Friday, November 7, 2008

Family trees

One thing that I really wish I knew about Catlow and Chico was what their parents looked like and where they might be right now. Does anyone know if the BLM keeps those records? I know that both were rounded up as weanlings in the fall, so I'm sure they were rounded up with their dams at least, and probably also the herd stallions. If I go dig out their BLM registration numbers and call the Burns office, could they find that info for me? At least to know if their parents were adopted out or if they were turned back out (how often does this really happen when they bring in a herd). I especially want to see Chico's dam and sire because he has such interesting conformation.

There's just something comforting about knowing a horse's parents. I feel like I know more about Cody in general, just because I've seen her parents and have pictures of them (even though I don't really know them...I have no idea what their temperaments are like or anything...I just have pictures).

Cody's previous owners who raised her gave me these pictures when I bought her.

Cody's sire was a grey quarter horse (brown under the grey). He was basically a ranch horse lineage but had an accident as a young horse so was never trained to ride.


Cody's dam was a palomino quarter horse. I don't think she has the greatest conformation (weak hip perhaps, but then again, she was just a broodmare so that affects a mares shape after several babies). I can't remember if they said she had ever been ridden or not.


The foal in these pictures is Cody. Isn't she cute? I bet she was a pushy, energetic little foal.


Not that knowing the mustang's parents would actually change what I thought about them, but I just wish I knew what combination of conformations gave rise to them. I love them so much. If Chico's mother looks like him, I'd love to adopt her, no matter how old she is at this point.

3 comments:

Linda said...

That's so funny that you wrote about this--I was wondering the EXACT same thing this week. Beautiful was number 8000--do they keep any records at all about who her dam would be? She, too, was rounded up with her mother in Fall-August--so she would have still been at her side.

Kara said...

Maybe one of the other mustang lovers who is in contact with the BLM regularily will have information about how to find this out. And someday I'd like to visit the HMA where they grew up. I've seen your picture's of Beautiful's homeland - that's where Chico came from too.

Andrea -Mustang Saga said...

I don't know if they keep records of that sort of thing. I do know at some holding facilities they don't even keep track of what HMA a baby's mom was from if the baby is born in the corrals. They just say "born in a holding facility." Which is a bummer.

As to turning them back out, they don't do that with horses they've offered up for adoption. I don't think they haul any of the horses they plan on turning back out, they just turn them out at the gather site and then bring the rest back to holding facilities. If they don't get adopted they will either go to a sanctuary (at that point they CAN'T be adopted, just will sit out their days there, which is a shame) or be sold outright for $25 (these horses have none of the protections that the horses in the adoption program have).

The only exception I know of is if they bring them in due to an emergency situation. Sometimes they will hold them until the conditions improve and then turn them back out.