A mare who is no longer with us and her first foal. She gave us many memorable moments.
This image was taken about a year ago at age three. I have not seen this colt for many months but I look forward to seeing who he is becoming. Below is an image from his first hours of life. He is wet from a trip into the pond with only a few wobbly hours under his belt. If you go way back into previous posts (May, 2015), there are some stories about his first day. To get you started, if you click on the title of this post there is a link at the bottom of the page to a previous post about this foal titled What a Morning!.
Older foals never cease to entertain me with their mix of bravado and caution. These foals are old enough now to be fully independent; their explorations of me are constant and surprisingly intense.
An old image that I never shared.
Shrouded in mist, our feet wet with dewy grass, we couldn’t be happier.
I see lovely imagery of horses daily; often they are stout steeds with thick manes and tails billowing, flashy markings, arched necks, and animated limbs creating instant dreamy joy for any horse lover, myself included. The same effect can be achieved by a common horse in quiet repose in a familiar local setting. Horses are amazing.
Free roaming horses graze a lot. I am aware that for the purposes of sharing horse photography online the mundane procurement of nutrients is not electrifying, so I keep those images to a minimum. Grazing horses do not fit into today’s digital insanity and media over-stimulation, but I like the value in good ol’ leisurely munching and browsing. Daily, whether we like it or not, we are subjected to news in 140 characters, six second high speed videos, chatting that occurs in snaps, and likely lots of scrolling through a plethora of advertisement-laden personal imagery and personal attacks and affirmations. This site is all about taking a deep breath and considering the virtues of a life lived outside and the benefits of observation and wonder, so to this cause, I give you horses calmly browsing in the morning sunlight upon a hilltop.
If these horses don’t want to be found, they know what to do. They know when to stand still and when to flee from space to space. Even a sighting like this can result in failure to see a horse up close by the time you trek down (or up) to their location. No ditch is too wide, no hillside is too steep to hinder the route and determination of these horses when they travel.
A fun quotation from the movie Toy Story makes a fitting title for the motion captured in this foal’s determined and athletic playing. The blowback on her whiskers is hilarious. They have such abundant muzzle whiskers at this age.
Both horse have pleasant, if not impish expressions, they are just horsing around.
This mare appears unconvinced that my presence is nothing to be alarmed about even though she has watched me observe her many times.
The infamous “whisker foal” at a couple of days old and about 18 months later. He has matured out of his mop of whiskers.
One of those quiet moments that soothe the soul.
