Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Now and then, Sundance is called upon to show his fierce side in defense of his girls.

Most often, that’s all it takes, and the other stallion says, “hey, man, no worries, right?” And calm is restored.

But he sure does look awesome in his protection mode, eh? 🙂

The ground was still damp from earlier rain when I spent the evening with Skywalker and the band he follows; those smudges of dirt on his hip and cheek and elsewhere are fresh. 🙂 He always seems so quiet and self-contained. … He’s a pretty peaceful guy.

See all those light bits in the air? Gnats and bitty flies and other insecty buggers. The moisture has brought out clouds of them.

The moisture makes us all happy … two-legged, four-legged and wing-ed?! 🙂

The horses were happily grazing the newly green, GREEN grass of home when I decided to pack up and head out. While it looks pretty sunny and light still, the sun was very close to the western horizon (away to the far right), and I was hoping to see another band before shadows crept across them. As it turned out, sunset and clouds hastened the coming of night even sooner than I thought (and I’m never ready to leave the basin in any case). I did see that band – and another – and yesterday’s little pronghorn family.

But – of course – after I had my camera packed away in my backpack, Tenaz wandered over and parked himself in the middle of … well, The View. 🙂 My cell phone was much closer to hand … and the best camera, as they say, is the one you have in your hand.

While the quality isn’t up to my big gun, I think the mood and loveliness of the mustang and the evening is perfectly captured … don’t you? 🙂

(I’m also GIDDY to report that the ground under foot and hoof was DAMP, and at least three little arroyos in the northern part of the basin were actively flowing with water from rain over the northern and eastern parts of the basin. I know it rained in the east because Spring Creek also was flowing. I know it didn’t rain in the “southern” areas (basically south of Spring Creek) because the road and ground until I got to Spring Creek were dry. Wild. … And still well received. :))

Flash looks toward a small band downhill as he grazes with a young friend. A hint of the new green is visible in the foreground.

Himself with some of his ladies. 🙂

They were watching a small band some distance away, in the greasewood flats along Spring Creek in the western region of Spring Creek Basin. It doesn’t look so much in the above photo, but we’ve had some greening of the vegetation of the basin from recent rain events.

Madison took advantage of the band’s mosey-grazing through pinon-juniper woodland to satisfy some itches. Peek-a-boo!