Comanche
Juniper
Juni sauntered up alongside Daddy where he was grazing and “tickled” him till he paid attention to her.
So patient. 🙂
So, so, so like her daddy.
Handsome daddy Comanche will meet his second baby this spring. Mama Kestrel is due in May.
Maybe not the spots you were expecting.
Corona backlit.
I confess that I’m not sure about her pregnancy status. She ought to be, having been with Grey/Traveler since last spring. (Even after the roundup and a brief sojourn with Tenaz, he got her back.) But she’s so small, it’s hard to tell.
She will turn 3 the end of April, born the spring after her mama, Raven, and Mona and Kootenai were introduced from Sand Wash Basin. (This is done periodically here to help ensure our herd’s genetic diversity, and these three mares represent the third such introduction that I’m familiar with.) From documentary photos of the Sand Wash Basin mustangs before their 2008 roundup, I know Raven was with that basin’s famous and fabulous stallion Corona – for whom I named our Corona.
I *think* she is pregnant – she has a way of walking that seems to accommodate a bigger belly than she’s used to.
What do you all think??
A, who adopted Liberty, had a wonderful art show tonight in Ridgway: “Liberty and Family and Friends” drew a big crowd of Spring Creek Basin mustang supporters!
She had several paintings of Liberty, of course, as well as paintings of horses we’ve recently lost: Twister, Hook, Cinch, Kiowa …
A’s painting of Cinch, from a photo I took of him last March. Actually, I’m sure she won’t mind if I provide her name, as the artist: She is Alice Billings of Ridgway. Isn’t this fantastic?
I met several people I’d previously known only by name/email/phone/Facebook. To see all the people so enamored of and supportive of our mustangs was awesome.
These photos are for L’s daughter, who said Hayden is her favorite. 🙂
What a sweetie. Terra walked over to Hayden, where he was napping under a tree, minding his own business. It’s fun to watch the girls with him. It’s probably not quite as much fun to be him, dealing with the girls teasing him.
But he gives back almost as good as he gets. 🙂
Later, he laid down while they were napping, and they stood protectively over him, his head inches from their hooves. I love watching them.
Chrome and Terra in the morning, gilded. My camera was giving me error messages on each shot, and I was just crying with that light all around. I finally changed batteries, and that solved the problem, but I must also have changed the white balance because none of the other photos came out with this golden light. Winona is just out of sight below them, and Hayden is behind them a short distance.
This is behind Filly Peak, where the roundup took place. Chrome likes to hang out in this area. They were pretty far distant the other day. It was good to see them back in “usual” territory.
The bare hill in the middle background drops down to the Disappointment Road. The treed hills in the background are outside the herd management area. You can see some snow still on the shady north hillsides among the pinon and juniper, but most of it is gone in this area. We’re apparently awaiting our next storm; moisture will be critical this year (as it is every year!). This is one of the mildest winters I think I’ve experienced in 10 years in Colorado.
Houdini, highlighted.
She wasn’t keen on having her picture taken. I just wanted to see the belly. And yes, there’s a belly on the girl. I just couldn’t resist this scrumptious, gorgeous image of the grand girl.
The boys get all the press, but it’s the girls who call the shots.
Do you get that from this image of Piedra and Hollywood? She’s totally in control.
He wooed her when she was still in her family band. He has lost her – briefly – a couple of times, but he always gets her back. When Comanche stole most of Holls’ band last spring, the one he didn’t get – who didn’t leave? – was Piedra. All of her foals are his foals. This year’s will be their fourth.
He seems to like to be close, but he also gives her quite a bit of space. Comanche, Kestrel and Piedra grazed close … then away. Holls was close, but they drifted while grazing, comfortable apart.
Who can blame the boys really? 🙂
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?
Is it any wonder he’s the star of so many posts?
This was taken after he and Hollywood had a little chat. Chrome’s band had just come into view farther up the hill. Grey/Traveler and Hollywood had a brief little meeting, then Hollywood walked away. Right about then, he noticed Piedra alert, quite a bit behind them. He galloped off … the pronghorn buck that had been napping and grazing with Grey’s band had started walking west toward Hollywood and Piedra while I was visiting with Comanche’s band. I lost sight of him, but the horses didn’t! The horses didn’t mind me, but prongs wasn’t too keen about my presence.
See him?
Never know what wonders you’ll see in the basin.
What do you think he’s saying?
Nice teeth, pal. 🙂
Like daddy, like daughter! (Take care of those pearly whites, Juniper!)
Mama Kestrel was her usual calm self. Who do you suppose is there in the background? Clue: How many grey horses do you count?
Seems like forever since I’ve been in to see the ponies. I’ve missed them. It felt *good* to sit on the hill with the setting sun shining on us, horses grazing, birds wheeling, pronghorn watchful. Wonderfully simple and natural and normal. Wonderful and beautiful.
The horses had a few other visitors. People soaking up springtime and mustang magic.
Snow again here! We’re getting good moisture, though I don’t mind saying some of us are looking hard ahead for spring.
No new photos of the horses, so I’m reaching back a month for this one of Grey/Traveler, handsome against a lowering sky and the La Sal Mountains of Utah.
Beauty in the world is not an untouchable thing. It surrounds us … though sometimes in out-of-the-way places. 🙂
