Winona | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Won’t you play with me?

28 06 2012

Winona still has her playful streak!

One stick to play and one in reserve. 🙂

But Terra wouldn’t bite. Har.

I’m struck every time by her loveliness.

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

Close and wide

28 06 2012

On our way out of the basin after working on the trickle, Chrome’s band blessed us with a visit right by the road. We stopped to admire, our curiosity matched by ‘Nona’s about us.

Winona and Terra

Terra and Chrome. The water catchment storage tank is visible in the middle background. Note also the cloud shadows. If it seems odd to note such “normal” shadows across the landscape, consider that our Colorado-blue skies have been nearly cloudless for nearly two months.

‘Nona walking across the road to get a better look. I took this out the passenger-side truck window. The weird vertical dark line on the left is the truck’s antenna. Isn’t she a most gorgeous creature?

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Categories : Chrome, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Morning

20 04 2012

Don’t you love surprises?

On my last visit to the basin, I found Grey/Traveler’s band – and Mariah – pretty quickly, about where they’ve been the last week. Not too far, but I thought I should be looking for Piedra. I almost kept driving, but Houdini and Mariah were so temptingly close …

Bounce and Tenaz were below.

Chrome’s came into sight above.

After I spent time with Grey’s band, I went up to Chrome’s.

Hayden and Terra at the top of the finger hills.

Chrome, looking so handsome and relaxed in the morning light.

Winona was almost out of sight, taking her own little nap:

🙂

And it was about then that I looked west and saw Hollywood’s band. He was standing, napping; Shane was lying down. Piedra was standing a short distance away … and there were ears at her feet. Oh!

Oh, how glad I went for a hike.

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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Gilded

10 04 2012

Chrome in the golden light of early morning.

Hayden and Terra – half-siblings. Daddy: Grey/Traveler.

Chrome was highlighted so gorgeously against the far hills, just-gilded with first light.

Alert Winona, watching something in the distance that I couldn’t see.

Gorgeous stallion, perfect backdrop … and he paused in his grazing only to amble to the next tasty tidbit.

Still gorgeous. Still perfect. 🙂

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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Light and shadow

12 03 2012

While visiting Grey/Traveler’s band, I was watching him watch his younger girls, Corona, Gaia and Aurora, when he suddenly came alert. Chrome’s band had just appeared over the crest of the hill.

Terra

Winona

Hayden

Chrome

I stayed with them past last light. How beautiful are they?

Having just a short period of time served to concentrate my focus. Instead of thinking ahead, thinking other, thinking where else I could be, who else I could see, I was happy to sit, to see, to be with those I was with. How happy was I?

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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Miss Terra & friends

31 01 2012

This lovely daughter of Grey/Traveler and Houdini just amazes me.

The horses were somewhat apart when I saw them, and Terra had been watching Roja, Killian and Hayden down in the trees before turning to look at me.

Standing with cocky Chrome.

And with Winona (who reminds me so much of her grandma Luna).

Grazing with master Hayden. The girls treat him much differently than big Chrome. Terra is just a few months older than Hayden, but she’s quite a bit bigger. They’re half-siblings, sharing daddy Grey/Traveler.

Love. Her.

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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Winona

Sweet sun dreamland

17 01 2012

My visit with Chrome’s band was a late-afternoon sweet hour in the sunshine.

And if some of us enjoyed the sunshine’s warmth with eyes closed, who could blame us?

Little mister Killian was lying down when I first walked out to them. Winona laid down beside him – that’s the top pic. Terra and Hayden were standing to the side, faces to the sun.

Terra’s eyes closed; Hayden’s at half-mast.

Chrome’s in dreamland; ‘Nona’s keeping a sleepy eye on me. This was before she laid down beside Killian.

Wake-up time. The other horses had moved off, grazing – except mama Roja, partially seen in the background. Killian shares this funny sort of stretch with big brother Ze, who had already left the family when Killian was born.

He looked at me for just a few moments, then trotted off to his compadres (not mama, interestingly).

Terrific Terra – don’t you love her face? Those amber eyes?

Classic Chrome!

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Categories : Chrome, Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

More of Chrome’s

2 01 2012

Didn’t spend a lot of time with these ponies. Sun sinking fast. So great to see them – right where they knew they were. 🙂

Handsome Hayden.

They were on a hill across a very steep drainage from the end of the corral hill, so I took pix as I climbed up the hill across from them. As you can see, we have gorgeous blue skies in Colorado!

Little stud muffin Killian. How much he looks like his big brother, Ze.

Mama Roja, watching me intently.

A bit later, when I was on top with them and they were grazing, mama suddenly looked up and gave me a weird stare. I tried to figure out what was wrong … only to notice that she had suddenly realized that Terra, Winona and Hayden had grazed on, leaving her closest to me. Oops. 🙂 She walked away, eyeballing me over her shoulder. I just chuckled to myself. Sweet girl.

You can’t tell from these photos, but the hill was steep, and my side (across a shallow drainage) was still snow-covered. Their side was muddier than it looks here.

Terra. Isn’t she growing up to be a gorgeous girl? Daughter of Grey/Traveler and Houdini. She’ll be 3 in the spring.

We could say the same about our lovely Winona! Daughter of Mouse (likely) and Kestrel. She’ll be 2 in the spring.

I just posted this one, but it’s the best I have of Chrome from that day. He mostly wandered around on the far side of the other horses, not worried about a thing, let alone looking handsome for the camera. 🙂

These are the ones I’ve tweaked so far, but I’m going to be without Internet for a couple of days, so will leave you with these. Saw almost all the horses last week – still not those elusive pintos! – but not many pix. Very warm. Very melty. Very muddy. We need snow!!!

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Categories : Chrome, Hayden, Killian, Roja, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Terra, Winona

Found faces

31 12 2011

Look who I found:

Look at that little boy, nearly as big as his mama.

Where are they?

Can you tell by those faces? They’re all there.

Pony babies have been hanging out behind Flat Top. Lots of territory back there – lots of tracks criss-crossing the snow. Spotted Roja from a distance, alone, dark in the glare, but with that belly – couldn’t have been anyone else. You think Kestrel’s a wide load already?

Roja used to be my first foaler, but this year, she went into May. She’s not a very big girl – like Kestrel – so that belly shows!

I was glad to find them. Now the pintos are my elusive ponies. I think they’re deep in the southern end of the basin where they can take advantage of grazing areas because of the snow (for eating). It was WARM here this week. Into the 50s. Gorgeous. Melting. Muddy. What happened to our cold La Nina winter? Well, it has just begun after all.

Speculation about the weather is like wondering where horses are – no telling, and there’s nothing you can do about it but be happy when you find what you’re looking for. 🙂