Picasso's Band

I caught a brief glimpse of Picassso and his two loyal mares, Monet and Mingo. Right away I can see Mingo (pinto) is pregnant. Last year she lost her newborn foal. I am hoping this year she has one that looks just like the magnificent Picasso!

Picasso looks great! He was feisty and busy chasing away some pesky 3 yr old colts.

Flash, Ziggy and Snip. Snip (black) is Picasso's son.

There is his buckskin mare, Monet. She carries the Sombrero brand. She is one of two domestic mares that intrgated into this herd...not just any mare could do that, the conditions are extreme out here and the wild horses depend on each other for their survival.

He was aged at 20 at the last round up (2008). The HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) was at the gather and has the approximate ages of many of the horses, but will not reveal that information...why??

These guys were on the move. It had been a long time since I had seen our beautiful Icon...I feel truly blessed I saw him on this day.

Blue, Destiny and Friends

Here is a photo of Blue and Destiny. Blue is the hansome stallion and Destiny is the little medicine hat filly from Viggo's band. She is a yearling who somehow got seperated from her family last spring. At first she was with a group of youn bachelor stallions, but then Blue came along and has really claimed her as his own. He is very possevive of her and will fight hard to keep other stallions away.

On this day he had a large possee of young colts (mostly 2 year olds) that are not a threat to him. He even lets some of them interact with his filly. This was quite a sight. I am never ceased to be amazed how colorful these mustangs are. This was such a handsome group...I will try to explain who they are..

Blue on the right with two, two year old colts, Ziggy and Snip. Ziggy is from Bugs band (dam is Rita) and Snip, the black, is a Picasso baby. His dam is Olga, who is now with Vegas.

These colorful pinto are both 2 year old colts. Tango and Flash. Tango, on the left, is from Picasso and Mingo and Flash is Pablina's son, the most likely sire is Lightning. Aren't they gorgeous?

The palomino, Nick, is a bit of a mystery. I do not know what band he came from. He might be a 3 year old, but can't confirm. If he is a three year old he was not rounded up in 2008 as all weanlings were removed from the herd. Anyway, Nick is a nice mustang who is very social. He is usually with a large group of "boys".

Close up of Nick.

Blue stands out with his wonderful coloring. A blue roan at its finest! Destiny is safe with this guy.

The grey is Tonka, who was near by and came to have a word with Blue....nothing became of it. Tonka is a band stallion with a good size harem.

Picasso's 2 year old colts, Tango and Snip. It is nice to see them together. They are best of friends and half brothers.

Blue comes to get a closer look at me.

Miss Destiny otherwise known as "Miss America".

She has half a bonnet and a very nice shield. I don't know if she is a true medicine hat, but she sure is special.

Off they go!

All of these wild horses looked great and this was a really fun encounter!

West Side Bachelor Stallions

Bachelor stallions!

Some of the beautiful pintos that call Sand Wash Basin home.

Nick and Flash were really buddied up on this day. Here they pose with the big bay, Thunder.

Hoot! the HSUS told me he is Eagle's 2009 colt, but then where does Sparrow fit in? Personally I think Sparrow was orphaned.

It's really good to see Kokomo hanging out with other stallions. He was alone a lot last summer and was on again, off again lame. He seemed to be in charge here and best friends with Hoot.

This is Flash. He just got kicked out of Rounder's band this spring when his new sister, Luziano was born. He is the son of Lightning and Pablina. I first met him in the fall of 2009. He was just a scruffy little guy, my has he bloomed! Good to see him with the Boyz.

Ranger

Tango, this is Picasso's and Mingo's 2009 colt. He left his band last summer.

Thunder

This was a seperate encounter...This is Hurricane. You can tell him from the other duns because he has no white, Last summer he was with Haze. At first I thought the sorrel with him was his old buddy, but it is Ziggy, the 2 yr old colt out of Bug's band that just left. It was just the two of them on this day. I can't confirm, but I think he is a three year old that did not get rounded up in 2008.

Ziggy, he looks a lot like my adopted boy with the big wrap around blaze. This guy is a character. I  had fun watching him play with his palo brother, Skip, last summer. they were rowdy yearlings. Then their mom's each had a palomino colt, Butch and Sundance. Just the greatest group of wild horses!

Leaving the water hole...going somewhere. What a fun encounter this was! Love these colorful stallions!

Mr Independent, Ranger. He was the only one that split off from the group. I think of him as the Hildago of The Basin. He is a real ham this one.

It was so good to see Kokomo, I had not seen up up close this year. he was one of the original horses I followed through the winter of 2010. He was a saellite stallion for Sterling back then who had Crow and her then yearling colt, Star. I am pretty sure he is out of Picasso.

Splashing, drinking and playing at the water hole.

Our palomino, Nick. I recently obtained some information that Nick might be a three year old.....three year olds are rare out here. Every single weanling that was rounded up by helicoper in oct of 2008 was removed. Did Nick evade capture?

Lightning's band

Sand Wash Basin American Mustangs through and through. Lightning's Band.

The little family makes sure that the only foal is safe from harm. I call him Flash. He is a little pinto colt.

Flash.... his mom, Pablina, is the white mare. The bay mare does not have a foal.

The family unit minus Blue Sky and Pablina.

The awesome band stallion, Lightning. This is just amazing to see. He looks so healthy and conditioned...I am in awe!

Lightning and his daughter?  I call her Blue Sky. I am so glad she got spared being rounded up in 2008. She likes to be wild, I know. They seem to thrive in these extreme conditions with no humans interfering.

The one and only, Blue Sky. She has a nice pinto splash, a great big blaze and white eye lashes. A real American Beauty.

She blends in so well! The Sand Wash has so many grey/white ponies. Love it! I call her grey boots. (Later her name was changed to Pablina).

Beauty in motion.

Lightning takes care of his family. He is wary of me .... the way they move through the snow is incredible.

I think she is a 2 year old, one blue eye one brown, stunning little filly. One of the few young females I have seen. The mustangs must have gotten all mixed up when they were rounded up. No thought was given to bands. The mares were put in one area and the stallions in another. Every single weanling (2008 foal) was removed. We can do better. Seems like the system needs to be changed.

These two got separated from the herd, major drama. They like to stick together, that is for sure! The chestnut is a stallion.

Family portrait minus two horses.

Finding plenty to eat, looking very healthy for the middle of winter.

I call this chestnut beauty, Haze. He is like Blue Sky, one brown eye, one blue. He is a wild thang! This is a satellite stallion.

Little Flash, the lone 2009 foal, he is special.

Here is Lightning showing off his unusual facial markings.

These pictures are from back in November. I met this handsome stallion and his lovely harem near Two Bar Spring. His pinto markings are so much like Benson's, but they look nothing alike! He has 2 of the whitest mares I've ever seen. One of the foals looks a lot like Lightning, but is sorrel. I call him  Flash. This is a very stunning looking family of horses. I have a video posted of this group earlier on this blog. Also try Micahflash channel on You Tube for this and a few more videos of Sand Wash Mustangs.