Two days ago I had to pay my dad a quick visit to sort out some papers. It was unplanned and did not stay long, but still, I had enough time to take some photos that I want to share today. There's a part of the garden my dad is not using anymore because is too big for him, so that particular part is given to a neighbor to use it as he sees fit. Leaving any land unused id not ideal, so this is a convenient deal for both parties.
Up until now, he had been growing lucerne on that plot to fed the cows, but the plan has changed and at the time of my visit, we ended up with this beauty in the back garden.
She has been brought there mostly to graze the grass. It's a natural way of dealing with grass, not to mention the freedom given to the horse. Unlike other horses you find in villages, this beauty is not used for different works. She gets to enjoy her days just grazing and running around this plot as much as the electric shepherd allows.
She's really friendly. The minute she sees you, she comes to you and expects something from you. I was lucky to be able to pet her, but not as I wanted to. I'm free to cross over, but the electric shepherd works on me too, so I had to be careful not to touch the wire. She knows there's electricity running though the wire, so she didn't come very close either.
Smart lady this one I'd say, because she threw a few poses for me, without me asking her to. I was really lucky I must admit, because they don't care about what you want, they don't listen to you when you tell them stay put or turn left or right. If you're lucky, you catch a calm one that doesn't move all the time and you can take a few decent shots. If not, you leave with a bunch of bad shots you then have to delete.
My plan is to do a complete photo shoot with a gorgeous horse. Easier said than done because in order to do that, first of all you need an assistant who's good with horses. Then you need to take the horse to a place you like, to have the necessary background and environment, then light and so on. But obviously you can't do all this with an untrained horse like the beauty on the photo.
And here comes the question. Would you put a horse through all that circus? Would you torture it, make it uncomfortable just to get a few photos? I wouldn't, that's for sure. So I'm using every occasion to take a few shots whenever I can and I'm happy every time the horse is at a decent place and the sun is out.
Last year in October she was there again, but she wasn't alone. She was with her foal, a beautiful one. I asked what's happened to her and was told she got sold. I'm not going to lie, for me to hear a horse got sold is heartbreaking. I get attached to much to animals and can't understand how can they sell these beauties. I understand there's no room for all, but still.
There were three of them last year and the black beauty has been sold too since them. I just hope they are treated well and have a good life. Would make me sad to know they are not getting the treatment they need.
Look how beautiful she is.
Same place, different scenario, with different beauties. These beauties are not so friendly. They don't trust people and always looking at you, watching what you're doing. They don't hurt you, just don't trust you. But I love them anyway because they are cute.
And sometimes you end up with the backside of them, like the photo above. Trust me, it wasn't intentional, but they won't interrupt what they are doing, just for you.
And they are good friends with the horses. They graze together without any problems. Most likely they are used to each other.
If you don't behave, this is what you'll get. That look.
And this is the look that makes your heart melt.
For me, every day I can spend a few minutes with them is a blessed day. Because these days are very few, I can appreciate them more. Those who own them and are with them every single day, can't understand this.
These are unedited photos and I hope you like them. I hope next time I can do a better job.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
