May 4, 2008 – Burnt Timber & Bighorn Canyon

I spent the 4th out on the range, starting in the Burnt Timber area. The first horses to be seen were Jackson’s family. However, his three year old grulla filly wasn’t there. The two year old black filly was just down the hill.

Using a spotting scope, I scanned Sykes Ridge. I saw Mescalero, and I saw a new foal with his mare Dove. From that distance, I can’t get a lot of detail in my pictures, but at least I have a picture to show that foal exists.

The foal looks to be a buckskin, which is pretty exciting. This is also Dove’s first foal, and so this is also exciting.

Scanning more, I discovered a new foal with Morning Star’s three year old filly. This is likely Prince’s biologic offspring, though.

This foal looked to be a dun with a big blaze. The mother, Feldspar, also has a big blaze just like her father Starman.

Heading back down, Starman’s family had popped out.

Prince popped out of the trees and chased them away, and then his family came out.

There was another missing yearling filly from this family, and so that raises some interesting questions about having two yearlings disappear in the same area in a similar amount of time.

I headed out to Bighorn Canyon after this to see what was going on out there. On the way, I was able to get some nice pictures of a porcupine in a tree.

In the Canyon, there were 11 bighorn sheep rams and about the same number of ewes out on Mustang Flats.

Seattle’s family was nearby, and I was able to finally determine that the black foal is a colt.

I also got to see Cascade’s new foal. She was still a little touchy on the back legs, but she was getting around a little better.

May 3, 2008 – Bighorn Canyon

I decided to head out to Bighorn Canyon on the evening of May 3rd to see how Seattle’s foal was doing and to see if I could figure out its sex. When I first started in, I saw a grulla and a black on a hill; and so I figured that the rest of Seattle’s family was below the hill. By the time I got there, I saw that Cascade had crossed the road and stopped on the shoulder. I then realized why she was there; she had a new foal right there.

I sat back quite a ways watching the foal trying to figure out what it was. I did find it to be a filly. While I was doing this, I also had my digital video camera going; and this footage can be seen here. (There were a lot of noisy birds flying around that were keeping Cascade’s attention there before she went off to graze.)

The two finally went back across the road to join the black horse, who was Cascade’s yearling colt. The three were off by themselves, and so this was likely a pretty new foal.

Something I noticed with this foal, though, was that she seemed to be having some trouble with her back legs. I think Cascade may have sensed something was up too, as she was making the foal move around while the foal would try and nurse – Cascade would let her drink a little and then take a few steps forward.

I heard a stallion calling out, and Cascade looked up at it. I decided to drive up and see who it was and to try and find Seattle and the rest. As I went up the road, I saw Seattle’s family coming down it pretty fast. I stopped just as they all ran past me toward Cascade.

Soon after, the family was all reunited; and I left as it as getting dark.

April 30, 2008 – Burnt Timber

I made a quick trip up Burnt Timber on the evening of the 30th. I first saw Santa Fe’s family on the way up.

However, I saw that the upcoming yearling filly Halle was not with them. I walked all around the area, but she just wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

During the evening, I also saw Jackson and Tecumseh’s families further up.