The Four Brothers: Trident, PJ, Sherwin, and Paulo
By Deborah Peterson-Sutherland
Four stallion brothers still live close together on the Virginia Range, not far from where they were born. Trident, the oldest, was born in 2015, followed by PJ in 2017, Sherwin in 2018, and the youngest, Paulo, in 2019. They are all sons of a mare named Pinkie, often called Miracle Momma for surviving severe injuries. Trident, PJ, and Sherwin have their own family bands, while Paulo remains a bachelor.
Trident’s sire is Bodie Braveheart, and he resembles his father closely. Bodie was a majestic bay with a long mane and forelock covering his tiny star, and he had a left hind pastern. Trident’s star is larger but still covered by his long forelock, and he sports a right hind sock. A strong stallion, Trident can fight when necessary, just like his father did to protect his family.
The sire of PJ, Sherwin, and Paulo is uncertain. Originally, Pinkie was Bodie Braveheart’s mare until his death. She then moved between different stallions before settling with Midnight. One of these stallions was Flashy, a handsome chestnut with a flaxen mane. Given the chestnut color of Pinkie’s last three sons, Flashy is likely their sire. Paulo, in particular, resembles Flashy and was born while Pinkie was still with him before Midnight took her.
Trident remained a bachelor for several years until he joined Two Sock’s band as the “lieutenant,” responsible for fighting. Trident often fought other stallions to protect the band, as Two Socks was aging and less capable. Interestingly, Two Socks and Bodie were the strongest stallions on the range and rivals during Trident’s upbringing.
Last winter, after a heavy snowstorm, I saw Two Socks standing alone, looking old and thin. He had lost his band. I found the band nearby, with Trident having taken over. Two Socks has remained a bachelor since but lives near Trident and his old band. Trident now cares for his family of six and remains close to his brothers and birthplace.
PJ, a chestnut with an hourglass blaze and left hind sock, now leads a small band of three mares near Trident and Sherwin’s families. After being a bachelor, PJ became a band stallion by taking his younger brother Sherwin’s mares. Though PJ is older, Sherwin became a band stallion first. PJ, known as a fighter, must have fought Sherwin for the mares, though I didn’t witness it. PJ snaked the mares to keep them from returning to Sherwin. Despite losing a few, PJ still has three mares and lives near his brothers.
After PJ took Sherwin’s mares, Sherwin gathered more and became a band stallion again. He also took in younger bachelors, forming a unique family of five. His colorful band includes a pinto, two buckskins, a bay, and Sherwin, a flashy chestnut with four long socks and a wide blaze like his mother, Pinkie.
The youngest, Paulo, remains a bachelor, living near his brothers. A handsome chestnut stallion with a white crooked blaze, Paulo has recently wrestled with other stallions, preparing to form his own family band.
It’s heartwarming that all four of Pinkie’s sons live wild and free, near each other and their birthplace. I feel fortunate to have known them since birth and watched them grow into strong band stallions on the Virginia Range.