To start the year out, we had about fourteen horses. I think. Then, I found an orphan mustang colts in the hills, left behind after a round up. And we also found craigslist. So now we have twenty horses.
Since it’s winter in the Pahsimeroi and this valley makes snow look pretty good, I decided to take my camera out and snap some shots. Horses in the snow are fairly photogenic, so I tramped out to the remuda to get some photos.
This is Jassi, my sister’s old but very sweet Arabian mare. Sometime my sister will get on and ride this mare around with no headstall or saddle.
Bonny was a BLM mustang for the first part of her life, a pack horse for quite a few years, and finally a kids horse for some friends of ours. When we got a hold of her she was already old, but she logged many a patient hour with my sisters and I on her back, learning to ride. Now she takes the youngest kids in my family out on little rides around the ranch.
Jingle, one of two Belgian draft horses we have around.
The other half of the team, Belle. In spite of being blind in one eye, she pulls her own weight when it comes to a wagon.
My dad’s big mare Ginger had a rough start when she slipped off a trail on the range. After rolling ten or fifteen times down the side of a mountain (minus my dad, who managed to get off). She dislocated her front leg and was laid up for the winter. After a lot of prayer, we had a vet come out to look at her in the spring and he told us she was sound. She’s never taken a lame step since.
This little horse I got a few weeks ago from a breeder in Montana. She should grow up pretty athletic and really be able to cut a cow. I can’t wait to start her under saddle!
It would take me a while to get photos of all of ’em, but I hope that you enjoy these few photos. Check back often for more news from Alderspring ranch!
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