It has been a while since I have updated you on my three Pryor Mountain horses that I adopted. This September will mark 4 years since I adopted Valerosa (Isolde). She has been a joy and pretty easy to train.
I have had Kootenai and Kiowa for 8 months now. Kootenai was easy from day one. So willing to trust, and most likely one of the sweetest horses I have ever owned.
Kiowa on the other hand has been very slow to trust. I am not sure what the reason is. I have never had a horse like her before. But we are taking our time and letting her decide how fast she wants to go. The halter remains on her, so that she is a bit easier to catch when down in the bigger pastures. She is definitely still a wild one deep in her heart, and I am sure if she had the chance to return to the Pryors, she would not skip a beat joining the other horses and never looking back. It makes me sad. Sure, she wickers at me when I come to feed them (along with the others),and follows me around when I am out with them, but she is holding back and not giving in as easily as Valerosa and Kootenai.
Kootenai had some health issues from the start. He stepped off the trailer with chronic diarrhea and very “liquid gas” as we called it. After about a month, of trying everything our vet recommended (deworming, sand clear, probiotic) we called the vet to come and have a look at him. He decided that he might have an intestinal infection, so it was 10 days on antibiotics. The day he finished his last antibiotic, he colic. We thought we were going to lose him that morning. Luckily by then he was gentled enough to be given a bantamine injection, which I think saved his life. By 12 pm, he was much better. By the end of the day, he was back to normal. I started him on two natural supplements to help with his intestinal issues. It seemed to work and we had two good months before it returned again.
The vet then recommended 5 straight days of a dewormer, Power Pack. Any domestic horse would hate you after 2 days of a wormer, let alone 5. But he was a pretty good little guy and we were able to get most of it down him.
Since then (it has been another 2 1/2 months), it seems he is good. Of course the natural supplements will be a part of his life from now on, morning and night. He doesn’t mind them at all and wickers when I bring him some mash with them in. The girls are a bit jealous they don’t get as much mash as he does, but I think he loves every minute eating it and knowing he is getting special treatment.
Nancy from the Billings Blm office came out and did our compliance check a few weeks ago. They were all good and came up and visited in the pasture with her while we talked. Everything went well, I knew it would, but I still felt nervous waiting for her arrival that morning and relieved when it was over.
The month of May here in Montana marks the month for opening up some seasonal pastures that the horses have not been on since last fall. Much of this land is very similar to the upper mountain in the Pryors. Many of the native grasses and plants are the same.
Yesterday was the chosen day to let them down into one of those. Kiowa and Kootenai had never been down in this 10+ acre pasture. I sat on our back balcony to watch the show. They would be joined by Valerosa, 20-year-old Quarter Horse Buddy, 13-year-old Anglo-Arab Oreo and two photo bombing miniature burro’s (Pancho and Cisco).
Before I owned wild horses, I thought that any open gate meant an escape opportunity for them. I visioned that they would go bursting through right away. That is not the case. At least not with the 4 wild horses that I own. While Oreo, Buddy, Valerosa and the Burros went running down the hill, Kiowa and Kootenai hung back and took a while to finally join them.
They needed to look over the situation first, with caution. The other horses went running straight down the hill. But these two did a slow switch-back path down instead.
After the initial decent, it did not take them long to love the new area. We spent a couple hours watching them run, eat and play.
I feel very lucky to be able to look out my window everyday and see my own little Pryor Band of horses. From the first day I brought Kiowa and Kootenai here, these 3 have been very close. They know they are the same, I am sure of it.
I hope given time, Kiowa will feel happy to be here too. All I have is time, and I intend to give her as much as she needs.
Sandy
Loving the update on your little herd. It’s just funny how the different personalities show up. Kiowa will warm up to you…it’ll just take more time. No worries. Love the photobombing burros. Too cute! You’re little band of horses (all of them) look great and seem to fit in with each other quite well. You are very lucky to have such a nice place for them to live.
Thanks Lola!
OMG…how beautiful they all are, and I do love the photos of the three “little Pryor band” all together. How blessed they are to have you and you to have them. I had tears looking at your horses..they are absolutely beautiful. You are something special Sandy, and I know they all are in the best home they could have ever hoped for!!!
Thanks so much for this report…I was getting antsy for a report on them….you read my mind!! (:
Love the little burro’s too, they are so sweet. It is so great that they all get along like they do. Very interesting, and I wonder who will be the “boss”, or who is the boss???
Thank you Lori! Of the Pryors, Valerosa is the boss. When they are with the others, Oreo is the boss. All he needs to do is glance their way and they move! 🙂
That is funny Sandy!! After all, Valerosa has been there the longest and I suppose it is only natural that she would be the “leader”!! Hurray to Oreo!!!
Someday, I will meet all of them! ( :
Sandy what a wonderful report! Your band is beautiful and you must be proud to be their guardian. The entire entourage is fabulous and the burros so humorous. Glad that they all enjoy the freedom on your beautiful property. Must be scary to attempt to heal an ill horse, yet if it had that gut problem on the Pryors, it might be dead by now, yes?
Thank you Diane. Yes, if Kootenai had this in the wild he may be dead. But then again, they know much we don’t, like eating certain minerals and mud . So he may have been just fine. 🙂
Fascinating!
Are those brands on their necks? If so what does it say?
Yes, that is a brand. It tells you which HMA the horses came from (Pryors) the year they were born and their id number.
I am impressed. Too bad they must be branded instead of chipped–less painful.
The BLM mustangs are always branded, but this is a “cold brand” or freeze brand so a bit less painful than a hot brand.
Phew!
They are all wonderful. Do the burros do “guard” work for your animals? So happy you have the Pryor three, especially because Kiowa is taking extra time and patience and the medical care for Kootenai and having Valerosa already there had to be good for them. I like the photo of Kiowa and Valerosa from the back with their beautiful “frosted” manes. By the wrong brand, did they put incorrect identifying info into her brand?
Thank you Laura. They have the wrong year on Kiowa (for her birth). Instead of 10 for 2010 they have 00 or 2000.
I think a few months ago it was discussed on here that some of the others had the wrong brand too. I think Breeze was one of them.
Yes, Kierra was one of the others. Not sure how many.
The burro’s do let me know if something is not right. But it mostly involves when they do not feel I am out there to feed them at the right time! 🙂
Not much time to comment right now, but this is BEAUTIFUL! Love that serious expression in the close up of Kootenai’s face. He’s really got that lower lip tucked in. 🙂 What a dream to own offspring of Merlin and Sacajawea and Merlin, AND Lakota!
Oops! Got Merlin in there twice…:( Haste does make waste. 🙂
Thank Linda! Merlin is extra special and deserves to be mentioned twice! 🙂
All of your horses look great. Your little Pryor band is so cute and they seem very close! I agree about them knowing that they’re the same 🙂 Kiowa and Kootenai have really matured. I see Lakota so much in Kootenai’s face. I knew you had mentioned he was having some intestinal issues, but I didnt realize how serious. I’m glad he’s doing better now. You mentioned the forage in their new pasture is very similar to the mountain top. I think that will also be a good thing for his tummy. Some horses are more sensitive than others when switching feed sources, and he might be extra sensitive. And like you said, it’s entirely possible he was “self medicating” while still wild.
🙁 I didn’t know you were having health issues with Kootenai. I’m so glad he’s doing good. 🙂
I love watching horses get turned out together, it is quite a show! 🙂 I love Valerosa’s coloring!
Sandy,
Thank you for the report. I love the photos. They seem happy and are enjoying themselves.
All the horses and the burros are lucky living under your excellent care and living in a beautiful home with pine trees, green grass and lots of room to roam.
Thank you Anh!
Thanks for the update! They all look great. Congratulations on you plucky little personal Pryor herd 😉
Our wild horses acted just like yours when turned them out to pasture last spring. Maybe it will be the same this year. I trust Kiowa will settle down nicely given some time. Won’t surprise me if she turns out the best ever. It was great to know how your pryors are doing, and the photos are world class as always. Tusen tack Sandy!
Those little burros are so cute! They are like miniature donkeys are they not? Burro means donkey in Spanish so they must be related somewhere. I remember seeing some wild burros out in Arizona when I volunteered on a Native American reservation (along with some semi-wild horses, not sure how wild they were but they definitely roamed around the res)
I think they are one in the same! 🙂
I so envy you the experience of living with these gorgeous animals.
Thank you. I do feel very lucky!
Your herd is beautiful, I’m so jealous. And Valerosa is absolutely stunning!
Thank you so much!
Finally I have time after the holiday to read up on your little herd=)
I have been longing for this update! I knew you had some problems with Kootenai, but I didn’t know how serious it was. I’m so sorry for what you all have been though, must have been terrifying? It’s such a hugh relief to see that he’s been doing so well now. He’s face reminds me so much of Lakota.. stunning:) Love how the 3 Pryors are becoming so close and how Valerosa is in charge of them. Oldest and wisest and so on. I bet Kiowa is very happy there although she takes some time to trust and warm up. She has a beautiful home and lots of new friends there. Do you know if she had some extra traumatic episodes when she was caught that could have caused it?
The burros are awesome and must be great fun for the horses:)
Hi Anne, I do know that Kiowa was PZPed in April and also again in July 2012. (That could be enough) But I don’t think anything else happened (at least I am not aware of it). She got removed the day after I was on the mountain, so I was not there to witness the removal.
This week seems to be a turning point for her. Maybe it is because she can go run around and eat grass and feels a bit more “free”. I don’t know what the reason is, but she has been coming up to me and touching me. Small baby steps, but for her this is giant! There is a different between “allowing to be touched” and actually starting the touch herself. I am very happy with this progress! 🙂
Thanks Anne!