This old mare makes me work for glimpses of her foals when they are born, and it can be exasperating. I’m not surprised at her protective tendency, however, since we do this every year when she foals. I honor her boundaries and keep a far distance from her, and she eventually softens to my arrivals. Now that we understand each other, we can both enjoy her new foal this year. He is about a week old in this shot and this was the first time I could get close enough to take a picture where he’s bigger than an ant in the image. It was fun to see his reaction at my closer proximity; he was just as interested in me as I was in him. His alert posture and inquisitive expression are irresistible in this shot.