Bachelor Stallions Plus Cinder

Today I see this wonderful group of wild horses. They are all bachelor stallions except the little dark grey one. I am almost certain that is Cinder. She is only an yearling and I am wondering why she is not with her family band (Prancer's). This has happened to yearling fillies before, but it is unusual. She has a slight limp.

The stud colt leading the way is Falcon from Eagle's band (The Bird Herd). He is a 2 year old and this is the first time I have seen him with bachelors. His mom, Lark, recently had her 2012 filly, Robin, and Eagle must have told him it was time to fly.

This handsome pinto is the son of Picasso and Mingo. We call him Tango. it has been a long time since I have seen him. He is now a three year old and is really blooming. He seems to be in charge of Cinder, but is scrapping with Hawk over her.

Cinder....her mom is Josie who was last seen with Prancer. White Out is the most likely sire of this greying out filly. I am only 90% sure this is her. I'd have to see Prancer's band to confirm, but the stars match up in older photos of her.

Look at those perfect hooves! This is Hawk. He is a three year old from Centauro's band. Reyna is his dam.

The mustangs go to Sheepherder Springs for a drink.....

The catch pond is empty. We are in severe draught.

Our BLM installed this solar panel pump which is filling this old trough. I have never seen horses drinking from it, but other folks have.

These four do not drink. They move on to the next water hole....Here you can seee how dry it is.

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!

Bachelor Stallions

I wanted to show you a few of our wonderful bachelor stallions. Here are L to R....Hoot, Tango and Nick. I can't confirm, but I am almost sure Hoot is from Eagle's band. Tango is one of Picasso's 2 yr old colts and Nick, the palomino, is a mystery.

Usually if I see a group of bachelors there is an older stallion amongst the younger ones. This is Haze. He was with Lightning's band in 2009/2010 then has been on his own since. Last year he hung out with Hurricane. Earlier this year he stole Kangee, the black mare from Tashunka's band, right after she gave birth to Ladore, her 2011 filly. But that did not last long as Kangee found her way back to her band stallion. Look for this stallion to have mares of his own in the near future. For now he shows the young colts the ways of a wild horse.

Hazre has one blue eye.

This is Picasso's other 2 year old colt, Snip. He is Olga's son. He struck out on his own late last fall after his brother, PJ, was born.

The mustang in the foreground is Flash. He is Pablina's and Lightning's 2 yr old. He knows Haze well as Haze was his satellite stallion when he was a born into Lightning's band.

Hoot and Tango, beautiful pinto colts.

Tango, a Picasso baby. Hard to mistake him as he has those freckles that set him apart.

Here is yet another 2 year old that was with this group. This is Ziggy. He is from Bug's band. There are many 2 year olds out here because they were all born in 2009 after the Oct 2008 round up. Round ups cause the mustangs to breed more.

This is another day, another band of bachelor stallions. Hurricane(dun), River(grey), Capitano(bay) and Skip(palomino).

All of these colts are 2 year olds except for the solid dun, Hurricane. The bay is Capitano from Centauro's band. The grey is River from White Out's and Skip, the palomino, is from Bug's band.

This is KIowa. He is an older stallion really trying to find some mares of his own. He has been babysitting River and Capitano all summer, but on this day was on his own challenging Corona, Greasewood and Rounder. He is strong and fit. It would be nice to have another breeding pinto out here.

Challenging Rounder.

Greasewood says "Stay away from my mares!"

Greasewood proves he is dominant and escorts Kiowa away from his mares in the rain.

Solaris

Here comes Solaris and band to the water hole.

Solaris is a bay. He had a larger band last year, but still has two faithful mares and their young with him.

The grey mare we call Frosty. She has a yearling roan filly (Flare) and a new 2011 foal. The other mare is the bay who has a two year old daughter. They are called Sedona and Mesa. Real look  alikes. Here they are watering at Sheepherder Springs. Some of the mustangs' favorite water hole.

Frosty sees me and is very alert. She is not sure about humans.

Solaris

The new foal. He is a colt we ID'd as Satin.

It is so hard to tell the bays apart in this band. We will have to work on it so we make sure if there is a gather it is more humane.

I posted this so we could see the white on their legs. I think that is the 2 yr old, Sedona, looking at the camera.

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?