Blue's Band

Lucky me! The first band I see is Blue's. I heard he had a spectacular pinto filly we call Sapphire. There she is on the left! A real jewel! The black is her sis, Serendipity, and the pinto is her dam, Destiny. Destiny is a young mom, I believe she is only 4 now. Both of her parents are dead. .. Kira and Viggo. Little Sapphire carries on their legacy, she is something to see in this high desert.

I'll never forget the time Carol and I , with the help of a few bachelor stallions, helped Destiny and her filly friend get back into The HMA from the wrong side of the fence. Also I saw her as a newborn , seemed like we waited forever for her to be born ... it is fun to be out here with these memories. The wild horses have become so much of my life. I just love them!

I am so pleased to see all the mustangs looking so healthy.

This guy was real vivacious!

Drifter

She is a looker and seems to know it! I hope she makes it past her first year when a little foal is so vulnerable.

Sapphire

Serendipity and band stallion, Blue.

Brothers. The yearling on the left is Midnight Blue, a yearling out of the other mare in this band, Ohyehee.

He is going to look  a lot like Blue!

Unflattering, but an ID photo of Ohyehee another mare who got separated from her family band at an early age. Not shown is her thin stripe that is quite distinctive.

Someone has been eating his tail ...

... and I think I know who!

This older white mare showed up last year. We believe it to be Sunspot from Jet, Centauro. It seems like if a band has only young moms an elder will join and help them learn the ways of Sand Wash Basin.  We have only begun to understand wild horse behavior. I hope these wild horses can be left alone so we can observe their natural behavior and how Nature does the selecting. I find it fascinating.

The Save

Well, we were up north driving around looking for Coffee Pot Springs... I know this sounds unbelievable, but after three years of exploring The Basin I could not tell you which hole is Coffee Pot. Anyway we are driving down CR 67 and come upon this scene. It is Destiny and Ohyhee (Blue's fillies) on the wrong side of the fence and a group of bachelor stallions and colts on the other side.

My first thought is where is Blue? Blue is their band stallion. I think it might be the horse on the right, but can't confirm. He looks too little and not roany enough? I know in the winter he turns a solid color... maybe it is him?? My next thought is how could I help? They clearly wanted out!

Destiny (the pinto) is the clear leader of the two , 2 yr old fillies. Blue got her as a yearling. It is very rare for a yearling filly to get separated from her family band at such a young age, but not unheard of. That was back in 2010, the other little bay came from Cobalt's band (dam Mahogany). Blue got her this spring.

I had to come home to ID these stallions but here we have from L to R Shane, Pete (the guy who had the rope around his neck), Renegade, Half Moon and ?? Is it Blue?
These are some horses I had on the MIA list, so good to see Renegade especially (the grulla). It looked like he had been with a foal as his tail was chewed off...
Also good to see the rope is no longer around Pete's neck
One could mistake Shane, the sorrel pinto for Falcon, but he is out of Shiva from Warrior's band (3 yr old colt).

The fillies stay on the fence line, the studs on the road.

Blue (?) and Half Moon, the beautiful red roan who I think is a 3 year old, but could be wrong. He could be older...Look at how good their feet look! That is a trait of an American mustang.

The fillies turn the other way and head towards a gate we have opened for them. They seem to be asking for help. These young horses have seen plenty of people, this helps in a situation like this. They do not panic.

I slowly herd the fillies down the fence line. All of the other horses take off except for Half Moon. He comes charging down the road and sets himself in position to push the fillies. We work together to herd the young mustangs to the opened gate. It seemed like eternity... maybe a quarter of as mile? We keep them at a walk. My biggest fear is they will take off to the right, but they don't. I cross my fingers and hope they will go through the waiting opened gate! I see the gate....When Half Moon hits that spot he runs left and the fillies follow!
I am smiling ear to ear as I close that gate.

I can't tell you how happy I was to see them gallop away, back into the HMA (Herd Management Area)! They are safer here where we can keep track of them and help them if needed (wishes).  

Blue's Band

Look who I bumped into out by Sheepherder Springs the other day...The very handsome stallion, Blue and his two young fillies Destiny and Ohyhee. I had not seen him with Ohyhee, but John had. I am almost certain she is Cobalt's 2 year old out of Mahogany.

The fillies. I am glad they have each other. Destiny ran alone with Blue last summer. For some reason she got separated from her family band (Viggos) as a late yearling.

This filly has a distinctive thin, long stripe.

I love her black tail, little tuft of a dark forelock and one blue eye. She wears the shield of a Medicine Hat.

Blue roans out beautifully.