GREAT ESCAPE MUSTANG SANCTUARY: DEER TRAIL; COLORADO JUNE-OCTOBER 2013 (2)

Summer has now passed and it was a story-board of the high desert prairie with temps near 100 on a daily basis. HOT DRY with all physical hard work. Not the stuff that tourism is made of. And not for the faint of heart. Our days begin around 6:30 (that is my day, I am the morning shift) and I feed Pasque Flower and Dulcena, Regal G, Hudson, Spirit, Shania, Ayashe, Dexie and some of mine (who are not on the range - Silhouette, Escalante and Rui). The hay is in big square bales, and is distributed by wheel barrow to individual feeders, which have been topic of many discussions in regard to convenience, functionality and friendliness. Discussions develop around each activity, whether it has to do with machinery or with animals. After breakfast riding and training. 4 saddle horses (some overweight, some barn sour, some a little lazy, some aloof and most yearning for attention and relating...are kept conditioned and advancing depending on their age and stage of training. 2 youngsters are being trained in hand. The obligatory and healing ride on the range is to check and fill the water tanks, visit and observe the herd and herd dynamics and possibly try to envision a chance to bring a horse in or release a horse out. RIDING IS BREATHING AND LIFE....we take our time, even if it is 100 degrees...