Basic Buckeye, devoted, looking over his band.
I wish that sky would bring rain, but it hasn’t. … Not yet.
Simplicity
17 08 2025Comments : 9 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
Dun days
16 08 2025
That haze is *smoke*. Odin was probably no farther away than about 150 yards (?), and it was SO smoky.
He had gone visiting a bit with another young bachelor between his family and another, and here he looks like he’s returning to his mama and aunties … but he stopped about halfway to graze … just in case there was another chance to visit. 🙂
Little mister is a big boy. He’s 2.5 now, but he’s stout – and still loves his mama Shane.
*****
I can’t believe time – and dates – got away from me; when I scheduled this post several days ago, I didn’t note the date!
HAPPY 56th ANNIVERSARY TO MY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 Thank you SO much for giving me the gift of horses, from your own love of horses that led to your fortuitous meeting … 60-PLUS years ago! I love ya’ll and hope you have a wonderful anniversary day. 🙂
Comments : 9 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Wildfire
Braid columns
15 08 2025
Piedra likes to keep her braids simple.
Same evening that I took the pic of Alegre: bad smoky.
Comments : 8 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Wildfire
Red at night
14 08 2025
Alegre rocks her own fashion-forward braid style two nights ago in a very, very smoky Spring Creek Basin.
Changing wind directions mean that the terrible smoke we’ve experienced the past few days is coming from the Stoner Mesa Fire, to the southeast in Dolores County. To say that it’s yucky is a yucky understatement. (Cortez Journal article here.)
While we’re praying desperately for rain, we’re also praying for the safety of all those fighting the wildfires around the state. In particular, as mustang advocates, we’re praying for those fighting and affected by the giant Lee Fire, southwest of Meeker, which is immediately east of Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area.
Comments : 13 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Wildfire
All-seeing
13 08 2025
I’m not looking at you; you’re looking at me!
Comments : 10 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
More than a hint of blue
12 08 2025
Earlier, the smoke plume from the Stoner Mesa Fire (now more than 3,500 acres in very rough country), had been rising high into the sky on our southeastern horizon, but by the time I got out to see the ponies, it was settling again for the night. There’s still a haze, but it’s nice to see more of our blue sky again.
Temple looks as beautiful as always, especially with McKenna Peak and Temple (yes, named for her namesake(s)) Butte in the background.
I heard a rumor that some wet weather might be coming into our region toward the end of the week or weekend, but the forecast is either behind the times, or it doesn’t want to give us a (false?) sense of hope. Ha. Any hope is great hope at this point!
Comments : 8 Comments »
Categories : McKenna Peak, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Temple Butte
Portrait of a mustang
11 08 2025
Buckeye, wild and free, on a hot summer night.
Comments : 10 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
Stallion dance
10 08 2025
Corazon is likely in his 20s now and still has a mare and a yearslong, loyal lieutenant (Maiku). This series of images show him doing a dance between his mare and a “rival” stallion (who really just went to have a chat because their families were grazing fairly close together). I couldn’t decide which moment I liked best, so you get three!
**********
Happy, happy birthday to my dad, Dave! 🙂 Long-time readers know that I get my addiction to (err, love for!) horses to both my dad and mom. Thanks, Dad! I love you!
Comments : 14 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
Glimpses
9 08 2025
I put a fair amount of effort into planning and photographing the rising (nearly) full moon this month – the Sturgeon Moon. It didn’t quite work out, what with clouds, smoke, wrong position, smoke, clouds (and all of those things in the last days as the moon neared fullness), but I’ll never get tired of that scenery.
Mustangs were nearby but not in quite the right location to incorporate into my hoped-for scene. And when I left the basin, there was an amazing gathering of bands very near the road in the west. 🙂 The moon was out of sight again behind clouds and a hill, but what a great “farewell until we meet again,” which won’t be more than a day or two, despite heat, dust, smoke, clouds (non-rain-bearing), because … MUSTANGS! 🙂
For an account of how we’re all feeling with the seemingly neverending heat and drought and fire danger, please read Kat Wilder’s post about Spiritual Drought Syndrome. She said she just made it up, but I think it’s real and disturbing. I think we’re all suffering to some degree.
Comments : 8 Comments »
Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
Prettier
8 08 2025It’s not my intention to ignore all the ills of the world on this blog, just to make it a place of peace and beauty.
Two nights ago, clouds stymied my moonrise photography attempts, but Mother Nature put on a show, nonetheless. You can’t really call that a rainbow – a light prism? – over Brumley Point, but it was a much better sight than the image I took the day before that looked like Brumley, which looks enough like an old volcano, was actually erupting.
This was the second time it happened (and I was in a bit different location). Neither occurrence lasted more than a minute or two?
Do dragonflies bring you joy? It’s way out of focus here near the in-focus pinon tree – in my defense, I was pretty far away, and it was zipping faster than I could follow, let alone focus – but that little beam of zooming light (seeing it backlit against a far mesa is what caught my attention in the first place) brought ME joy! I realized that it was snatching flying insects out of the air, which I cheered wholeheartedly. The gnats are largely gone, but we have (still) big flies and (now) these weird little things that are bigger than gnats and almost as exasperating.
The moon did rise above the clouds eventually, of course. No matter the conditions here on Earth, it’s always, comfortingly, there – somewhere out there.
Most importantly, to paraphrase Mad-Eye Moody (apologies to non-Harry Potter fans): Stay vigilant!
Comments : 19 Comments »
Categories : Brumley Point, Colorado, Disappointment Valley, McKenna Peak, Moon, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 