"Come As You Are"
This is Midnight
In case you partied a bit too late last night, I wanted to give you an image to welcome in the New Year that says COME AS YOU ARE. You are welcome here.
Midnight is one of the Lead Mares of a mustang group at Flag Ranch in Paso Robles. Midnight is one of the first mustangs they adopted from the round-ups at the Devil's Garden reserve in northeastern California, approximately seven years ago. She was adopted along with her four-month-old colt, whom they named Moon, and another mare and her two-month-old colt. All live at Flag Ranch together, in an intact family group, as they would in the wild.
Midnight has two brands -- one from the US Forest Service, which rounds up the Devils Garden horses, as that land is managed by the Forest Service; the second is from the BLM, as the horses who aren't adopted right off the Garden (like Flag Ranch horses Olive and Ruby Sage) are transferred to long-term holding governed by the BLM.
This image was taken at Flag Ranch in Paso Robles on October 20th, 2024 at 9:37 a.m., during breakfast.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Blue"
This is Blue. He's the leader of a band of horses in the valley at Flag Ranch.
Blue came to Flag Ranch through a young woman who adopted him from a man who had rounded up mustangs on or near his property and was breeding them; Blue was born in captivity. She gave him up because he came to her with a previously undiagnosed injury to his hip that made it painful when he was being ridden. There's no sign of it now that he's not being ridden.
He had a different name when he arrived, and one of the team members suggested Blue; he's a blue roan. He got to know the group of horses over the fence when he was in a pasture up top, and they would come up and talk to him. He was taken down to one of the pastures in the valley to continue the conversations for a few days, and when he was released there, he ran around with such joy! Over time he took on shared leadership of the group with the lead mare, Cali, and he's a very good leader.
This image was taken at Flag Ranch in Paso Robles on October 20th, 2024 at 12:35 pm.
This image has been added to the Fine Art Gallery.
"Walking In Thanksgiving"
This month's featured image is a mustang who was adopted and has a beautiful home where she can now roam freely in a natural herd environment. I watched this horse and several others eating and casually walking amongst the herd, and then watched this one walk south toward the hills. I loved the peacefulness of the saunter and the satisfaction I felt in her bones.
"Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgement of all that sustains us, a bow to our blessings, great and small."
~ Jack Kornfield
This image was taken at Flag Ranch in Paso Robles on October 19th, 2024 at 3:16 pm.
This image has been added to the Fine Art Gallery.
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