Wild Horses in Freezing Rain

Ousado

Our winter on the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve got off to an early start with a snowstorm on November first, followed by a determined freeze.  Thankfully we had a thaw not too long after that and though we have had more snow and freezing since, there has not been the harshness of persistent, prolonged storms like we had last year.

Frozen Hawberries

On December 9th, we had some freezing rain, which did not last long, nor was it as severe as we have experienced here on Manitoulin Island - in fact, it had a certain allure to it because the wind was not wicked and the air temperature was somewhat mild.  I wanted to get out in the elements, so donned my rain gear, put my camera in a plastic bag and went out to check on how the horses were coping with the inclement conditions.

Hawberry Tree

The bachelors who live out on the range* on the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve are our Portuguese Sorraia stallion, Altamiro and his sons and grandsons out of our Sorraia Mustang mares.

Altamiro

Stallions
Legado (Altamiro x Sovina's Zorita)
Fidalgo (Altamiro x Belina)
Gosto (Altamiro x Bella)
Capaz (Interessado x Pinoteia)
Sedutor (Altamiro x Sovina's Zorita)
Ousado (Altamiro x Bella)

Legado

Geldings
Interessado (Altamiro x Ciente)
Silvestre (Altamiro x Ciente)

*Two other Ravenseyrie residents are our 33 year old draft mule Jerry and the escape artist stallion, Destemido (Interessado x Fada) who have adjacent pastures near the house.  Our eight Sorraia Mustang mares continue to reside on the Twinravens range in Tehkummah, thanks to the generosity of Mark Seabrook and Michelle Hrynyk.

The bachelors do not congregate all together like they did when the boys were young, but have been keeping in clusters that are not always fixed. 

For the most part, Altamiro prefers to keep to himself. 

Ousado, the youngest of the bunch laid claim to the geldings, Interessado and Silvestre, as if they were mares and does not allow the other stallions to have direct contact with them, though he will tolerate the other stallions nearby.  This arrangement has lasted for several years now. 

Fidalgo used to often hang out nearby Altamiro, but has now attached himself to the fringe of the main band of boys, while Capaz now hangs out nearby Altamiro.
 
Sedutor likes to float between the main band of boys and wherever Altamiro might be.  Gosto is a firm follower of the main band of boys as is Legado.

These herd dynamics are likely to shift again, depending on the moods of the bachelors.  We would like them all to be "best buds" and stick together as one group, but this is not up to us - they call the shots and determine who gets to hang out with who.

Ousado

Although I found it difficult to keep the horses in focus while the freezing rain fell, I decided the activities the fellas were engaged in, despite the inclement weather were interesting and attractive enough to put into a video for my YouTube channel.  I hope you enjoy it!

   

Sorraia Stallion Destemido Inspires a Ravenseyrie Fine Art Greeting Card

Destemido Striking Capaz
Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

This article first appeared in my Ravenseyrie Studio & Art Gallery blog on 19January19.

Destemido - Fearless One
Original Sumi-e by Lynne Gerard

The majority of the painting and writing I do is influenced and inspired by elements I find very close to home.  Living on the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve assures that a number of the works seen in the gallery are of noble equines.

As I work on building up the webpage for my Fine Art Greeting Cards, I have been taking photos and typing up descriptors of the many card designs I offer in my gallery.  These cards come under different categories, for example, "Birthday", "New Baby", "Just Because", etc. and are each printed, assembled and hand detailed right here in my studio on the bay.  

I also offer Christmas and Holiday Cards, but mostly these are in a different type of card style requiring less handwork and are grouped within the webpage I've titled, Fine Art Notecards.

I do however have two Holiday/Christmas cards that I have made that are of the same style as my Fine Art Greeting Cards (not yet listed on the webpage, but soon!)  One of these holiday cards features a reproduction of an original sumi-e (ink painting) I did of one of our stallions who was born on the preserve.

Destemido

The stallion's name is Destemido.  Destemido means "fearless" in Portuguese and is an appropriate description for this one-eyed, undersized, scrapper of a guy.

Destemido lost his left eye in an injury sustained when he was a young foal.  He has also lost part of his left lip during a fight with one of his siblings. 

Destemido, the one-eyed wild Sorraia stallion

How expressive, even without an eye!

None of these issues seem to handicap Destemido and he carries on with all the verve and bravado one would expect from a wild stallion, perhaps with a dash more expressiveness than the other horses in an effort to make up for his smaller stature. 

Destemido in the lead

Whatever it is, Destemido is fun to photograph and paint and is actually quite soft and gentle around my husband and myself.  We admire him, even if over the years he has caused quite a lot of mischief.  

  A video I put on YouTube with Destemido showing off for his grandsire, Altamiro:

Destemido and Gosto
black and white photo study

To see the full line of Fine Art Greeting Cards I make that are for sale in the gallery, please click on their webpage at the top of this blog.

Sorraia Photos on Exhibit

A former co-tenant at the Gore Bay Harbour Centre, Helen Siksek, has opened up her Fish Point Studio in the newly renovated, The Inn at Gore Bay (formerly Gordon's Lodge).  Helen is an enthusiastic promoter of the arts and has decided to host several exhibitions this year out of her new location.  The first exhibition is showcasing the love and beauty of Gore Bay five local individuals have captured with their cameras.  Helen organized, processed the images and has curated a wonderful sampling of just how incredible Gore Bay and nearby areas are.

Having followed my blog over the years, Helen thought it would be nice to have some of the photos of the horses and Kevin in the exhibition.  Though I have been madly focused on getting ready for my upcoming large scale exhibition of new artworks that will be opening at the Gore Bay Museum's gallery later this month, I was able to say "yes" to Helen's request for images for her photography exhibition because all I had to do was send her the digital files and she handled the rest.

My photos all measure 11 x 17 inches and are processed and mounted on sturdy foam core and can be hung with or without a frame, no glass necessary.  I decided I did not want to sell these images for personal gain, so Helen agreed to allow me to offer them up in a silent auction, with bids started at $30 each, and proceeds going to the Gore Bay Museum.  The silent auction will run for the duration of the show, from June 8 to July 8.  For more details please contact Helen at: helensiksek@gmail.com

Long time followers of the Journal of Ravenseyrie may remember some of these images, for all of them were published at one time in various articles of this blog.  If you are in Gore Bay, stop by Helen's shop to see them hanging in their printed format.  If you want to purchase one of these photographic prints, you can participate in the silent auction - you don't need to be there in person, just register with Helen before the end of the exhibition.

Being a bit socially challenged (anxiety in crowds) I did not attend the reception, but was delighted to learn that it was extremely well attended and all the photos from the other participants charmed viewers.  It was so nice that Helen wanted to include images from Ravenseyrie.  I think she did a super job and I am hoping people will enjoy seeing images from in and around Gore Bay that have great meaning for many of us.

After the Rain - Lilac Light

Boy Games

Wild Iberian Stallions of the East Bluff

Silvestre!

A Day at the Beach

Wild Stallions and Friend Kev

East Bluff Garlic Grower

Her Many Moods

Stevie on my Balcony

Ravenseyrie Mares in Autumn

Zorita (Portuguese Sorraia x Sulphur Mustang) and Esperanda (Portuguese Sorraia x Kiger Mustang)
 

This is the fourth autumn the Ravenseyrie mares will be experiencing down on the Twinravens range in Tehkummah, southeasterly Manitoulin Island.  Do they miss living up on the East Bluff of Gore Bay were Kevin and I and the bachelor band of Sorraias continue to dwell?  We certainly miss them and treasure those days when our conservation efforts included having an intact family band of wild horses showcasing their amazing equine culture day in and day out.  Unfortunately we learned 360 acres is not enough space (both physically and psychologically) for more than one wild living family band of equines.  Perhaps in the future there will come to be a large tract of land somewhere on the island or elsewhere in Canada where the males and females can live together in complete autonomy like what occurs on Sable Island.  For now, we must be content with knowing we continue to safeguard these horses in non-breeding groups.  

Pinoteia (Portuguese Sorraia x Spanish Mustang)

I continue to reserve my precious Mondays off from work to make the hour's drive down to Tehkummah and visit with Bella and Belina and Zorita and Fada and Pinoteia and Esperanda and Altavida and Rija.  It makes my heart sing to see them in such good form and in an environment that is able to naturally sustain them most of the year.  Being on a limited range, however, they do need hay supplemented to assist them in surviving the harsh winters Manitoulin Island experiences.  In early autumn local farmer, Larry Cress, drops off large round bales of dried summer in the front sector of their range, while Kevin and I stock the mares' forest shelter sector with large round bales we bring from home.  

Until the landscape is deeply locked in with snow, the mares prefer to dine upon what their range offers them naturally.  In the photo below, Rija purposefully selects dried thistle stalks...a delectable treat, or for medicinal purposes...she did not say which!  (see her eating these prickly plants in the YouTube video link below)    

Rija (Portuguese Sorraia x Spanish Mustang)

The mares coming up from the back range for treats and a visit.

Rija (Portuguese Sorraia x Spanish Mustang)

Rija tells Akina to skedaddle.

Our Majestic Mares!  How much a part of the landscape they are!

In this video, back at home, our purebred Portuguese Sorraia, Altamiro and one of his sons come up to say hello.  How different their lives are without the presence of the mares...I am sure they miss them being on the home range as much as I do.

Sorraia Bachelor Stallions

Capaz and Legado!

"Bachelors are interesting since they present opportunities to examine ontogenetic pathways through which skills are developed and the possible importance of such skills in acquiring their first harems." --Joel Berger from Wild Horses of the Great Basin / Social Competition and Population Size

Capaz shows some of his skills to Legado and Jerry

Since the spring of 2013, our Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve restructured its participation in the preservation of the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang horses by suspending active breeding and relocating the females to an offsite range.  Circumstances underlying these changes have been discussed in archived journal entries and will not be revisited in today's blog, nevertheless our interest and support for these horses remains strong as we continue to safeguard these important genetic treasures and provide them suitable wilderness habitats to live as autonomously as possible.

Ravenseyrie Mares

Our eight females:  Bella, Belina, Zorita, Fada, Pinoteia, Esperanda, Altavida and Rija continue to thrive on the Twinravens range and I will devote a future blog entry to their dynamics as an "all girl" group.  For today's journalling we will be taking a look at the way the Ravenseyrie bachelor stallions are conducting their affairs as spring invigorates their environment with voluptuous greenery and raises their testosterone levels in ways that provoke shifts in their relationships with one another.

Our cast of equine characters that presently dwell with us at Ravenseyrie are:

•Jerry - an aged domestic bred sorrel draft mule gelding

Jerry

• Zeus - an aged domestic bred sorrel Thoroughbred gelding

Zeus

• Altamiro - a purebred Portuguese Sorraia stallion, born in Germany at the Wistenhenge zoological park

Altamiro

• Interessado - born at Ravenseyrie sired by Altamiro and born to Ciente (Sorraia Mustang of Kiger lineage), regrettably gelded as a 3yr old

Interessado

• Silvestre - born at Ravenseyrie, full brother to Interessado, regrettably gelded as a 2 year old

Silvestre

• Legado - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Altamiro and born to Zorita (Portuguese Sorraia x Sorraia Mustang of Sulphur Springs lineage)

Legado

• Fidalgo - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Altamiro and born to Belina (Sorraia Mustang of Spanish lineage)

Fidalgo

• Gosto - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Altamiro and born to Bella (Sorraia Mustang of Spanish lineage)

Gosto

• Destemido - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Interessado and born to Fada (Portuguese Sorraia x Sorraia Mustang)

Destemido

• Capaz - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Interessado and born to Pinoteia (Portuguese Sorraia x Sorraia Mustang)

Capaz

• Sedutor - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Altamiro, full brother to Legado

Sedutor

• Ousado - born at Ravenseyrie, sired by Altamiro, full brother to Gosto

Ousado

Last spring, the stallions severely attacked Zeus, necessitating pulling him off the range and creating a separate pasture for him to live out his life without fear of further malicious bullying.  So far, the draft mule, Jerry, continues to hold his own among the feisty studs out on the range and while some of the young guys harass him, he remains unscathed and is often a chosen grazing mate by several of the bachelors.

Legado, Jerry and Capaz

The former distinct "play fighting" that the younger stallions engaged in has given way to more serious sparring and the number of nicks, scrapes and surface wounds attest to the intensity of these encounters.  No longer childs'-play, these "discussions" appear to be compulsive, highly physical activities that take the measure of oneself as well as feeling the physical capacity and state of mind of the others.  Liaisons are loose, fragile affairs as every handful of days there appears to be a reorganization of who is chumming up with who and who is keeping themselves apart.

Two weeks ago, during one of the frequent shows of aggression, Silvestre sustained a nasty gash over his rear canon bone.  It continues to heal very well and Silvestre has been keeping away from the more rambunctious boys during this healing time.  In the last few days, Silvestre has been joined by Interessado, Altamiro and Fidalgo - all who seem to want a little less frenetic pace and do their best to avoid interacting with the other guys for now.

Silvestre and Fidalgo

Silvestre's wound

Those other guys - Capaz, Legado, Sedutor (the main instigators of fractious interactions) are most of the time grazing in the same sector as Gosto and Ousado.  Destemido continues to feel the need to stake a claim to the area outside of the fenced holding pasture where Zeus has been living.  Destemido will fly into the group of others for lightning quick shows of force - like a mad hornet!  Hard to believe he is the smallest one of the bachelors and is missing an eye!  The most interesting change has been in Capaz.  As a young colt, he was pot-bellied and seemed slow moving and slow witted - how wrong that impression has turned out to be.  Capaz is perhaps the feistiest of all the bachelors!

I've put together a new video documenting the dynamic discussions these stallions have been having. Thanks to the talent and generosity of a young Portuguese composer, BrunuhVille, the video has a wonderfully fitting soundtrack.  I hope you enjoy this window into world of Sorraia bachelor stallions living on a beautiful island in northern Ontario.




"He's not so big as imagined and his coat has never felt a groom's brush, yet the sight of him quickens your blood and lights visions in the mind." --L. Edward Purcell from his book, Wild Horses of America