2019 Pryor Foal # 14 was born to Greta and Garcia. Greta is the 2006 daughter of Belle Star and Chino. Garcia is the 2006 son of Topper and Tony. The foal is a colt. No name has been announced yet.
Welcome to the mountain little one! Thank you Dennis for the use your photos!
Mares within the Pryor Wild Horse Herd, are given PZP (birth control) every year. Each year there is a group of mares that are in the “window” of possibly being able to foal, meaning that they have not been given PZP. And every year, there will be some surprises from some, despite being vaccinated, and even though the below horses have not been vaccinated, it is not a guarantee that they will foal. Some have never conceived.
Because some of the horses were vaccinated later than normal last spring/summer, it is possible that they may have already been pregnant, (before given their vaccination), but will not be “officially” listed here.
I will start the list with the possible horses in the Dryhead. There are only two mares that fall into that window this year, and one has already had her foal!
2. Morgana, 2012 daughter of Icara and Merlin. She was discovered by Bill Picket, NPS with a new foal last week. The foal is supposedly a colt and it has been named Sorcerer.
Mountain Top Horses
2. Juniper, 2009 daughter of Sapo and Bolder. Another late foal (Ruby) was born to Junipter the first part of November, 2017. Again if she did conceive right away, she won’t have her foal until October, 2018. I’m hoping she skips this year and gets back on track with a foal earlier in the season in 2019. Juniper is currently in Horizon’s band.
3. Kohl, 2010 daughter of Quelle Colour and Lakota. Kohl is currently in Garay’s band.
4. Ketchikan, 2010 daughter of Gold Rush and Two Boots, currently in Jasper’s band.
5. Limerick, 2011 daughter of Ireland and Prince. She is currently in Galaxy’s band.
5. Labrava, 2011 daughter of Blue Souix and Coronado. She is currently in Irial’s band.
6. Lariat, 2011 daughter of Madonna and Duke. Lariat is currently in Jasper’s band.
7. Maia, 2012 daughter of Hera and Prince. Maia is currently with Hamlet.
8. Manuelita, 2012 daughter of Dove and Coronado. Manuelita is currently in Irials band.
9. Moenkopi, 2012 daughter of Galena and Jackson. She is currently in Cappuccino’s band. I hope this is the year that she gives birth to a foal that lives.
I am looking forward to seeing some new foals this summer. I am sure there will be some surprises!
Sandy
As we enter the last months of 2016, I felt I needed to do a post on those horses who have passed this year. It has been a very hard year for those of us who follow the horses. We have lost some very significant members of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Herd. They are and will continue to be missed by all of us. I found myself looking through more than 30,000 photos that I have taken over the years, trying to find the best photos of each of these horses, something that would give us all a great memory when we hear their name mentioned in the future.
This year there were 11 foals born, 3 of those have died, leaving a total of 8 foals. Six adult horses have died with a total of horses lost this year of 9, leaving a population growth within the herd of only 2 for 2016. (Although the BLM did not include Chino in last years population loss (I did in my 2015 post on the horses that passed), so with that taken into account, the population growth for the herd for this year would be 1, not 2.)
Below are the photos of those that are no longer with us, listed in alphabetical order.
1. Cloud, born in 1995, son of Raven and Phoenix. Last seen in November of 2015. What can I say about Cloud? Wow, this has left a giant hole on the mountain for all of us. I found myself still expecting him to walk out of the trees by my camp, something he did often, especially in the evenings. I have had many guest sit and enjoy his presence in the light of the sunset.
It was heartbreaking to witness him loss his band and watch from a distance, clearly in emotional pain of his loss. He was not one of those stallions who excepted his second bachelorhood with grace. His family was his life, and the pain of it slowly took his away.
I will miss him, and I don’t believe there will be a single trip that I make to the mountain, that I won’t think of him and all the joy he brought to so many. He will continue to live on with his offspring and his memory.
2. Coronado, born in 1996, son of Raven and Isabella. Last seen in November 2015 with Cloud. He was also known as Red Raven by many, Coronado was an amazing and caring stallion. He lost his band in July of 2014 to the stallion Irial. He was another stallion who did not take kindly to a second bachelorhood. For days after he lost his band ( I was there to witness it), he stood alone, barely eating or drinking. He finally tried to move on, often seen with Cloud in the summer of 2015, but in the end, he too disappeared without a trace.
3. Durango, born in 1995, son of Guinvere and Lancelot. I believe the last time he was seen was in the fall of 2015. Born in the Dryhead portion of the range, I was fortunate to be able to see him many times. His coat was an apricot, dun, roan, and his missing half-ear and white ring on his neck (in later years), made him easy to identify. I am sorry I did not get to spend more time with him, but feel lucky have known him.
4. Merlin, born in 1997, son of Guinvere and Lancelot. He was a beautiful Grullo stallion, living in the Dryhead, and produced some of the finest examples of the Pryor Herd known. I was particular fond of him because he is the sire of my Valerosa, who I adopted in 2009. (Valerosa is now living with my good friend Jeanne).
Merlin survived many wounds, and turned up a few times when some of us thought he may be gone. A couple of these photos are from Laura Curtis. Laura really loved Merlin, and I felt she took some of the best photos of him I have seen. Thank you Laura for letting me use these.
5. Sitting Bull, born in 1996 to Guinvere and Lancelot. I believe he was last seen in the spring of 2016. Sitting Bull was once discribed to me as one of the wildest stallions in the Pryors, and he most certainly lived up to that discription. He lived in the Dryhead and kept out of sight for most of his life. He prefered to live with his band, in the lower Sykes area, away from most people and other horses. Every time I saw him, I considered it a rare gift, and felt very privileged with each sighting.
6. Quest, born in the spring of 2016, son of Hataali and Morning Star, he did not live very long. Cause of death was never known. The photo below was taken by NPS Bill Picket.
7. Quietstorm, daughter of Firestorm and Doc. Born in the early morning of July 14, 2016, right near my campsite. This little one was discovered by my friend Liz, shortly after I left to head down the mountain. She was a beautiful little filly and very much loved by her band, especially her brother Okomi. She disapeared in late September, cause of death is unknown. The beautiful photos below were taken by Anh, I thought they captured her personality beautifully.
8. Quicksilver, son of Audubon and Hamlet, born in mid September, 2016, he disappeared in late September, early October 2016. Cause of death is unknown. The below photo was taken by Jack Sterling.
9. Winnemucca, born in 1987, daughter of Black Star and Konik. Winnemucca lived to the age of 29, and with that, became the oldest every known Pryor Horse to survive on the range. She died the end mid-end of September, 2016. You can read more about her in the post I did on her this past spring. Click on Winnemucca to read it. She was an amazing mare, and will be very missed.
There is one last horse that I am going to list here. It is a bit early to really make a call on him, but I am publishing these photos in hopes that it will bring attention to him, and perhaps someone will go up on the mountain and see him and let us all know. He was last seen in early-mid September. Fiesta, born in 2005, son of Phoenix and Teton. He has been with the stallion Horizon for years. Early on as two bachelors, and then in the past several years, he has acted as a very devoted Sattelite Stallion.
He was the big protector, the one who would step up and fight to protect his little band from whatever and whom ever he saw as a threat. It is very unusual and odd that he is not with them, and I am worried. I hope and pray he shows up soon and gives us all some peace. I love this horse, I can’t imagine the mountain without him. Fiesta has made me smile and laugh so many times, I can’t begin to count them. If anyone spots him, please let me know.
This year has been a year of loss. I believe this is the largest loss of horses since the winter of 2010-2011, when 15 horses died. Next year we will have new life once again to the mountain, the birth of the new foals will help ease the pain of the ones that will no longer be there. But these horses and the others that have pasted before them, will not be forgot, their spirits will continue to live on in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Rest in Peace dear wild ones, I am sure you are looking down and protecting the ones that you love.
Sandy
Wild in the Pryors 2016 Calendars are ready to purchase! They are printed on premium glossy card stock. The price is 23.00 each, including shipping within the United States. For out of country orders, please contact me for additional shipping price.
You can order by emailing Sandy at: wildinthepryors@aol.com or by calling or texting your order to: 406-360-8959. Payment can be made by PayPal or check.
Below are the photos for the months of this calendar.
Thank you!
Sandy
I am just taking a few minutes to share a quick post about my trip up the Dryhead, early last Friday morning. Probably the most interesting thing that I saw was Fools Crow band and Hidalgo band hanging out with each other.
We saw the Greeters immediately as we entered the range, with their new band members, Kitalpha, Nova and Prima. But as we were exiting the range, I spotted the three newest members off by themself, about 3 miles from the entrance. It seems Kitalpha has not lost her independance and continues to go off on her own at times. I pray that they do not remove her daughter and granddaughter on the next schedule removal.
Sandy
Pryor Foal number 15 was born yesterday to the mare Moenkopi and the stallion Cappuccino.
Moenkopi is the 2012 daughter of Galena and Jackson. Cappuccino is the 2002 son of Rosarita and Starbuck.
I saw this band the afternoon of July 12th. Moenkopi looked to be bagging up at that time. I just had a feeling it may be that night. As luck would have it, we discovered them late in the afternoon of July 13, 2014. Blanca was busy keeping everyone away from Moenkopi, including Cappuccino.
We were able to locate this band again this morning in a remote area of the mountain, away from all the other bands. It was then that we were able to confirm that Moenkopi’s foal is a colt. Both look to be doing well and Cappuccino was allowed back into the band.
Following in the tradition of the meaning of Moenkopi and Galena, which are rocks and/or minerals. My group and I decided we would name the foal Obsidian. Which is a black volcanic rock. Even though he is not black, it seemed fitting, as this rock is found on the Pryor Mountains. Obsidian is also called an Iceland Agate, making this even more fitting, as one of my guests came all the way from Iceland to see the Pryor Horses.
Sandy
Pryor Foal # 8 was discovered yesterday.( by the PMWMC and others). This discovery also brought some other good news that Cloud had also been found. His mares Feldspar (who has the new foal) and Inocentes were back with him too. Still missing from the band are Mica (who has been seen) and Nimbus (who is still with some bachelors).
Foal # 8, born to Feldspar and Cloud. A colt. Name: Ohanzee
Feldspar is the 2005 daughter of Rosarita and Starman, Cloud is the 1995 son of Phoenix and Raven.
Thank you Nancy for sharing this news!
Sandy
My friend Liz and I left Potomac, Montana at 6 am Friday morning. It was a beautiful day and by 2:00 pm, we were heading up Burnt Timber Road.
This would be my UTV, Ophelia’s second trip up the mountain. My latest routine when I start up the mountain is to get far enough up to be able to scan the vast range below me, trying to locate where there may be horses.
As I parked in my favorite place to do this, I looked up the hill and saw a horse. Quickly getting my binoculars, I realized it was Chino and took a quick couple photos of him before he headed over the ridge.
It was good to see him. I had not seen him since last summer and wondered if he had made it through this tough winter. Chino was born in 1993 and will be 21 years old this year. I felt lucky to spot him. I hoped I would see him up close later, and my wish would come true a few days later.
The horses can be hard to spot this time of year. I have found that if I go with no expectations, I feel lucky with each and every horse I see. And contrary to what some people think, I do not go “hunting” for new foals. Each and every one that I have been blessed to discover have just appeared before me and I feel honored and blessed if I am able to spot one. But my trips to the Pryors are much deeper than that. I go to see any and all horses, not just some, not just new foals. Every minute I spend on the mountain is a gift to me and I come home with a renewed soul.
Scanning down towards the water guzzlers, I spotted several horses below. We decided to head back down the road and hike back to that area.
I really enjoy hiking in this area. There a several horse paths to follow and we quickly came upon Mescalero’s band. Over the last couple months, Mescalero has acquired a few more band members. Half Moon and Missoula from Teton’s band and Broken Bow from Doc’s band. They all looked pretty good. Some thinner than others, but hopefully it won’t be long before they are able to put some weight back on.
From there we decided to hike over to the mineral lick. As I turned the first corner, I saw Doc and Demure. Demure’s colt, Mandan (born in May 2012) was not with them. I tried not to worry. Perhaps Doc had kicked him out and he was on his own.
Demure looked very pregnant. I remembered that Shawn had discovered Demure’s filly Naive (who died) at the end of May last year. Although Demure looked about to foal, I think she may have another week or so. I hope this foal is healthy and survives. Mandan is Demure’s only living offspring on the range. I saw the mark of the PZP dart on her right hip, and knew this year would be the last year that she would be able to foal.
They were making their way to the water guzzler and we continued down the path to the mineral lick.
It was then that I looked up and saw Cloud’s band. They seemed to be moving quickly. It wasn’t long before I discovered why. Santa Fe was now dogging this band. Cloud looked thinner than I have ever seen him look. I wondered how long Santa Fe had been dogging this band.
Cloud hung back to watch Santa Fe, while the rest of his band seemed unaffected and raced to the mineral lick.
We hiked closer to the mineral lick and saw some more horses already there. It was Gringo’s band along with Tecumseh, the former band stallion of this band. Tecumseh lost this band to Gringo in June 2012. He has not given up since that day, constantly following them. He has the battle scars to prove his determination. But today, they seemed to have worked out a new deal. Things were calm and Tecumseh and Galadrial stood close to each other, with this action not causing Gringo to show any sign of anger. I hoped for Tecumseh’s sake that they had reached a more peaceful deal. After almost 2 years, he needed a break. Tecumseh’s weight looked better than when I had last seen him, so I hoped that I was right.
It did not take long for Cloud’s band to realize that someone was where they wanted to be. They quickly came to a stop, trying to decide what to do.
Cloud had chased Santa Fe and he then came down and told his band to keep moving. They were out of sight in just a few seconds.
We stayed and watched Gringo’s band until they decided to leave. There was one member of this band that was missing. Jacinta. I wondered where she was and if she was okay. Was she off having a foal?
We waited a few minutes and then followed the same path. It would take us back towards the water guzzler where we would spot Cloud and Santa Fe again.
We decided to hike back to Ophelia and head back up the road to see who else we might spot. We were quickly rewarded, spotting Cappuccino and his band by the next water guzzler. Another member of this band was missing. McKeahnie. Had Cappuccino kicked him out too?
This band was uneasy with us there, and so we decided to leave them alone and continue back up the road.
Nearing the place where we had spent hours with Jackson and his band in February, we spotted Galaxy and his band. Ireland and Galaxy were enjoying some snow to quench their thrist. Again, except for Ireland and Galaxy, the rest of the band was very jumpy. I spotted the mark of the PZP dart on Maia. Her first year to be treated with the birth control drug. It looked like she was having a mild reaction to it. I was not able to get close enough to take a good photo of it, but I would have the opportunity to do it another day.
I am going to make a couple of guesses here. I believe Maia may be pregnant and I also believe that Hera is not.
Galaxy seemed to become irritated with our presence. It was getting late now, so we decided to turn around and head back down the mountain for the night. By the time we reached the truck at the bottom of Burnt Timber, it was almost 7:30. I love these long days.
We were looking forward to the next day when our friend Anh would be joining us. It had been a great first afternoon of our trip. The weather did not look too promising for the next few days, but I have learned to take each day as it comes, many times the weather changes. No need to worry about that now.
Sandy
I received a message from Nancy (PMWMC) today telling me about the third foal to be born in the Pryors this year.
This foal was a bit of surprise, as she was born to an older mare. But in my opinion there are not many Pryor mares as special as she. It is Sacajewa, one of the most important and oldest blood lines on the mountain and also the mother of my adopted filly, Valerosa, whom I adopted in 2009.
Sacajewa gives birth to some of the most stripped up horses in the Pryors (and I am honored to own one!) I am happy to see she has given us yet another beautiful foal. I am listing the father of this foal as unknown, since Sacajewa has switched stallions several times over the last several years.
Meet Oregon, a filly, discovered today by PMWMC board member Diane. Thank you Diane for sharing with us this special discovery and thank you Nancy for letting me know!
Sacajewa is the daughter of 1996 daughter of Calamity and Three Bars. Currently they are in Fiero’s band (also her son).
Sandy
According to the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center and TCF, Ginger has discovered the first known foal to be born on the mountain for 2014. I had a feeling Waif would be one of the first to foal this year based on how large Norte was when I found him the end of April last year.
Waif and Corona had a colt. Ginger has named him Orion.
Waif, born in 1997 is the daughter of Twiggy and Cortez. Corona, born in 1997 is the son of Sorita and Sam.
