Challenge Painting #232 Favorite Horses of Sand Wash Basin: Tripod

Tripod of Sand Wash Basin HMA in Colorado

Tripod is one of the most amazing horses of Sand Wash Basin HMA in Colorado and also one of the wild horses most in Jeopardy.

"Tripod"
8 by 8 inches Watercolor
By LindaLMartinArtist
$250.00

To me, and a lot of other people, Tripod is Sand Wash Basin Royalty. His Sire is the mighty dunalino band stallion, Corona. His dam is the beautiful pinto palomino mare Cheyenne. I have seen Cheyenne and Corona in photographs that date back to before 2005. They have produced a number of pinto palomino and palomino offspring. Corona and Cheyenne produced a cremello foal in 2009. As the story was told to me an an intern working for the Humane Society of The United States discovered the little creamy white foal. They named him Tripod. 

Beyond simply being another beautiful offspring of this amazing mustang pair, Tripod also has an unusual background that makes him unique among the herd.

Sometime during birth or immediately after the young stallion was injured on his right hock. It was a crippling injury that has permanently deformed his hock joint and causes him to partially drag his hoof at an odd angle. When the injury was discovered he wasn’t expected to live but then a miracle of sorts happened. The Humane Society contacted the local BLM office and they sent out a Veterinarian to assess the  foal.  What they discovered was that the foal's family band was looking after him quite well. So it was decided that he would stay on the range and his family would raise him.

Through the tender care and careful nurturing of his father, a seasoned band stallion; the provisions of his mother, an experienced mare, and the protection of his band, the young Tripod made it through his first year. In fact the young colt thrived and grew and when the time was right just like every other young stallion on the range he was driven from his band by his mother and father to make his way in the world in the Spring of 2011.

A portion of the Sale of
the painting of Tripod
Will go to aid Nancy Roberts
in her efforts to document
The horses of the Sand Wash Basin HMA

Tripod is a normal healthy stallion in every way, except for the crippling injury he received at birth. Over the summer of 2011 he has been spotted by the photo documenters with a number of bachelor stallions including the likes of Benson and Cowboy and a relatively new find, a black stallion known as Buddy who was Tripod’s companion at the beginning of the summer.

This concerns some of us as we have been following him. Right now Tripod moves about at his own rate of speed. He has adapted to his injury well. But a big question follows him. If he is forced to run for long distances; if he is chased by a helicopter will his bad leg hold up under those conditions?

Complicating the situation is the fact that capturing the horse that will be fully grown, means that he will react as a mature wild animal in captivity. In not understanding what is happening, he could injure himself unnecessarily in a confined space if he makes it to the capture sight.  I for one believe that as a humane act it would be better not to force him into capture, and not to chase him with a helicopter or any conveyance including a horse and rider.

The Best recourse would be to let him live out his life, however long that is, as he is now, on the range, since he is healthy and can take care of himself.  If that is not possible for some reason, then he, and several others, (mares) who have exhibited lameness, are perfect candidates for bait traps so they don’t have to go through the rigors and dangers of  forced runs in a round up. Then if rounded up I think the idea of  having some private individual or organization set up ahead of time to take Tripod  right from the range to a safe place to live out his life in safety and with the Blessing of the BLM( if that is possible) is the best recourse. 

Tripod is one of my favorite horses of Sand Wash Basin. He is resilient and proof that mustangs are tough and resourceful when it comes to survival. Sometimes their amazing strength and beauty even over comes the most bleak of odds.

You can follow the horses of The Sand Wash Basin in Colorado through the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horses on Facebook. Just link in and "Like" the page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sand-Wash-Basin-Wild-Horses/101181969939406