June 11 & 12: Changes in the Dryhead (by Nancy)

Spring is definitely upon us with day-to-day changes in weather. For the past month or so, the wild horses in the Dryhead have been solitary stallions. Because of their social nature, it isn’t typical for wild horses to be alone except for stallions, both young and old. Kemmerer, Fiero, Merlin, and Seattle have been spotted grazing on the spring grass of Mustang Flats. Other than the Greeters at Crooked Creek Bay, sightings of bands just wasn’t happening.

Hightail is starting to show her age, but she maintains her position as one of the matriarchs at Crooked Creek Bay

Seneca

On June 12, Hickok, Seneca, and Hightail were grazing on the south side of Crooked Creek Bay. Jesse James has not been with the group for a few days.

Things began to change on Tuesday. At the Center we had received word from visitors of a large band on Mustang Flats. This was an exciting change after so many days without seeing band of horses past Crooked Creek Bay. In addition, to changes on the Dryhead, the Mustang Center has made some changes as well. John Nickle has taken on the post as director. He and his wife, Lynda, have taken the reins to operate the Center along with two high school interns, Sydney and Kassi. Former director, Lori Graham, and last year’s high school intern, Brianna, volunteer their time and expertise to get things up and running.

That afternoon I took Kassi up to the Dryhead to acquaint her with the horses and the land so she could accurately provide information to visitors based on firsthand knowledge. Kassi will be a senior at Lovell High School. Photography is one of her many interests and talents. Her photos capture the band we spotted on Mustang Flats on June 12. It is Hidalgo and his large band of mares and their offspring. Shawn Ivie recently reported news of Hidalgo’s band on his Wyoman Photography blog. It was exciting to meet Hidalgo’s new family that consists of his big sister Fresia (and colt Montana) and Corona & Waif’s three daughters Halo of the Sun, Icara (and her filly Morgana), and Jewel (and her filly Mercuria). Kassi’s pictures show the band as they quietly grazed and groomed.

Hidaldo, 2007 son of Durango and Buffalo Girl now heads up a band with seven mares and their offspring.

Fresia and Montana

Jewel’s 2012 filly, Mercuria

Icara and Morgana

In the heat of the day, with swirling bugs, Hidalgo’s band finds comfort together.

The following day brought even more news of Dryhead changes. This was reported once again by visitors to the Center. The mention of Blizzard’s name sent me heading back to the Range. Sure enough as I scanned Mustang Flats with my binoculars Blizzard’s unmistakable golden coat was shining in the afternoon sun. A quick look-around showed four grulla horses with him. A short westward hike brought me into a good viewing range. Bakken was the sentinel who took the first look at the intruder.

Bakken watches me as I approach the band.

I circle around the group, my eye on Blizzard. At the age of 12, he has acquired a band of impressive mares.

Blizzard against the backdrop of Big Horn Canyon.

Cascade has a breathtaking elegance! Through the years I have seen her at this same spot with this same alert pose.

Sacajawea, a wise mare that maintains a shy “wildness” to her.

Strawberry is a grulla roan with a large star and small snip.

Blizzard’s Band: June 12, 2013

The presence of the two bands on Mustang Flats is an exciting change. Hidalgo, at the young age of six has acquired a large band of young mares. Blizzard’s band is more established with the “grulla bunch.” The kinship of the mares is a fascinating subject for me and an observation I’ve made is that the dynamics of the harem bands isn’t always dependent solely on the stallion. Certain mares seem to have  bond that keeps them together despite the stallion. Broken Bow and Demure on Burnt Timber are the strongest example of this relationship. However, Bakken and Cascade have been together for years as part of Seattle’s band. The Corona/Waif daughters seem to find their way back to each other as well. Keep in mind, this is just my observation with no real science to back it.

Changes are just a natural part of life. The changes on the Dryhead and the changes at the Mustang Center are exciting! Only time will tell if Hidalgo and Blizzard’s bands will endure or if other bands will wander down onto the Dryhead in the next few days or weeks. We will definitely keep you informed throughout the summer.

Life Goes On

Today’s blog is a shared effort by Matt and his mom. Nancy wrote the post that resulted from a lot of discussion with Matt.

Two recent Sundays on the Horse Range served as a reminder that life goes on. Last Sunday was hot…unseasonably hot. I drove out to the Red Hills with the goal of hiking out to Turkey Flats both for a beautiful place to hike and the possibility to glimpse wild horses.

Red Hills on the east side of Turkey Flats

Instead of heading west out to the Flats, I followed a fresh set of horse tracks to Cottonwood Springs.

Wild horse trail leading to Cottonwood Springs

Lots of sign led me to the cool shade of Cottonwood and a filled-to-the-brim water catchment, but no horses.

Sunday, May 19: Today’sweather was in stark contrast to last week. The old adage, “if you don’t like the weather in Wyoming, wait five minutes” is definitely true! A trip to Big Horn Canyon is the perfect way to spend a windy, rainy day. On the way to the Range, a pair of courting sandhill cranes among a group of geese provided great entertainment.

Sandhill Crane courtship with an audience of Canada Geese

As soon as I entered the Wild Horse Range, I carefully scanned high and low with my binoculars, searching all the old familiar spots of the Canyon area. But not a single horse was to be seen.

On both days, I had lots of time to contemplate about the wild horses and the nearly ten years that Matthew and I have spent with them. Even though I didn’t actually see horses, there is no question in my mind that they are there somewhere out there. This confidence comes from two sources. First, there were signs of horses everywhere. Following their well-worn paths up and down the rugged terrain was a sign. Fresh stud piles indicative of recent activity were signs. Secondly, there aren’t many spots out in these lands that I haven’t observed horses using. Images from the past filled my mind as I wandered through the lands. One of the most dramatic scenes I had ever witnessed happened in 2005. It involved Cortez and Lone Wolf battling it out for Strawberry and her foal, Fools Crow. The two stallions raced for hours on Mustang Flats. Sadly, this event ultimately ended Cortez’s life and forever changed young Fools Crows existence on the horse range. I don’t drive past that spot without thinking of Cortez.

Cortez and Lone Wolf have a battle of endurance as they race across Mustang Flats.

The mighty Cortez stands proudly after the battle with Lone Wolf. This event left him injured which led to his death nearly a month later.

Each wild horse has a story that gets etched in my mind. Even though the horses weren’t visible on this day, the lives of the Pryor horses indeed go on, both on the Range and in my memory.

My two Sundays on the Range gave me plenty of time to think about Matthew’s and my “life” with the wild horses, with the Center, and with this blog. He gets questions on why the blog has supposedly “ended.” We get questions on whether or not we are still involved with the wild horses. The entire Board of the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center gets questioned on what is happening at the Center.  Speaking for the two of us, our commitment to and love for these horses has not diminished. Trips to the Range are still a part of our lives. Matthew stays active with the activities and decisions of the BLM to ensure the best possible solutions. I enjoy giving wild horse presentations to the local school children. We continue to be a part of the Board of Directors at the Center and seek solutions to maintain that organization. We appreciate and value others such as Ginger Kathrens and Sandy Elmore for their work out on the Range monitoring the herd dynamics. Perhaps our visibility with the wild horses isn’t as noticeable as it has been in the past. But let me assure you, that much like the wild horses on the last two Sundays, lack of visibility doesn’t mean lack of existence. Life goes on.

September 9, 2012 – 2012 Adoption

Yesterday was the adoption event for the horses removed during the 2012 gather. As was the case with the gather itself, I think that the adoption also went very well – Every horse was adopted. It’s hard to describe in meaningful words just how successful I thought that the 2012 gather and adoption turned out.  It was the reflection of a lot of very hard work from a number of dedicated individuals from the BLM, NPS, and other agencies and groups during the past couple of months, and we should all be very appreciative of this.

Panorama of the adoption starting with Kayenta. (Please click on it for a bigger version.)

August 19, 2012 – Cecelia and Gather Updates

On Friday afternoon, I hiked out to find Sitting Bull and Cecelia. Finally, Cecelia had a foal at her side.

Sitting Bull