One more post from Linda. I scheduled this one to post while I was driving to the Pryors. Hope it does what it is supposed to do!
Thanks again Linda!
Sandy
There was getting to be a lot of horses on the meadow, and many of them were moving toward Penn’s cabin and the puddles alongside the road, as well as Mystic Pond just beyond them. We did too.
Of course, Fiesta caught my eye right away. His companions, the lovely Juniper and sleek and muscular Horizon are not hard on the eyes, either.
Others arrived at the puddles first, tho, and quenched their thirst, including Dove and Fool’s Gold. This would have been just a few days before Fool’s Gold had her feisty little colt who will be named Nickel , in honor of John Nickle who has been such a devoted supporter of the herd for MANY years. The dark horse in the background would be Blue Sioux or Adona, I believe.
However, as the handsome threesome approached the puddle, it was evident that Sante fe was taking it upon himself to prevent them from getting their drinks. That went on until Sante fe’s attention once again turned to dogging Coronado, which wasn’t long.
Dove is a bit on the thin side. I hope she has a break from foaling this year, even tho she does have beautiful babies. Her health is more important than our excitement about new foals.
Sante fe’s constant presence near the band keeps Coronado on the go pretty much most of the time.
And, of course, he has to keep pretty little Manuelita in line. I think she is going to be very unique looking as she matures.
So, to get back to Juniper and pals, when Sante fe finally left the puddle, the Three Musketeers moved in- –Juniper first. Isn’t she lovely?
As she drank from the puddle, Fiesta nuzzled her and nickered suggestively…
…bringing on a short, but lively argument between the guys. I noticed that Fiesta does not back down.
I have to say here, that I kind of wonder if Horizon isn’t protective of Juniper more like a brother, rather than a mate. I did not observe him approach her suggestively like Fiesta did while I was there, but I realize that I wasn’t there very long.
Then it was back to grazing. This arrangement definitely holds the promise of interesting developments in the future.
Meanwhile, across the road from the puddle by some trees, Galaxy and family were easing their way along. Hera looks good, and is still sporting some patches of winter hair on her belly, legs and neck.
Ireland looks very good, too. As does Galaxy, even with the mud.
The rest of the family must have been “hiding out” in the trees when I took these.
The next horse to capture my attention was Tecumseh. He’s unquestionably a very proud and spirited stallion. He is also beautiful. I wish he could win back at least one of his mares if he is not going to give up on them and move on.
It was very disheartening to see the wounds he has suffered in his attempts to get them back. But I know, I know—they are “wild” horses, and that’s what they do. He seems to be doing OK, in spite of the injuries. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, these horses are TOUGH!
Linda
Great photo Linda!
Great PHOTOS Linda!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I must admit that I am a bit worried about the Coronado and Santa Fe situation as Coronado is one of my favorite and I would be so disappointed if he loses his band. But I would very much like to see Santa Fe with a band, only not this one.
And then it is poor Tecumseh, he should have a band as well.
Difficult not being able to do anything about this 🙂
Wish I was there 🙂
It seemed like Coronado was doing fine with the situation, but Sante fe was certainly sticking to it. Hopefully, things will work out OK for both of them, and Tecumseh, too. They are both SO determined.
I agree that Dove’s health is important since she didn’t come out of winter looking her best. While I would really like to see her with another foal, I really would also like to see her have many more healthy, happy years on the range. And she did give us a special gift (like Sandy said) of beautiful little M’lita. I wonder if LaBrava may end up with Santa Fe. He does have a talent for attracting the young fillies. And if she is pregnant that means she has wandered off before. Haha maybe it’s Santa Fe’s foal she’s carrying and he wants her back 🙂 Does she seem content with her family band or do you get the feeling that she would be one of the 2 year old fillies you could see looking for her own stallion this year. I do hope Red Raven keeps M’lita away from Santa Fe though. She doesn’t need to be getting pregnant this young. Especially since she hasn’t even turned one yet. And I love my favorite golden buckskin girl! I know others have observed her and Horizon to have a close “romantic” relationship. And she definitely went off with him when she first left Bolder’s band and then Fiesta kinda tagged along. Love the pictures and the stories! Thanks for sharing!
Maybe Nature has given Dove a break, even tho she didn’t get PZP, or maybe she is PG and it is just a late one, which could be the cause of her being pretty thin. Time will tell. I, too, hope she lives a long life on the Range. She’s one of my many “favorites”. I use her unique coloring as a marker for identifying her family members. 🙂
The only filly I observed who seemed to be “looking” was Kohl when I first got out there, and that seemed to change by the time I left. But, there were so many horses and so much going on all the time that I’m sure there were many things going on that I didn’t notice. I have pics that show LaBrava seemingly contented to be with her current companions—at least for now. 🙂
Juniper really is a beauty, and I can see why Fiesta wants to hang around, too, just in case. It’s all so interesting as the stories unfold. I have a hard time keeping up with all the posts. 🙂
It seems that Kohl is determined to keep Garay on his toes. I wonder if he’ll be able to hang on to her. I think she may end up back with Grijala. It would probably be easy for him to “get her going in the right direction” away from Garay. Time will tell.