still stay the same.  On my way back, I saw Bounce’s family … which still includes little Liberty. A sighting to feel great about! Too far for pictures, and my time was growing short (as always), so I stored the memory in my heart and continued on.

Just before I got back to the Jeep, I came over a hill and found Grey/Traveler again. Moments after that, the sun dropped out of the clouds … moments before it slid below Filly Peak. So I leave you with the very last picture from my memory card … but, of course, not the last image of my memory …


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Alpha, Aspen, Comanche, Ember, Grey, Hannah, Hook, Houdini, Kestrel, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Piedra, Sable, Sage, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance, Terra

Searching

10 11 2009

Last weekend was about searching for horses, in particular Duke, Molly and Liberty, Poco and Roach and baby Hayden. I found Hayden and Poco and Roach.

The end of the third rifle season was Friday or Saturday, depending on which DOW schedule was right, and I mostly had the basin and the horses to myself – ah, peace. I haven’t seen the pintos since the start of hunting season, I think, probably because of pressure from the road, close to which is the only water source I know of for them.

One of the bands that has NOT been hard to see recently – Kreacher’s – was briefly sighted up by the northwest road, then not again. I did get lucky and saw most of the others both days I was out.

Grey/Traveler was babysitting his youngsters – safely tucked into the saltbush taking their afternoon naps – while mamas and Iya were out grazing. Chrome and his new family were nearby, baby Hayden also taking his nap.

It was pretty windy both days (very still and nice until Saturday mid-morning) but mostly sunny and perfect temperature. Still some shade in the very shadiest of the most-north-facing hills but otherwise totally dry – except “the squish” on the loop road down from the roller-coaster hill, but not a problem to drive through.

The first clutch came when I found Steeldust’s band near the north-south road north of the Flat Top pond (which continues to shrink). Hook was with the band, and Aspen, but Twister was not with Hook. Maintaining my practice of not letting ya’ll share (some of ) my worry, he’s with Cinch and Bruiser! Not too much of a surprise, given they were all out on the Round Top-Flat Top saddle the previous weekend. AND the very first time I ever saw Mister Twister, he was with Cinch and Corazon.

Comanche and Mouse were napping on the far side of the band, and only Aspen and Hook gave me the eyeball while I visited (I don’t think Mouse moved so much as a hoof). Steeldust was hanging out with Alpha on the other far side of the band, and he apparently was completely unconcerned that Aspen and Hook were closer to his ladies and babies (except Alpha and Storm) than he was. Is Alpha in heat? There was no activity to suggest that; they were very quiet, sharing each other’s company in the sunshine. I just like to speculate. Storm-chaser is holding onto baby-hood as long as he can.

110609hookember

Hook and Ember napping. They weren’t as close as they look in this photo. That’s Hollywood’s band way out in the distance on the east-west hill.

110609aspsundhook

Sundance roused from his nap long enough to greet Aspen and Hook, and after a couple of squeals and sniffs, went right back to the band.

110609mouse

Is it just me, or is Mouse getting stocky as he grows up?

110609hookaspen

Handsome curious boys

110609mahogsabpinemb

Front: Mahogany and Sable. Back: Ember and Pinon.

110609pinembhanluna

Sleepy, sleepy babies: Ember, Pinon, Hannah and Luna

110609hannahluna2

A little after the previous photo, Hannah laid down. In the “near” background is the east-west hill – that’s where Hollywood’s band was hanging out both days.

110609alphastorm

“Baby” Storm is still nursing. Mama Alpha still lets him. Steeldust was just to the right.

110609comanche

Comanche.

Whaddy’a think? They look sleepy … and they look fantastic, eh? 🙂

110609sdbandfillypeak

You all, of course, know the Twister “mystery,” but I didn’t yet at that point. This pic was taken from the west-side loop road looking back at the band. Those crazy ponies didn’t even move in the time it took me to drive around there – well, Storm walked over to the main group. Lower left: Steeldust and Alpha. Looming weirdly hugely in the background is Filly Peak.

Seven’s band was between the Round Top road and roller-coaster ridge pond, Bounce’s was between the pond and the ridge, and Cinch, Bruiser and Twister were out between Round Top and the weird guzzler. No Molly and/or Liberty to be seen. Bounce’s were right at the base of the ridge, so when I drove over, I decided to walk down and around them to get better light. But before I got “better” light, I got light that loved Alegre.

110609alegrewhisper

Love that rim lighting on her forelock and tail as she stands over her baby Whisper, who is growing up into a fine young boy.

110609whisper

Handsome handsome!

110609bounce-v

Just like daddy Bounce!

110609gaia

Sweetest bravest curious-est girl Gaia 🙂

110609gaiabouncealegre

She’s still baby-clacking.

110609sevenpond

While I was visiting with and photographing Bounce’s band, Seven was curiously and calmly watching. Then he walked down to get a drink from the pond, just a little bit in front of him, out of this frame.

I checked the hunter camp on the hilltop overlooking Wildcat Spring. Except for four ribcages, four mule deer heads (antlers cut out) and hides, two gut piles and three entrance routes to the hill from the main road, the only speck of trash I found was a bottle cap. I guess I get leaving the leftovers for the ravens (they didn’t seem to find the stuff till the next day, making me wonder how recently the hunters left) and coyotes, but did they have to dump it down the hill on the side of the spring/canyon?? And the three routes they drove in – I hope – illustrates the need to prohibit off-road travel in an area of limited forage. How long will it take for grass – or anything else – to grow back in that poor (poor as in not very fertile) soil the horses depend on?

The sun was close to the horizon (I always forget how early it comes when we turn back the clocks) by then, so I headed out, hoping to find Grey’s and Chrome’s still in the flats. Oh, lucky me … but the long shadows were growing longer by the second.

110609haydenchrome1

You can see that the shade has overtaken them by this point … See that white-ish blur at upper left? That’s Grey/Traveler. His band was out to the right.

110609haydenchrome2

Hayden looks back at me and Chrome takes the opportunity to investigate the little mister. That’s Grey’s butt between his ears; an unfortunate angle, but I didn’t want to move and lose the moment! Remember how I originally described Hayden’s star as diamond-shaped? What does it most resemble now?? Be still my so-lost heart.

110609chromegreyband

This is how close they were … and how calm. Still in the sunshine, barely. Jif and Hayden were to the right; Grey/Traveler was over to the left as far back as his band. In the background, from left: Iya, Houdini, Terra and Cuatro. I think Two Boots was closer to Grey.

Lovely day and evening. 🙂


Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Alegre, Alpha, Aspen, Bounce, Chrome, Comanche, Cuatro, Ember, Gaia, Hannah, Hook, Iya, Luna, Mahogany, Mouse, Pinon, Sable, Seven, Steeldust, Storm, Sundance, Terra, Whisper

« Previous Entries Next Entries »