Riptide Incarcerated For a Man's Stupidity; Foal Twelve Is Here

I mentioned in yesterday's blog that Riptide is currently in Pony Jail - not even inside his well-known southern corral - but on the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague.  He is separated from his mares and from his new baby with Sonny's Legacy.  It's breeding season, and some of his mares are in estrus.  He keeps calling for his harem - but only Smooch and Star are there, and they are separated from him by fencing.
   Riptide has always been a large pony; he likes living large, and has pretty much inherited the spotlight that his sire, Surfer Dude, once held, as the most recognized Chincoteague pony on Assateague Island.  He has been going around, over, and/or through wooden and wire fences for several years, and his mares usually follow.  He's been placed in the southern corrals multiple times since last Pony Penning and between the Fall and Spring Round-Ups - his usual place of "lock up."  But during the middle of this past week, Riptide led his mares out of their compound and onto the road that leads to the beach.  This is not unusual.  But several tourists decided they needed some close-up photos of the ponies...  They parked their vehicles and got out of them approaching the ponies on foot.  One of the mares was in season, and Riptide was putting his moves on her.  (The first few days of estrus, the mare might not be receptive and might fight, run, and/or kick at the stallion.)  One of the male tourists laid down with his belly on the ground to "get some good pictures" of what was happening.  The mare objected to Riptide's advances, several ponies ran - and the idiot human on the ground was almost stepped on, by Riptide.  (Imagine that!)
   Several people saw what had happened, but the idiot male went to the Park Office and complained. So the Pony Committee was called, Riptide and his ladies were rounded up, the fence was again repaired, the mares were turned loose.  But Riptide was placed into the CVFC trailer and taken away from his family because of the actions of a very stupid man.  At the moment, no one knows how long his jail time will be.  The Don Leonard Stud II is loose in the southern compartment.  If Riptide isn't returned soon, the mares will go to DLSII, and then the stallions will fight for them.
  This one, single, solitary, male human made an extremely poor decision.  Now a stallion and a herd is paying the price for his stupidity.  Will there be fighting over the mares?  That man will be the cause of bites, kicks, torn skin, bruises and possible broken bones for making the CVFC take a stallion away from his mares.  The pony was acting instinctually.  The human turned his brain off on purpose.

Riptide

Due to bad weather, Captain Dan wasn't able to go out in his boat Friday, and he had to cancel Saturday morning's trip, too.  But in the afternoon, he spotted a new little filly beside Thunderstorm Skies, who is in Puzzle's herd.  Her head, neck, body and legs are red and white - but the tip of her tail is black, so she is technically a bay pinto.  The foal looks like she was born on Friday.  I remember that last spring, Thunderstorm was a close friend of Surfer Princess, who was in Legacy's herd.  So I'm not certain who the sire of this filly is.  I know that Darcy Cole keeps notes about who was in which herd, so I'll wait for her announcement regarding the paternity...