This morning … Baby ‘Nona was playing with a twig from the bush in front of her that she bit off to entertain herself while mama and Comanche had their morning drink.
Do you love their reflections in one of our lovely ponds? (Not one that was dug out.) They all still have water. It amazes me. We’ve had great rain this year – so glad BLM got those ponds dug out!
Two fathers met in a wide valley and thought to meet with a swagger, each self-assured of his own dominance, while their families occupied themselves nearby – apart.
But then a wee daughter was curious and walked out toward the fray.
The fathers knew to protect the babe above all else – whether she was theirs or another’s.
Swagger dropped. Family men were calmed.
And all because of an innocent babe.
I have to admit I was nervous when I saw Winona walking directly toward Seven (seen at back left) and Comanche (center), who were together in the sniffing-striking posture. But I could see exactly when THEY became aware of her walking to them, and they broke apart, and that’s what you see here. Kestrel is grazing at left, in front of Seven. Cuatro (darker) and Twister are grazing at right. ‘Nona is with her adored stepdaddy, Comanche, center. Seven hung around just a little bit as if to say, well, I’m not afraid of you, and don’t take this as me backing down, but there are children present after all … then returned to his band.
Meanwhile, Bruiser in the foreground, and Spring, Shane, Mona and Ze in the background. The other horses are out farther and to the right.
Baby girl and ‘daddy, heading back to mama. She adores him, as I mentioned … and it’s clear the feeling is mutual. He’s simply a daddy wrapped around four tiny black hooves.
Back with mama, and all is well.
Meanwhile, look who came to visit:
Twister. 🙂 Isn’t he a handsome boy!
How do they know when to posture and when to nurture?
Elder … Not challenging, just watching Seven’s in the distance. This is what I was aiming at when Comanche then walked past, resulting in the photo a couple of posts earlier.
Followed by Winona and Kestrel.
Seven watching in return …
How astonishing are they?!
It seems to me you could illustrate a whole book on how humans *ought* to interact with each other and treat each other with photos – lessons – “from the herd” … Much like Cowboy Ethics, a collaboration by photographer David Stoecklein and writer James Owen.
Defend your family.
Children above all else.
Know when to walk away.
Be curious.
Know the land beneath your feet.
Learn from and respect your elders.
Live in the moment.
Share.
What else?
There’s a theme … really …
The horses were just going crazy with bugs or flies or … I think it’s the wetter-than-usual conditions (although it was fairly windy and dry right at the moment) because usually we’re past the bugs by now – and they weren’t going for me at all. Alpha was seeking a little protection under Storm’s neck and got the double benefit of Luna’s tail; Gideon in the foreground. He’s 2 … but still her baby.
I am completely in love with these two – yep, with Comanche, “back” with “Steeldust’s band.” Love how they’re “sharing” an eye in this image.
Baby ‘Nona is a knockout, and I’m not the only one who thinks so …
She loves me!
Err … she loves me not? Or: Gideon gets his first lesson in the mystery of the opposite sex.
She loves me – I think?!
Oh, that little ‘Nona … 😉
OK, not a baby, but I can’t resist that sweet baby-face – bachelor Mouse.
WARNING FOR SNAKE-O-PHOBES!
Depending on how you scroll and the size of your monitor, that warning may not help …
Are you ready?
You’re wondering how this could POSSIBLY fit the theme – I know you are. When I first saw “this” snake, it was little, and I identified by the very teeny tiny tip of its testy tail that it was a rattler. Look at the rattle in this picture. Not very teeny, eh? The out-of-focus blur at right is the rock the teeny tail disappeared behind as I came walking up. Disclaimer: I’m not nearly as close as this photo – cropped after being shot at 400 mm – would have you believe. Impact is everything, after all. Because of the grass and distance, I couldn’t really see much detail through the viewfinder, but I knew enough that I didn’t want to hang around. Theory: This is mama snake, after baby snake of the teensy rattle crawled back to the “home hole” for safety.
Baby love, indeed. 🙂
Not 15 minutes inside the basin for the first time in three weeks, I had to leave again because of a wall of rain coming straight at us from the western hills. I just had time to spot Hollywood’s … then Comanche, Kestrel and Winona …
The road in isn’t as bad as I expected – though there’s evidence one poor person got stuck: s/he left staves in the road from where s/he dug him/herself out of the mud. But it is cut in numerous places where hard-rushing water flowed in mean little rivulets from high to low. When the road is dry, you may not need four-wheel drive, but you definitely want high clearance – and good shocks.
Crossing a couple of the interior arroyos, you have to dodge rocks (I moved one for you, but you’ll still have to squeak between the wall of the arroyo and the new “drain hole”) and climb or descend a couple of new sandy ledges formed by the fast-moving water. At one of the Spring Creek crossings, there’s evidence the water reached 12 yards above the base of the arroyo!! WOW. I don’t think your Porsche or your mini van is going to cut it for a travel vehicle there. (Even the Jeep scraped bottom on one of those new sandy shelves – still “pristine,” not yet worn down.)
After waiting out a second wave of rain (!), I went cautiously back into the basin.
From a long way away, I saw horses running – Comanche’s had joined Hollywood’s – ‘Nona was leading the whole group, playing ahead of mama Kestrel.
Kestrel and Winona in the lead, followed by Comanche in foreground, center. Piedra and Tenaz almost behind the greasewood behind Kestrel, Hollywood and Sage, Baylee and Iya.
I gained a higher vantage, but I couldn’t tell that they were running *from* anything, and they were running basically toward me (in the Jeep), so I wasn’t the cause of their – dare I say it – joyful celebration?!
Coming up out of Spring Creek
They paused once to look at me … (you can see by their blowing forelocks that it was pretty windy)
… then continued on their way, following Comanche following Kestrel. (Check out Baylee; her ears are forward in every photo!)
They were close to me now, so I stopped and waited for a while – I thought I had an idea where they were going, but I was wrong. When I thought I’d given them enough time, I eased up the road, looked all around … and finally spotted them way out “yonder” … and that’s how I found out Cinch had Liberty. They settled in a big “valley” full of – you guessed it – more green, and that’s where they stayed the rest of the day. Twister and Cuatro were even farther beyond them, but they were nearly hidden, and I didn’t know at that point who they were. I thought I’d seen other horses that I thought may have been Hook’s band, but as it turned out, Hook’s were one of the few horses I didn’t see (along with David’s little family and Bruiser).
When I was tweaking pictures to show of Gideon’s learned behavior to mark mares’ manure piles, I found these images of Kestrel and Winona and realized I hadn’t shared any of them. I do have a good excuse – I went on vacation immediately after that visit. So I thought I’d tweak a couple of pictures of this picturesque mama-daughter pair … and I kept choosing and choosing and choosing! Thus all the following pictures are of Kestrel and Winona! (But I don’t think you’ll mind.)
Mama’s scratch of an itch must have hit a sweet spot!
Walking around mama to get to the “bar” – note that the top of ‘Nona’s forearm is right at the top of mama’s head – still trying to help mama with that itch, maybe.
Half a second later. Sheesh, kid, you have all of the great outdoors to roam, and you have to walk over my head?
Zeroing in on the goods.
Of course, Kes wasn’t at all upset. 🙂
Such a good mama!
Remember these?:
Sego lily …
Skeleton weed …
I got distracted for a little bit …
‘Nona must have wondered what the heck I was doing, crawling around on the ground … or she thought I was just her size!
Mama grazed a few steps away while Winona was watching, so she had to “hoof it” to catch up – see her looking?
She stopped again …
And she was off again. Don’t you love her determined little walk, those little black fetlocks (they’ll darken up to her knees/hocks)!
Darling divine girl, we love you so. 🙂
Comanche, back, Kestrel and Winona
A new band this spring – when Kestrel had Winona, Comanche, a bachelor, appointed himself her protector, even as she continued to stay within shouting distance of Mahogany (not her dam). But now they’re their own separate little family, and they seem quite happy and content.
Had some beautiful cloud-fringed light when I visited with them. Isn’t she a doll?
And trying to escape the gnats as best she can. 🙂
Mama Two Boots rubbing an itch on baby Rio (yes, gnats, still).
Mama Kestrel and baby Winona
Coming up next (when I can find the time to tweak more photos …): ode to brothers.
Here’s a preview:
Rio, left, and Cuatro, center, really are at least half-brothers (mama: Two Boots), and Hayden is stepbrother-by-circumstance … but they don’t know any differently. Mama Jif in the background. Rio is learning all kinds of brotherly things. During this particular visit, he stuck to Cuatro like glue, playing, following while Cuatro turned tables and harassed Hayden – until they came up against the most fearsome creature in their everyday lives …! Can you guess? 🙂
Talk about symbolism: Here you see sort-of-leafy, sort-of-green things … not lush, exactly, but browsable things. What you don’t see is what Comanche has his head down for, sipping in trickles the tiny bit of water that seeps up to ground level and is *available* for sipping. What you also see in the background – the green, feathery thing tufted with bits of pink – is tamarisk, also known as saltcedar. Until recently, the government has told us it’s the scourge of the West’s limited water sources, and eradication efforts (yes, even within the basin) have been wide-ranging and dedicated. Now, however, the government says it’s no more a scourge – sucks up no more precious water – than cottonwood or willow and is precious bird habitat to boot, and we’re to let the poor things be.
When I say the water where Comanche is drinking – and Kestrel is waiting to drink – is coming out in a trickle, if you take that to mean drip by drop where it doesn’t collect so much as glistens over top of rocky, sandy soil, I’m not exaggerating.
Well, I never said he was a particularly careful drinker. 🙂 See it dribbling from his tongue? Kestrel takes the opportunity to take her turn at the source.
Now Comanche waits patiently (seemingly so) while Kestrel sips. And Winona decides it’s time for some liquid nourishment as well. ‘Nona looks small again from this angle, but I tell you, I think she’s grown between last week and this!
We’re finally starting to get some rain again, and I know some of it has reached the basin with its lovely purple fingers. But it never seems to be enough. The ponds are dry. Wildcat Spring has water (liquid but stinky), and seeps like this produce it at a maddeningly slow trickle, but the ponds are dry, including the two dug out last year. We’re hoping the rest will be dug out later this summer, but there has to be rain to fill them. Despite the snowfall of last winter, the rain earlier this spring, the ground proved itself as thirsty as any living thing and just sucked it all up. Other ranges enhance their springs and provide guzzlers. We have what’s called a water “catchment” that provides good, clean, fresh (non-alkaline) water … but it’s on the dry west side, and most of the bands seem to avoid that area. We’re working on ideas for more and better quality water sources. On a managed range like this, water cannot be un-managed.
Tamarisk-control? Well, that’s another subject – related.
And look who else was nearby – and as calm and relaxed as I’ve seen them lately?
Roja and Seven
This picture isn’t “glamorous,” but it’s my favorite in this particular collection because of the horses’ behavior – relaxed, heads down (Spring-baby-girl was keeping an eye on me), grazing, unconcerned. This sight made my heart soar. With these particular horses, it’s a huge moment to be this close (almost 200 yards, across a little arroyo) with them so relaxed.
They finally did look up, of course – left to right: Spring, Roja, Ze (look how big!) and Seven. And they did eventually walk down off the top of this little hill and out of sight. What a marvelous, quiet, visit!
And one more of a beautiful pair:
Beautiful baby Winona and her lovely mama, Kestrel.
Overflow of: love, appreciation, marvel, wonder. Not so much: Water.
There’s something about the bond of, especially, young mothers with their babies. You can see in their interactions with their youngsters the hint of their interactions with their own mothers … passed down from generation. I’m starting to see, I tell myself, patterns of behavior in certain mares. Two Boots and Kestrel and Shadow are the first babies I documented. Now they’re having babies. They learn fast, and, in particular, they’re so wonderful to watch.
Comanche grazing while Winona naps … Spring Creek Basin spread out to the horizon.
Mama’s presence means everything.
Protection of baby is everything.
Is that a phrase that get used much anymore? There was quite a bit of disbelieving “huh” on my part when I realized Mahogany did NOT have a foal and WAS in heat and clearly HAD had her foal. And it refers also that the big band that had fractured had come (together) again … if perhaps only temporarily.
And whoever coined the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” clearly hadn’t met these ponies. I think it took me a thousand pictures to try to convey the goings-on.
These three – Comanche, Kestrel and Winona – are clearly “together” now … but not far from the others.
Um, Hollywood?! Where’d you come from? His band wasn’t all that far away, but they weren’t close.
While the other horses graze, Steeldust sees his duty to keep away the intruder (Hollywood). All the other horses are seen here, left to right: Luna, Gideon and Butch in the group at left; Storm, with Mahogany and Sundance directly behind him; Steeldust looking at Holls and Mouse directly behind him; Alpha; and Aspen at the back. Comanche, Kestrel and Winona were up a bit to the right.
Storm and Alpha
This was after Steely Dan had come back from chasing Holls away – which didn’t entirely work.
Gideon laid down … and there’s Mahogany and her hangers-on behind them now. While Winona was able to get several minutes at a time of shut-eye, Gideon was up and down several times because of the commotion all around.
Close-up of the sleepy boy.
When they weren’t fired up chasing her or fending each other off, this was a common sight – Mahogany grazing and Sundance and Mouse right behind her.
Close but far enough away to be out of the commotion – though Comanche did go down to have a chat with Hollywood at one point.
Even tough-guy manly stallions like to take some time to stop and smell the globe mallow.
Finally, it seemed he had had enough and was headed back to Piedra and the gang …
… but not before a stop to say hello. “What ARE ya doing?” “No, what are YOU doing?!” Funny boy. Then away he went.
When I turned back around, I realized the commotion had sent Gideon to his feet. Even Luna woke up long enough to watch him go.
Then this was really interesting – talk about stallions being very tolerant of babies. Gideon swung his butt around and then backed up so his butt was right up against Butch’s chest. I don’t know if you can quite tell it from the picture, but he is literally butt-to-chest with Butch, who now has his nose right at the crest of Gideon’s neck. He stood solid as a rock for a few moments, but it was like he didn’t quite know how to take it, this tiny little thing “cuddling” up to him, and he soon stepped aside and went to pursue “manly” things – like running off Sundance and Co. 🙂
So Gideon turned to mama for comfort …
One of my very favorite images from the whole day.
With all the commotion, these horses in particular seem to nap often.
Storm and Alpha – even though he kept getting a wild hair and going off to try to breed Mahogany, he kept coming back to mama. You can see he’s still shedding out a bit of reddish baby fuzz.
Love their relaxed faces.
Winona, Kestrel and Comanche …
… right before Winona laid down again. 🙂 She was mostly flat out on the ground, her little side heaving in the warm sunlight … and her front leg would occasionally “wave” out in circles … I think she was dreaming of racing the wind.
Kestrel and Comanche napping over baby Winona, clearly not his baby. He didn’t even acquire Kestrel until after she had foaled. He had been low man on the totem pole in the bachelor hierarchy. And yet he now *protects* her as if she were, indeed, his own. I repeat again, stallions do NOT go around willy nilly killing foals that aren’t theirs.
After about half an hour, Winona still stretched flat out, Kestrel and Comanche started to graze – away from sleeping babe.
She looked up a couple of times, then back down … until she finally realized she was “alone.” I don’t know if you can quite tell here, but she’s whinnying for mama to come back and “rescue” her – which mama Kestrel completely (as far as acquiescing to baby’s plaintive demands) ignored. Obviously, she wasn’t THAT far away.
When it became apparent that mama was not, in fact, coming back for her, Winona got up and headed over … Check out the sweat on her flank.
And reunited. 🙂
She had a snack …
… and down she went for another nap! On her opposite side. 🙂
And that was my cue to farewell the ponies for another day.
One big – calm for now – family …
Thanks for reading … ya’ll “come again,” ya hear? 🙂
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
