August on the Mountain: Joy and Heartbreak
Wild Spirits, Tender Moments, and Goodbyes
Day One
We met our friends, Kathy and Ellie, late in the day for a trip out to the Dryhead. They hadn’t been to the range since 2014, so it was a joy to share the experience — and even more exciting when we found both Stillwater and Tawa’s bands, each with their new foals.
Stillwater’s colt, Zephyr, a beautiful dun, was foraging alongside his mother and father. We were surprised to see that he had a few sizable wounds on his hip and upper bicep — perhaps the result of a fall rather than an attack of some kind. He was clearly sore, but we’ve seen worse out here, and while we were concerned, we felt confident he would heal well in time. 👇
Further along in the Dryhead, we came across Tawa’s band. Icara, Winoka, and Umatilla were all together — and with them was little Zena, born the day after our May visit! Her arrival was bittersweet, as her big brother Yago, Pax’s only foal, had disappeared in the days following her birth. Still, the band and their new filly all looked healthy. 👇
Zena seemed especially smitten with her handsome bandmate, Winoka (3). We laughed to see him — now taller than his mother — still nursing! It’s a good reminder that “weaning” is more of a domestic notion than one strictly followed by wild horses.
🌇 As the sun slipped toward the horizon, casting golden light across the Dryhead, we called it a night and agreed to meet early the next morning for a trip to the mountain top.
Day Two
We rendezvoused early the next morning, and with “kiddie-coffees” in hand — the kind loaded with sugar and flavors — we decided to skip the Dryhead and head straight up the mountain to see what adventures awaited us.
Bumping along Burnt Timber Road is always an adventure in itself, but on this trip, there wasn’t a single horse in sight to add to the excitement. By the time we reached the very top, where the road splits left or right, we were starting to think we’d been skunked for the morning.
And then — we saw them. Three horses! 👇
It was Garcia with his mare, Ukalele Lil, and their 3-month-old colt, Zorro. Ginger and I had seen Zorro as a newborn back in April, and now, almost 5 months later, he looked fantastic — so strong and healthy. His brilliant blaze, visible from afar, made him easily identifiable.
A little further along, we came upon two more horses: Tex and Sofia, enjoying a good roll in some soft dirt. They shook themselves off — dust flying everywhere — then moved closer to the car, giving us a better look, before resuming their foraging. 👇
Tex and Sofia enjoy a dirt bath.
While we were still admiring Tex and Sofia, a glance to the opposite side of the road revealed more horses in the trees across the meadow. We were still trying to figure out who we were seeing when a helicopter suddenly flew low across the mountain, just beyond Tex and Sofia. 🚁
Not long after came the thunder.
The thunder of hooves! Band after band after band burst from the forest up near the big pond, racing across the road and open ground. Had the helicopter started this? We believed so — and in an instant, we went from wondering if we’d have to work hard to find horses… to seeing most of the mountain’s bands galloping right past us. 🐴 👇
“And the bands raced on!”
After a helicopter flew low over the mountain, many of the bands emerged from the forest at a run.
The horses eventually settled on the ridge near Plenty Coups’ memorial (Plenty Coups Ridge) and in the meadow below. From our vantage point, we spotted MatoSka, Pride, Knight, Oklahoma — and so many other favorites. And at the far end of the ridge, just beyond Plenty Coups’ tree, was Encore and her family.
We spent the next couple of hours taking pictures and watching the bands interact. 👇
Naturally, we devoted plenty of time to visiting with Encore. For those who didn’t see our announcements on social media, we are heartbroken to share that Encore’s filly, Zuela, was taken by a mountain lion at only a few weeks old. Encore, too, bore the marks of the encounter — with scratches across her face — but she is healing well, and we are grateful she wasn’t more seriously injured.
As we spent time with Hamlet, Encore, and Xacara — along with Jasper (Jupiter), Pillar, and Yara — their subdued demeanor spoke volumes. It was easy to see them as a family in mourning. The absence of beautiful little Zuela was deeply felt. 👇
MatoSka and Pride, along with their bands, were also foraging in the meadow and enjoying the sun. 👇
After a while, we were treated to a rare sight of these two brothers - together! 👇
MatoSka and his little brother Pride meet at the local “Mailbox” (aka stud pile). We watch as they meet and part, more or less, as friends. 😃
Video © TCF
After several hours with the bands in the meadow, we made a quick stop at Pen’s Cabin before heading to the big pond for a picnic lunch. A band of horses was grazing nearby when we arrived, but they moved off as we settled in. In the quiet that followed — filled with the sounds of birds, crickets, and the occasional bumblebee — we could hear distant squeals of stallions somewhere in the nearby trees. 👇
Once we’d finished lunch, curiosity got the better of us. We packed up and ventured into the forest to find the source of all that commotion. Here and there, we found a few horses among the trees, and then, before we knew it, most of the remaining bands — those we hadn’t seen during the earlier stampede — began moving through, heading toward the Vision Quest area of the range.
We were especially excited to spot Missoula and his band (Pegasus, Yellowstone, and Firestorm), who had welcomed a new foal just the day before! Nancy Ceroni had asked us to find them and determine whether it was a colt or filly. From a distance, we couldn’t be sure, but we took plenty of photos and hoped a closer look later would reveal the answer. (Spoiler alert: Ginger got the “money shot” — it’s a boy!) Welcome, Zeus — and congratulations to parents Missoula and Pegasus (also known as Payton), big brother Yellowstone, and “aunt” Firestorm. 👇
By day’s end, we realized we’d managed to see the majority of the mountain herds in a single day. As afternoon storms began to build, we decided to call it and made the bumpy descent back down Burnt Timber Road. With some daylight left, we made one more trip out to the Dryhead. There, once again, we found Stillwater and Tawa’s bands — just as the rain began to fall in earnest. We watched them stand quietly, weathering the weather, before finally heading back to town ourselves. The day’s adventure had come to an end. 👇
ON THE MOUNTAIN: Days Three-Five
Ginger and I tried to go get another coffee from the coffee shop - but they were closed for Sunday (places still do that!). 😕 Up the mountain we went sans hot beverages.
Once again, we didn’t see horses anywhere along the road. At the top, things were pretty quiet, too.
We drove up and down roads looking for anybody we could find. And we made a wonderful discovery! London’s band… with a brand new foal! 👇
We watched the band and the new baby for quite a while. For much of the day, there was some confusion about who his mother was! Quanneah was clearly looking out for him, and he was attempting to nurse from her. But Quanneah had already had — and lost — a foal recently. Willow, Quanneah’s daughter, was the suspected mother, yet she didn’t seem to be engaging… at least not right away.
Later in the afternoon, after repeated but unsuccessful attempts to nurse from Quanneah, the little colt caught the scent of milk from Willow — whose milk had come in and was overflowing. Following his nose, he finally settled in for a warm, nourishing meal.
This kind of mix-up isn’t unusual, especially for new mothers like Willow. Thankfully, Grandma Quanneah was more than willing to protect and watch over the newborn until Willow was ready to step in.
Welcome, Zane Gray! 👇
Another pair of eyes watched London’s band. It was “HeWho” (Horizon)! Ever alert, he stood nearby (but not too nearby!), his eyes never leaving Willow and the foal. “HeWho” had lost Valentina, but perhaps he hasn’t given up on having a family! 👇
Things seemed to be falling into place for little Zane Grey, so we headed up toward the big pond. On the way, we discovered a band of horses making their way through the trees led by a pretty buckskin mare. It was Jewel! Nickel’s band! We watched them for a few moments, then made our way to the pond in hopes of getting ahead of them. 👇
It worked! We set up near a trail to the pond and caught, not only Nickle’s band but others as well! 👇
Jewel (Juniper) leads the way to the big pond. Following her are Gaelic Princess, Nomad (Nirvana), Limerick, Xavier, Hopi (Helenium), and their band stallion, Nickle. Video © TCF
What a wonderful surprise to discover the handsome, smokey black bachelor stallion was none other than Uno Caballo - Echo’s son! How he has grown! 👇
On our way back up from the pond, we came across Missoula with Pegasus and their two sons — yearling Yellowstone and newborn Zeus — along with Firestorm (Cloud and Velvet’s daughter). Gone were the lean signs of winter; each looked “fat and happy,” obviously thriving on the summer forage.👇
As we got into our Missoula & Family photo shoot, we noticed MatoSka and his band making their way toward the pond. I have never seen Ginger move so fast! She was rather surprised herself that she was able to make it back up over the road and hill to the pond ahead of the band! 👇
MatoSka’s band makes its way to the big pond. Prospera leads the way. Behind her are Hera, Vesper, Half Moon, Wind River… and Cloud’s son, MatoSka.
Video © TCF
MatoSka’s band made it to the pond for a drink, but MatoSka had more on his mind than just water. Ever the watchful stallion, he moved with purpose, making sure other stallions were keeping things in order. First, he approached Titan, who had just arrived with his mare, Wildrose, and the two exchanged a spirited “conversation” — a reminder of boundaries and respect. Once that was settled, MatoSka turned his attention to Sirius’s band and young Ryden, checking in to ensure they were minding their manners as well. 👇
Like a steady peacekeeper, MatoSka patrolled the pond area (particularly in the path of his band), his presence a quiet assurance that balance would be maintained!
Ginger and I headed back up toward the road. We were pleased to see Miguel (Miocene) and his mares along the way. Shadow (Hailstorm), Echo’s beautiful mare, is now a member of this band. She and the other mares all look healthy. 👇
With her trademark sharp eye, Ginger scans the landscape for wild horses! Sometimes the hardest horses to find are the ones directly over your shoulder. 😁
Though we didn’t get to see London’s band again this trip, as you can see, we did find Missoula’s band. 👇
We were thrilled to spend more time with them. Little Zeus sure is a handsome guy! 👇
While on the mountain, we found our good friend Dennis and joined forces in our search for horses - particularly, the now elusive Encore and family! We set out on a hike to the Skyline (the very top of the mountain range) on a search to find them. The Skyline meadows often see bands of horses enjoying the rich summer grasses, but as always in the Pryors, nothing is guaranteed. On this day, the ridges were quiet — no Encore. No horses at all.
Still, it turned into a lovely picnic high on the ridge, with wide-open views and good company. And then we discovered the real reason the horses were missing: Ginger had left her camera back at the car! Clearly, the horses knew and decided not to show themselves. Haha!
On our last evening on the mountain, we finally found Encore!
As the sun began to set, we drove the roads searching, hoping for one more glimpse of her family. We were returning from a visit to the Teacup Bowl and a search for marmots and were heading back up Burnt Timber. A passing shower cleared, leaving the air fresh and the beginnings of a glowing sunset peeking through the clouds.
Some movement up ahead caught our eyes — bands of horses, trotting across the road and over to the ridgeline — with Encore in the lead! It was the very same ridge where we had spent time with them on that first day on the mountain.
After they had crossed, we drove up for a better view, pulled off the road, and stopped, taking in the scene. As the light faded, we alternated between watching through binoculars and zooming in with our cameras to capture the bands gathering on Plenty Coups Ridge. There, they foraged, sparred, and settled in as day slipped into night.
Sunsets, sunrises, days of beautiful sunshine, and nights of blue moons and of rain and howling winds… Our visit to the mountain brought joy, wonder, sadness, and hope. Each trip reminds us that life in the wild is ever-changing — fragile and fierce, fleeting and eternal. The Pryors always have more stories to tell, and we are grateful for the chance to witness them.
Until next time…
