Cimmaron's Band

Quite a few folks have reported seeing Cimmaron and his small band of wild horses. I get lucky and see them too.

His three old filly, Spice, has had a new colt! We call him Paprika. He is extra cute with his little dished face. Spice is out of the grulla pinto mare, Sugar. She was born into Centauro's band, but got separated from her mom as a yearling and ended up with the handsome Cimmaron sometime around the  spring of 2011.

Cimmaron also has Mango who is Mingo and Picasso's 2 year old daughter. She looks great ads settled with her new band. In betweeen her family band and Cimmaron she was briefly with Vegas. I love this little filly. I met her as a new born atop 7 mile ridge. She is a friendly mustang.

The band stallion has the most amazing mane!

That's Pepe (sorry, not a real flattering photo). Spice had him last year when she was only 2! This is unusual, but not unheard of.  I think of her as "The Teenage Mom" . She seems to get a long fine, especially with Cimmaron looking out for her and his family.

Off they go!

Vegas's Band

I drive for miles and miles and finally spot a little orange horse in the distance. It's Mango! Picasso and Mingo's yearling filly. She is at first with a grey, but the  grey quickly disappears into a dip.

Soon the mustangs get curious and come to investigate.  I am pleasantly surprised to see it is Vegas, the big bay, and his band. I have a special fondness for Vegas....I am pretty sure he is the sire of my adopted 3 yr old mustang, Odakota.

They get even more curious and come to do a "trot by". This is one of the  the favorite things  that wild horses do. They approach me! I have the best luck at this if I am alone.

This was thrilling...They seemed to pose for a family portrait! It took them awhile to all get lined up, but once they did I really enjoyed snapping photos of them. These are my favorite kinds of shots...wild horse family portraits!

So Vegas ends up with Picasso's babies...who would ever have thought? I think Mango is safe here. Mango and her half brother, PJ.

The stand out pinto colt..PJ.!  PJ  and his dam were with Picasso when he was born late last summer. We found him with and his mom, Olga, with Vegas this spring. So I do not know who this mother/son  pair wintered with.

PJ and his dam, Olga. Olga had been with Picasso since the spring of 2010 ( as far as I know). She has a 2 yr old son, Snip, which she raised with Picasso's band(pure black),  He is now running around with the bachelors. PJ is huge! He is just over a year old here.

See what I mean?

Vegas with the Picasso babies. Picasso is getting old. I think nature shuffles these around they they will have a better chance of survival. It takes a good, strong band to get the mustangs through the brutal Colorado winters. I am glad Picasso still has his two loyal mares with him.

This little grey mare is not so used to people. I am almost sure she is a 2 year old from Cherokee's band, but can't confirm, as I rarely see  Cherokee. The foal is colt we call Morgan, he is going through his molt and we can see he will be a grey! Such a cute little guy! The foals of the few 2 yr old fillies that had babies (not many) are kinda small....they have a little different look.

The encounter does not last long and the wild horses are on there way, led by the bay lead mare, Olga.

Well, I sure am glad I found Mango. She is one of only a few yearling fillies who have left their families. The other three I know of are Madeleine, Chikala and Destiny. It will be interesting to see how they all do.

Picasso's Band

Lucky, lucky me! Look who I see on this fine day....the Icon, Picasso, and his small family band. They were just wondering around. They all looked great, fat and sleek.
Here is Picasso's petite yearling daughter, Mango. She is quite tolerant of people. She has been a strong, healthy filly from the start. Her dam, Mingo, is the one that had the foal that passed this spring...
Look at Monet! She has dappled out signaling signs of good health. The range has been good to her. I think it is because she is with such an experienced stallion....Picasso was aged at around 20 during the 2008 round up.
Looking good the old boy. He is really something special. We must make sure he can live his life out here free on the range.
Pleeeeaaassseee save my home!
This is a sight to see, but you must pay your dues in order to get a glimpse into these secretive horses' lives...They are not called wild for nothing!
The march goes on...This was a great encounter with an American Icon.