It had been a wonderful day so far. We saw more horses this trip than I had since last summer. The weather was perfect.
There were a few horses that I really wanted to see this trip. Lakota, of course was one. I had seen him. Click Lakota to read that post. The other horse I was hoping to find was the little foal Missoula. He was the one that I discovered when I was here in April. You can read that post by clicking Missoula.
I had one more chance to find him. I was not really hopeful though. We had been all over the mountain and seen many horses, so I thought maybe my luck may be running out!
We had gone several miles down and had not spotted any horses. When we came to an open area I saw three horses. It was Chino and the Toppers. They were several miles higher up the mountain than when I had seen them the day before. You can click HERE to read that post. I could almost hear the Toppers saying in unison: “Great, here they are again”. They started to move off before I could even get my camera out. Then Bill said “Sandy, who is that? ” He was pointing to the left from where Chino was. I knew right away who it was! It was Phoenix (she will be 20 this year). Teton’s band…Missoula!!!
I looked around. I did not see Half Moon or Missoula. I also knew that they were missing one member since I had last seen them in March. It was Kiowa. She is in Jackson’s band now. I did see the beautiful Kayenta. She was giving me that look that she had given me in October of 2010. I really like her. I can’t imagine what it will be like if she is not there anymore.
I saw Teton looking towards the trees between Chino and his band. I thought maybe Half Moon was there.
By the way, once the Toppers realized that I was not wanting to photograph them, they stayed in place and napped by Chino. I find each horses personality so interesting. It is so good to get to know each one.
After a several minutes, Teton went into the trees and brought out Half Moon and Missoula.
Baja’s band was there too. Most of the band was below the hill. I thought about going over to look, but I had seen them the day before. I wanted to spend time with Teton’s band.
We settled in and watch the interactions of this band. It was interesting how the color of Missoula’s coat could change in the different lights. Shade, sunny, cloudy, they all seemed to produce a different hue.
The band decided to move into the shade of the woods.
When they had gone completely into the woods, we decided to continue down the road.
As we headed down Burnt Timber road we saw the bachelor boys again. This time Gringo had joined Hernando, Hamlet, Inali and Knight. They were grazing on both sides of the road.
Further down the road, I saw Grijala and his band. Quelle Colour, her daugher Kohl, Kachina and Katrina. They were missing one member. Kindra. They were licking the minerals just by the road.
I remember the first time I saw Kohl, in October 2010. She was only a couple of weeks old. She had grown into a beauty.
We saw 120 horse on this trip. It was amazing and overwhelming. It has taken me a week of looking through my photos and thoughts to throughly soak it all in.
I am planning my next trip and will be there in just a few weeks!
Sandy
I want to go back….
I hope that you get to—soon.
Kayenta is indeed gorgeous — it’s so interesting to watch how the horses change as they mature. I love the picture of her with her mother in the background. Missoula somehow looks different than the other foals, not because he is older… he seems stronger and more confident… can’t put my finger on it. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. You are lucky to live so close and be able to visit so often, it is a benefit to all of us!
Thank you Joy!
I live in MN and had the opportunity to see the bands last summer with my sister. It was wonderful! We hope to go back next year. Until then, I will thoroughly enjoy all of your posts. One of my favorite horses is Kayenta. She just has that beautiful strawberry roan going for her. Last year she was almost white…this year she is darker. Love it! I also love Ireland. She just seems to always have that peaceful look about her. Thanks for the update!
Thank you!
WOW Sandy! What a wonderful trip you guys had, 120 horses! 🙂 Your photos are just beautiful, I especially love the action shots on the last post. And all the young ones too. Kayenta is getting more beautiful each time!
Thanks Brigitte!
Kayenta really is so beautiful. I agree with you, I hope she can stay on the mountain. Pheonix looks great! She doesn’t look her age at all. And little Missoula is just adorable. There is just something about him that I love 🙂 Is Quelle Color pregnant? That would be nice if she could have one more Lakota foal.
Yes, I do think QC is pregnant. But I could be wrong! It will just depend on when (and if) the foal is born if it is Lakota’s. Of course I would really like it to be Lakota’s! (So she needs to hurry up and have that foal!)
Fingers crossed that she will have that foal soon!
Not so sure about Quelle Colour, she always looks a little round, but War Bonnet sure looks portly!
I hope that all this attention to Kayenta will prevent her removal from the mountain.My favorite photo in this post is the one with her mother too.At least I hope that if she is removed,she will find an owner who will keep us in touch with her and her looks while she grows.
All great pics, Sandy. I just can’t pick a favorite. I get the same warm feeling from Kayenta as from Jalisco. If only none of the horses had to be removed… : ( I love that little Missoula. He looks like he’s a little spitfire. The way he’s pestering Kayenta reminds me so much of Jemez when he was a baby. It’s going to be exciting to see how his coloring finishes out, and how his personality develops. They are ALL so interesting. Thanks for sharing. : )
I hate that Kayenta is scheduled to be removed. She is by far my favorite (I love them all but she is so unique!) I hope her band stays hidden during the round up and it is avoided, of course there are two more that are scheduled for removal Katalpha who has an amazing story of her own and Kerry as well.
Breaks my heart to know we may not hear any additional updates on them.
Gina, I will be going soon, so I will hopefully be able to update at least one more time.