This is one of the more elusive bands and when they see you they usually take off like they were fired out of a cannon! I was very lucky that they decided to stick around and let me sit (at a far distance, thank goodness for a zoom lens) with them for almost 20 minutes…..and I left first. Beautiful band with a new foal. Crockett is the stallion, Sahara is the mare and Spice is the foal.
This band seems to be in the same area most all of the time. I have seen them (on the game cameras) at one of the water sources, but most of the time they are in the field that we have named Mocha’s Field. Seemed appropriate. Maybe he stays there so much because he is missing his left eye and is just more comfortable in a known area. No clue when or how he lost his eye, but I did look back and he has not had it since he was a young bachelor stallion. It does not seem to affect him though. He does have a satellite stallion in the band now that helps out. Quincy has been in the band since he was a baby and has just never left.
Poco is one of those slowly graying horses. He was born a cute little black colt with a blaze, two rear socks, a left front sock and a right front pastern. All of those markings will disappear as he gets lighter and lighter. He was born in 2010 and still has a bit of black……. and those lovely dapples. A very handsome boy and also very popular.
Here is where we stand right now. Fifty-five (55) horses were removed from the range last year due to extreme drought. Beyond happy to report that ALL fifty-five (55) were successfully adopted!
We lost one foal last fall and two stallions over the winter. Another stallion was just recently euthanized due to severe injury. We currently have five (5) new foals. All the horses, except one older mare, look good coming off of winter, and this new spring grass should make them look even better.
The weather has been crazy lately. We have returned to early winter-like conditions. We have had a lot of moisture this spring, so were late in reaching the upper ranges. Oh, also had a big boulder in the road that we could not get around either. That has been remedied, but the weather has not allowed us to get in recently. Hopefully, that will change soon. Always welcome the moisture, but it would be nice to spread it out a bit instead of hitting all at once!
Our fertility control program is underway and we have several huge range projects in the works. Looks to be a productive year.
Below are a few horses from this spring. Looking good
Every so often we try to introduce “new blood” to the range to help with genetic diversity. Tonkawa is one of our “introduced” mares. She came to us from a gather in Wyoming. Little did we know that we got a two for one deal. She was pregnant when she arrived and so her foal, Tundra, was born here. I think we got a pretty good deal with these two.
Tonkawa
Tundra
Traveler is a rarity among wild horses….at least here in Colorado. It seems that Appaloosa horses are few and far between. We are lucky to have him here. A very handsome fellow and always a pleasure to visit with.
Roans are interesting horses. Their color varies from summer to winter. Below are two different roans, a blue or black roan (Azure) and a red or bay roan (Sonoma).
Azure in his summer coat
Azure in his winter coat
Sonoma in her summer coat
Sonoma in her winter coat
Sometimes it takes a bit to recognize who these horses are!
