Tashunka's Band (feat his three 2011 fillies)

I was really glad to see the bay roan, Tashunka, on this day. This was one of the first bands I met in 2009, it has been interesting to see his family grow and shrink..he always has beautiful foals. This year his three mares... each had a filly. This one is Lilka, daughter to Moda, the bay mare missing both ear tips (not shown). Lilka is shown here with her loyal band stallion. It is a beautiful thing to see the stallions interact with their foals.

The primitive look of a Sand Wash Basin Mustang...the grulla mare, Ska Wakan, has it. This is another mustang come back story. After this mare gave birth to Tecomseh, her 2011 filly who was born early this year, she became rail thin and was having a hard time keeping up with her band. But her sisters waited for her and stayed by her side. She now looks great and her new filly looks better too!

Tecomseh, the first born out of the three fillies. I am so glad she is looking so good. When her and her mom her weak Cody took Ska's yearling daughter, Chikala, this is nature's way of keeping the herd strong. It works wonderfully. I believe if we just left this herd alone (maybe do a little bait trapping), nature would take care of the horses and the horses would take care of their land, especially if we enlarge the HMA to the east.

The third filly is a bay we call Ladore. She is the daughter of Kangee, the black mare, who, to my knowledge, has not had a foal since the 2008 round up. When Kangee went off to foal, Haze, a bachelor stallion, got her and little Ladore and was running them around the range. Kangee somehow made it back to Tashunka.

Lilka

The wild horses look good for going into the winter. This filly has an experienced mare to show her the ways and supply her with rich milk.

The mustangs did not want to be bothered and moved off fairly quick. Here I got a back end shot of Nahmana. she is Moda's yearling filly, sister to Lilka. So all horses here accounted for. Ohitika's band used to always be by this band, but they have splintered off, but not before Ohitika took Tashunka's 2 yr old filly Mina and his grey mare, Wi Wakan.

Tashunka's Band

I was pretty excited when I caught a glimpse of Tashunka and band. I decided it was worth the hike to go see them. This band has three beautiful 2011 fillies. In this photo you can not see the black Mare's foal...she is laying down in the grass.

Tashunka, his lead mare, Moda, and her 2010 (Nahmana) and 2011 (Lilka) fillies.

Moda, the bay mare missing both ear tips, has thrown another roan. We call her Lilka.

Earlier this year I really didn't know if Tashunka's grulla mare would make it. She had this filly early on, she looked OK then, but gradually was losing weight and so was her foal. I am glad to report they both look like they are doing better. Ska's yearling filly, Chikala, has recently left this band and is now with Cody. Tashunka's band is shrinking, not growing. He also lost his grey mare. Wi Wakan and Moda's 2 yr old daughter to Ohitika.,

The wild horses decide they have had enough and head on out. That's Nahmana, Moda's yearling filly, looking back at us.

Tashunka waits for the Black Mare's filly to get up.

....she does and off they go!  Kangee (black mare) and Ladore (bay filly)

Tashunka and Ohitika's Bands

Often times the two roan band stallions, Ohitika and Tashunka, are seen hanging out near each other. They have done a bunch of swapping around and Wakan Ska, Tashunk's grulla mare is missing. I'll try to explain...

Ohitika's band front to back...Chippewa (sorrel, his original mare), Chippewa's new filly, Wi Wakan (formely with Tashunka), Mina (Tashunka's 2 yr old filly out of Moda), and the stallion. What color roan is he??

Front to back....Moda, Nahmana (Moda's yearling filly, Kangee (black mare), Chikala (Wi Wakan's yearling filly) and Tecomseh (orphan)

Tashunka

Ohitika

The fillies watching the wise old mare, Moda, have a roll.

While I was watching Tashunka ran to meet up with Willie Nelson and Snip, two near by bachelor stallions. Here he is running back to his band. I love it when the stallions do this. Usually when they are gone the youngsters get curious and approach me to investigate.

Mina, the bay, is Tashunka's and Moda's 2 yr old filly who has clearly moved over to Ohitka's band along with the grey mare. There was another 2 yr old in Tashunka's band last year...Takoda. He is now running with the bachelors. he is a stunning blue roan. I have not seen him lately, but confirmed he had made it through the brutal winter.

This is Tecomseh. I first met her about a month ago when she was a newborn. Her grulla mom, Wakan Ska, was with her. I am sorry to report Ska is missing....she was not with her band, nor Ohitika's on this day. This is the youngest foal I have witnessed being orphaned. We will have to wait and see what happens. For now she is clinging to Chikala, her yearling half sister.

You can tell Chikala by her horizonal star and unique coloring. She is the yearling daughter to the grey, Wi Wakan, who is now with Ohitika. She is a yearling. She was born a good three months ahead of Nahmana last spring. She was an early foal.

Last year Ohitika only had one mare, this sorrel we call Chippewa. She had a 2 yr old filly (Skye) by her side, but the filly is gone replaced by this new one. Isn't she a little beauty? This is the first foal I have seen out at Sand Wash with this coloring.

Ohitika is having a scuffle (nothing became of it except a lot of noise) with Cimmaron, who is near by with his one mare (Spice) and her 2011 colt (Pepe). Doesn't Cimmaron look good this year? Last summer he spent quite a bit of time with Bear, Ellie and Flirt as a satellite stallion.

The black mare, Kangee, joined this band late last summer. She has no youngsters of her own, but makes a nice "auntie" horse for the little orphaned roan filly.

Moda (Little Bear) with her yearling filly, Nahmana.

Tashunka's fillies  L to R Nahmana, Chikala and Tecomseh