There is a tendency among many avid Mustang followers to emphasize the reunion of herd family members subsequent to a BLM roundup that resulted in a separation. Often the reunions are emotionally significant. Humanistically it just feels like the right thing to do. We experienced this firsthand by reuniting Jewka with his mother Rain (aka Cream Puff) detailed in a previous post titled “New Colt In Town“.
As a reprisal, we are anticipating further discovery involving a much broader diversity of family ties. Pictured here are two mother-daughter equine pairs currently being held in procedural quarantine. White mare Spotlight and gray mare daughter Semper will be reuniting with a current resident mare Kenosha who is Semper’s full sister. Likewise, the sorrel mare Mirage and sorrel daughter Freya will be reuniting with our current resident alpha Mustang Coal who is Freya’s sire.
Will siblings respond with familiarity? Will mothers inherently recognize their daughters? How might Rain respond to Coal’s former lead mare? Will she accept Coal’s daughter? Will Coal remember Mirage? Will Fathers Be Good to Your Daughters? Or will Coal favor his daughter Freya over Jewka, the colt of his current lead mare Rain? There’s no doubt equine family ties can be as complicated and analogous as those experienced by humans. The affinity of equines to bond with humans as well as each other further exasperates a predictable outcome. Surely our interaction with the herd will affect their behaviors and influence the integration. Our conclusion is to expect the unexpected based on the theory that equine behaviors are mostly personality driven. Every situation is unique, and we are looking forward to sharing how this diverse reunion unfolds. Look for follow-up posts referring to “Family Ties” for the “Rest of the Story”.