Hello and Happy Saturday to everyone!

As promised, we are continuing with our East Side Bachelor’s story and today we are starting with 2014 Stallion Gunner. You can read the first blog in this series here: https://chwha.org/2025/06/04/the-east-side-bachelors/

Gunner was born in 2014 to Mare Papoose and the late, great, Stallion Mystery.  When we met Gunner in 2016, he and his mom were part of the late Stallion Blaze’s band.

Blaze passed away in 2017 presumably as a result of defending his band against the 2 active bachelor stallions (out of about 8-10 total) we had in the park at that time (compared to now when we have 21 bachelor stallions, some of whom are former band stallions). Those two bachelor stallions were Stallion Arrowhead and Stallion Ollie Jr, and they spent their days targeting band stallions and double teaming them with the hopes of gaining a mare. 

When Blaze died, as the dust began to settle, this group of tight knit mares mainly stayed with Stallion Arrowhead.  Mare Escape ended up with Stallion Sidekick, she remains with that band today, even as Sidekick has passed and his son Chance has taken over the band.  Mare Papoose and her son Gunner along with Little Brother’s Girl and her son Remington, stayed momentarily at least, with Stallion Ollie Jr. 

Ollie Jr. tried hard to get these mommas to let their now 3-year-old “babies” go.  The GonaCon experiment meant that these were the last babies they had and they, like other mares we have seen, DID NOT want to let their babies go.  Many times, as Ollie Jr would try to chase the boys off, the moms would intervene and come between their stallion and their babies. 

Papoose and Little Brother’s Girl eventually ended up with their former bandmates with Stallion Arrowhead.  Gunner and Remington eventually became bachelor stallions and ironically, when Ollie Jr. joined the bachelor world again, these two boys he worked so hard to separate from their mommas ended up being bachelor buddies with their former band stallion. 

As we said, through 2019, the East Side Bachelor’s all wreaked havoc on the band stallions on that side of the park. 

In 2019, Gunner and his former BFF Bachelor Buddy, and fellow East Side Bachelor, Stallion Flash, battled for a newly available mare – Mare Perdita and her new filly, Anisak. 

After moving Perdita between the two stallions for a short time, Gunner was successful in gaining her and her baby.  They were a happy little threesome family for about a year.

In 2020, when Gunner’s father, Stallion Mystery, passed away.  Stallion Copper originally took over that band WITH the mares he gained when Stallion Silver passed away.  This was a HUGE band and we knew it would make Copper a target from other stallions.  Eventually Gunner would take the entire band from Copper, leaving him now a bachelor. 

This gave Gunner a band of about 18!

Copper’s mares, with the exception of Mare Grace, eventually broke away from Gunner and finally settled in with Stallion Trooper, where they remain today.  Grace remained with Gunner.

Gunner then started challenging Red Face.  He slowly took parts of that band from the iconic stallion. 

Perdita, his original mare, doesn’t seem to like the bigger band situations lol   Perdita has gone off on her own, with her children many times over the last few years.  Every time she always returns to Gunner. 

Gunner recently lost Perdita, his very first mare, and their 2024 Filly Chloe to Stallion Applewood.  Perdita is now with her mom, Mare Pretty Girl, her daughter Birch and old former natal band mate, Mare Frosty.  We visited with them last week and Perdita seems content with this new band.  Time will tell if she stays with this new band or if she makes her way back to Gunner, as she usually does. 

Earlier this year, former BFF and fellow East Side Bachelor buddy, Stallion Maverick, in a stunning move, was able to take Mare Sundance from Stallion Gunner.  This is pretty significant as Sundance was without question Mystery’s lead mare.  She assumed that position with Gunner as well.  She more than likely will NOT play that role in Maverick’s band, but she seems to be settling in with the band.

Maverick doesn’t seem to be done with his former bachelor buddy.  We watched the two battle over Mare Grace and Mare Cedar last week.  Grace’s son, 2021 Stallion Black Hawk, was with them as well.  We also witnessed Black Hawk snaking Cedar back to Maverick’s band.  He may be trying to vie for a position as a lieutenant with Maverick.  No matter what, it did seem to be a sign of loyalty to Maverick.  Gunner, no doubt, has been trying to kick Black Hawk out of the band. That may or may not have something to do with it.  The battle for these 3 has been going on for a short time now.  While the three managed to make it back to Gunner momentarily, by the time we left, they were all back with Maverick again.

The great and mighty Gunner, who for a few years held the biggest band in the park, has now been reduced to only holding:

2000 Mare Flame, her two daughters 2014 Mare Emmylou and 2020 Mare Lil Mo.  He also has his and Lil Mo’s 2023 Filly Meadow.  From his original band made up of his father’s mares, he only now holds 2006 Mare Raven.  Raven has been BFF’s with Cedar and Sundance for YEARS – so time will tell if she stays with Gunner and makes her way with her friends to Maverick’s band.  Raven’s 2021 “baby” Mystique (out of Mystery) is also still with Gunner’s band. 

That’s it.  The mighty Stallion Gunner, is STILL a band stallion with a band of 6. 

Are Gunner’s best days behind him?

Will he fight to get Sundance, Cedar and Grace back from Maverick?

Will he take any of Maverick’s mares in retaliation?

And what about Perdita?  Will she stay with her mom and daughter with Stallion Applewood, or will she make her way back to her first love, Gunner?

The dynamics are always so interesting to watch!

These horses have families.  These horses have feelings.  These horses have their own purpose and speak a language I only wish we could fully understand. 

Time will tell how things play out for Gunner as the two-year-old we met when we first started documenting this band in 2016 turns 11 this year! 

It has been quite a journey so far for this amazing stallion, hasn’t it?  And those were just a few highlights!

As always, stay tuned! 

Be sure to check back – up next is Stallion Flash!

Thank you for your support and have a great day!

P.S. – PLEASE make sure you have taken a moment to read our blog from earlier this week!   Our wild horses and burros need your help! You can read the blog and take action here: https://chwha.org/2025/06/05/urgent-call-to-action-fy-2026-interior-budget-concerns/

We also launched a Coloring Campaign yesterday!  You can learn all about it and how you can participate here: https://chwha.org/get-involved/coloring-campaign/

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