Picasso's Band

The Icon of SWB....Picasso. He really is a work of art!

Mingo should have her foal any day now...I have been saying this for about a month! Can't wait....last year she lost her foal. We think it was a lethal white, but before that she had two healthy ones...Tango and Mango. This could be the last Picasso foal. he was aged at about 20 at the 2008 gather, although these are just guesses.

Monet

Picasso pushes his two mares toward the water hole.Tthese wild horses go back and forth, traveling great distances to get a drink. Picasso travels slowly as his mustang mare, Mingo, is very pregnant and his domestic is lame. Picasso himself looks wonderful!

Monet's Sombrero brand. She has been in here since 2010 and it is starting to show. Her left front foot is crooked and is now making her lame. She does not look happy. SWB is no place for a domestic mare. We now have 5 with the addition of the 3 Sombrero mares who are with Thunder. The 5th is Demi, the pinto with Haze.

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.

Prince and Picasso's Bands

Well, it is confirmed...Prince, the elegant white stallion, got his chestnut mares back along with their 2 year old daughters. Last week I caught a glimpse of them sneaking across the desert, then I saw Rounder without them. It took Prince all summer, but he has his girls back. It is great to see.

 This was one of the first bands I saw when I began observing the herd the autumn of 2009. They were just like this with the fillies being little weanlings. Then Prince added the ghost pinto, Mystic, and her newborn daughter, Madeleine spring of 2010 (they came from Lightning's band). He came out of winter with his band intact, but all hell broke loose (I have no idea what happened), but  Rounder ended up with Sunshine and Blazer got Mystic and Moonlight, the other mare. Prince ended up alone... Then Moonlight found her way back to Sunshine and joined Rounder's band. Just recently Prince got them back...So now things are how they started. The dynamics out here are complex and fascinating.

I hiked over a mile to get these shots. I really wanted to see Prince back with his mares. He did not look so good when he was alone. To me he is an old friend.

This is the grey 2 year old filly. She was the one that was with Blazer, then ended up joining Rounder. They never seemed to mix in Rounder's band. Rounder's mares never seemed to accept them.

I call them "the twin chestnut mares"...Sunshine and Moonlight. Named after Steamboat ski runs. I really think they are sisters. They have not had foals since 2009.

The other two year old filly, Oda. She really takes after her mom in the good looks and color departments. She is best friends with Dusty, that is for sure! Such mama's girls. I wonder how long they will stay with their dams? The mother/daughter relationships are some of the strongest out here.

So I'm looking at Prince and his family and look who appears? Picasso! He looks great and seems to be chasing Prince's band. Does he have his eye on Dusty and Oda? I was worried about the Icon as a fellow photographer had shots of a banged up knee, probably from when Vegas stole his yearling daughter, but on this day he was 100% sound and "feeling his oats"!

Picasso's loyal mares...Mingo and Monet.

Picasso's band.....a band with no youngsters.

A fine looking pair!

While I was watching Prince and Picasso, Greasewood came from a mile away to say hi. I could see his mare Yarrow through my binoculars and I saw her run! This is good news...the little mare has been very lame for most of the summer, but I saw her leading her band. More proof how tough these mustangs are!

It was well worth the hike to see this beautiful band of mustangs reunited with each other. And seeing Picasso was a bonus!

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.