Happy Mother’s Day!

To mamas big and small, two-legged and four- … with gratitude for all you do to love and protect us and keep us safe, and teach us the ways of the world.

XOXO!

Overlap

Chipeta, right, watches while Seven grazes with his mares, Puzzle and Shadow, and his stepdaughter, Tesora. Chipeta is Puzzle’s mama; she’s with Ty and their daughter, Seneca, who were out of this shot to the right. Copper also was with them. On this particular evening, their “spaces” overlapped a bit.

Welcome, baby!

Shadow has our first baby of the year!

***Update: I’ve looked back through my notes, and it looks like DAVID definitely is the sire of this darling little girl.

She looks a bit like Storm as a baby.

Shadow stands over her little girl while she naps.

Shadow and baby with stepdaddy Seven. Check out baby’s curled ears. I love seeing that!

Like my mom said: “Spring time = baby time!”

Background

It’s hard to hide when you choose this kind of “camouflage.”

Seven, Puzzle and Shadow against the La Sal Mountains.

On guard

Seven’s ladies seem to be feeding him well. Puzzle is behind him, and you can just see Shadow at bottom right.

Sunlit Shadow

This pic just makes me smile. I caught this one image before she went back to grazing. From can’t-get-close when she was with David, to able to get pretty close when she was with Storm, to an intermediate, able-to-get-a-good-look-at-the-belly distance (and always grateful for a long lens). It’s all good.

To the victor …

Look who lost his girls:

OK, technically, David isn’t in this pic, but it’s implied, right? Poor David is the los*er*, and the los*ees* now are with Seven!

Little Shadow girl is sporting a belly. She – 6 this year – really is smaller/shorter than 2.5-year-old Puzzle.

I saw this new band last week in a snow squall, but I didn’t go close enough to take pix (the Jeep was a long way away, and I didn’t know at the time that the blowing snow wouldn’t turn to sticking snow).

Puzzle looks a lot like her mama Chipeta.

‘Puzzle’ – solved

It happened awhile ago that David acquired Puzzle, but I hadn’t seen them close enough for pix until this week. I was visiting Ty’s merry little band – with Copper, who, earlier in the week, was with Corazon’s band – when I spied Puzzle away off yonder. I bid grateful fare-thee-well to Ty, Chipeta and Seneca and beat feet for a visit with David.

A slow and cautious approach enabled some photos before Ty’s group followed me down the hill and sent the wary band in search of quieter environs.

Puzzle – the pretty pinto pony – is the big sister of Asher and Seneca (same dam: Chipeta; different sire: Copper). David, left, has had Shadow since she was a long yearling. They’ve had two colts: Wind and Coal. Both were adopted last year.

Puzzle was 2 on Sept. 1. Shadow was born in 2007 and orphaned that winter when her dam, Ceal, died. She returnd to the company of Bruiser’s band until the late summer / early fall of 2008, when the “southside boys” bachelor band stole the band; that’s when David stole Shadow and started his own band. He has had her almost continuously since then (Storm stole her after the roundup; David stole her back; Storm stole her back; David stole her back – and kept her).

David & his Shadow

They came to visit the baby, but the visit didn’t last long! Or maybe it was just a case of “oops, is this meadow already taken?”

Baby Seneca had just awakened from her nap and was nursing. Daddy Ty and uncle Copper were still napping … and then there was a bit of a commotion – and up popped a familiar blaze face! Followed by his little black Shadow.

Ty stayed with Chipeta and Seneca, and David took his Shadow away from Copper. Shiny, healthy ponies!

Not long, but their visit was fairly calm.

Surprises

Had a surprise viewing of David and Shadow and the pintos! I’m still torn on Shadow’s pregnancy (or not) status, and my view of her was obscured by greasewood or distance.

David

Shadow. If she’s not pregnant, she’s sure healthy – and she is. Look how shiny and great she looks!

Baby S’aka taking a nap under the watchful eye of Corazon. The dynamic may have changed slightly with the pinto band. Corazon seems very possessive of Reya, with Ty giving them some space. Copper is still low man, and I couldn’t see him well enough because of the greasewood, so it was hard to see the status of his injured knee. He was moving pretty well, though.

Ty, also looking very healthy.

Puzzle and mama Chipeta. Several of the horses were coated in mud, but Puzzle was bright-white and clean! There are a surprising number of places in the arroyo nearby that have water. Muddy, salt-crusted water, but more than none.

Maiku with big sister Reya and little brother S’aka.

Puzzle and Chipeta and Maiku and Copper. Copper is Maiku’s and Puzzle’s daddy.

Puzzle, Chipeta and Copper

Reya and her baby boy – he’s been playing in the mud!