Femur's Band (Feat Wanda)

Lucky, lucky me... I get to see the new filly in Femur's band! She is a beautiful little dun that is all legs! We have named her Wanda after Wanda Walker, a local Brown's park legend who recently died.

The most likely sire of this little girl is Voodoo, but one can ever know for sure. Yellow Cat has not has a foal since the 2008 gather. She was with Femur the year after the gather, but soon left him. She spent over a year with Blazer and wintered with Voodoo and Streaker. She came back to Femur a couple of months ago.

It is unusual for a foal to be born so late on the Range, but not unheard of. Last year we had a colt (Kanoa) born in October, who is a healthy yearling this year.

There is Wanda with the other 2012 foal in her band, the grulla, Sunka Wakan. He was born about two months before Wanda. It is nice to see a band with more then one foal, that is somewhat unusual out at Sand Wash.

Sunka Wakan's dam, Kinstry, is only two years old! I remember when she was this small. Her dam is Zephyr and Jet is her sire. When Jet's band broke up spring of 2011 Kinstry, as  a yearling, ended up with Femur... without her dam.

The crabby (jealous?) grey is also a two year old out of Jet's band, Nimbus. Her dam is Sunspot who is now with Centauro. I am glad Yellow Band has joined Femur to help out these young fillies (Kinstry & Nimbus) who were orphaned at such a young age.
 

Look who is leading the way! It is nice to see the wild horses looking so great even though Northwest Colorado is in severe drought.  

Femur's Band (FEAT Sunka Wakan)

Finally I get to see Femur's band with the little primitive looking colt, Sunka Wakan. I also see the big dun mare, Yellow Cat, has joined this band. When I first started observing this herd in 2009 Yellow Cat was with Femur. Since the she has been with Blazer and Voodoo.

Sunka's dam is Kinstry. She is a 2 year old filly from Jet and Zephyr. She got separated from her family band spring 2011 and ended up with Femur.

Shy Guy

Isn't he something? I just love those stripes on the legs!

Maybe this is the year for Yellow Cat to have a foal? I am so glad she came back to Femur. I think her experience will be good for this band.



It sure is nice to Femur (right) looking so content with his small family. He had been a bachelor stallion on and off post 2008 round up, up to last spring when he got most of Jet's band. The two new Jet foals, Doc and Watson, are most likely sired by this handsome bay stallion. The little grey filly on the left is another Jet 2 year old, Nimbus.

Femur's Band

I had not seen Femur since last fall, but had heard he had lost his pinto mares and his three, 3 year old filies, but had kept the 2 year old fillies. These fillies came from Jet's band. Jet's band splintered spring of 2011 and Femur ended up with most of his mares and all of his youngsters.

Named for the shape of his stripe by The HSUS. Femur is a layed back stallion and is quite tolerant of people. He is usually in one general area year round. He has had mares come and go. At one time he had Yellow Cat and Vogue. He has also been alone. He does not seem to mingle with other stallions. For now he is raising these two beautiful fillies.

I had Nimbus ID'd as a colt, but she is a filly. Her mom is Sun Spot. Sun Spot is currently with Centauro. She left Nimbus as a yearling. Nimbus is refined as her sire, Jet.

This filly ID'd as Kinstry is exotic. She has stripes down her legs and other primitive markings. Her dam is Zephyr, who is a grulla. This filly also got separated from her mom at a young age. The pinto mares helped raise her then somehow ended up back with Jet. The pinto mares never settled with Femur and it is nice to see them back with The Black (Jet).

This photo does not due her justice. She has a prominent dorsal stripe and little black marks above her eyes.

Nimbus is a very feminine filly. Femur seems to be looking after her and her half sister well.

Femurs Band (feat Jet's Babies)

I see Femur's band quite often. The bay stallion has had them near the entrance, often near the road where they are easy to observe. Pictured is the entire band minus Femur.

Femur acquired this harem from Jet this spring. I have no idea how this happened. Femur is more tolerant of people then Jet is so it is nice we are able to get a close up view of Jet's beautiful foals.

This is a two year old filly we call Makani. Either Zephyr or Sunspot is her dam (I'd have to look that up). Anyway whoever the dam is she left Makani here with Femur.

This is Zephyr's yearling filly, Kinstry. She is turning into a grulla like her mom. It is unusual for a mare to leave her yearling daughter, but there is always an exception to the rule here. Zephyr found her way back to the black, Jet, and has had a new foal.

This is Scenic. I think of her as an auntie mare. She had a black baby of her own in 2009, but it vanished. She has not had another foal since, but she looks after the other youngster's that Jet left behind.

This filly is the only one in this band that is with their dam. It shows, she is a long two year old but was nursing earlier this summer! Her dam has not had another foal since this one (Dazzle). They are attached at the hip.

Gypsy...I am pretty sure this is Zephyr's 2 yr old filly she left behind. Once again, I'd have to go back and search my records.

I was glad to see little Nimbus, I had seen a yearling that looked like him, turns out he looks a lot like Diego from Rounder's band. This confirms who I saw earlier with bachelors was Diego. The greys are hard to ID.

I can spot this band a mile away by Razzle's swirl, no mistaking this mare.

The stallion, Femur. When I first met him he had Yellow Cat and Vogue plus Vogue's filly, Gem. Then he was a lonely ole bachelor stallion. Now he has this entire band! I don't know if the mares have really accepted him. They just don't "blend" like some other bands. Do they pine for Jet?

Femur is quite friendly towards humans. He usually comes up to have a sniff. So different then Jet who would snort and prance! I love them both.

Everyone in this colorful band looks good going into winter. They will have to be in top shape to make it through the long and brutal Colorado winter.