Romance on the Range " Jib and Crazyhorse" SWB HMA Mustang A Day Challenge #43



"Early Morning Cuddle"
Jib and Crazyhorse
8 by 10 inch Watercolor
by Linda L Martin



 Jib is a really beautiful Chestnut stallion with a long star blaze and stripe. His chin is also white. He is an established band stallion in the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area. As Of last fall he had three mares  A Bay mare with a star, a strip and a snip, A gray mare and a beautiful chestnut pinto with very wild markings that the horse watchers call Crazyhorse.  According to Nancy Roberts, from her direct observations, its would seem that Crazyhorse is the dominate or lead mare in the herd.

"Jib"
Detail of Jib and
reference photo by Nancy Roberts
Used by permission.

Being the dominant mare in a band doesn't necessarily  assure the  favored affection from the band stallion, however the band stallion does tend to court and show affection to all of his mares and offspring in their turn. Tonight's painting I have decided, the honor of favored mare to Crazyhorse, simply because her unique markings merit a special documentation. That is not to slight the other mares in the band, as this is a tightly knit family who work together as a unit. As of June 2010, according to the documentation of Nancy Roberts, Along with the three mares were three 2 bay and one red roan yearlings, all born in 2009 and two bay colts born in the spring of 2010.

"Crazyhorse"
Detail of Crazyhorse and
reference photo by Nancy Roberts.
Used by permission.

One could say that Jib is eclectic in his taste in mares. Some stallions collect mares based on color such as Copper with his black mares and Prince with all of his bright red chestnut mares. However, with the limited number of available mares on the range, more often it is  the  availability of the mare, rather than hunting down the right color that makes it possible for a stallion to form a family band.