Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Again the disclaimer that the basin doesn’t look quite like this right now, but it IS very moist, which currently is inhibiting access by any critters that don’t actually live in it.

This pic of Madison, happily slurping a mouthful of snow, was taken about 10 days ago. We just got another healthy dose of rain and some blowing snow … on top of the MUD that is the WORD of the moment right now in Spring Creek Basin. 🙂 My frustration at lack of visitation can’t quite compete with my joy about the moisture.

Skywalker does everything to the beat of his own usually very deliberate drum.

While the band he follows along with was napping in the sunshine on top of a finger of a ridge connected to bachelor ridge, Skywalker was half napping, half browsing just below them. When I was ready to leave the up-top band, I looked over the edge and could see that he was making his way toward the trail to the top (you can see where he was by his hoofprints at the top of the image) … but slowly. I called down to him that I was planning to head down the trail and asked if that was OK, but Skywalker was already formulating his own plan. I stood back so he could command the trail. If the angle looks weird, it’s because I was looking nearly straight down at him; the trail there is pretty steep.

Here, I’m down, and he’s up. It was so steep that even he took a couple of rest breaks during his climb. 🙂 The ponies would never admit it, but they really are close cousins to mountain goats.

Two bands separate on top of what I call bachelor ridge after browsing through snow at the base of the ridge. Although I was fairly far away, I loved the way the horses seemed to glow against the far ridges. Snow on south-facing slopes is always the first to melt. Later in the morning, the ground became pretty soft. 🙂

Every day should start with a funny-boy mustang.

Thanks, Hollywood! 🙂

Houdini hasn’t lived all her long, wary, wild life cozying up to strangers. She’s not really a role model for celebrating diversity in that way, but *because* she’s lived all her long, wary, wild life surviving with who knows how many family members, we’ll forgive her. Because she’s beautiful and wary and wild, and she hasn’t lived so long to change now. 🙂

Shadow is another little lady who might have to step a bit higher than her slightly taller band mates.

Hayden provides the color; Ma Nature provides the moisture.

What could be better?

Maia seems to give an air of someone caught at the fridge at midnight. 🙂

Without all that snow piled so deep, it wouldn’t seem like she’s down in such a hidey hole, snatching vegetation her mates haven’t found yet!

The days are getting longer every day, but that ol’ winter sun still likes to stay fairly close to the horizon, where it casts long, long shadows at the end of the day.