Close

It’s such a relief to find this morning that the heavy rain has stopped and we can go outside without getting  drenched. G needs to take some sheet music back to a fellow player living deep in the coastal hinterland, so it’s a good excuse to get out and explore new areas. It’s yet another stunning landscape of deeply rolling hills and valleys. 

I see them first on the ridge; a group of horses grazing amongst sheep. These are noble beasts, tall and elegant, their coats sleek and shining despite a recent shower, a far cry form the stocky furriness of the Carneddau ponies. I grab my camera and head off up the lane; hoping to get a better view, though there is no access through the hedges. I clamber up the steep bank as high as I can manage, so my view is unobstructed. 

By now, I’ve seen there is a mare and foal, beautifully matched with chestnut coats, dark manes and tails, white socks and blazes. They nuzzle one another tenderly. And then they start to canter, playfully frolicking, kicking divots of grass into the air. Such joyous freedom - it’s just wonderful to watch. 

Their play takes them across the ridge and out of view. I follow, and by the time they’re in my sight again, they’re at a standstill - stock-still, side by side, staring straight at me, not even breathless. Nothing to see here, they seem to say. 

Of course by now I’ve amassed a multitude of shots: static stances on the brow, cavorting action shots along the hill. So what to choose? I’m pleased at how the camera’s frozen action - flowing manes and tails and thrashing hooves, and so attempt - for the first time - to stitch a few together. My editing skills aren’t great, but it’s a start. But there are so many more - including that final staring static shot, so I have to include extras. 

So as a stitched shot, I guess it qualifies as ‘wide’, and though these fabulous creatures are not close to me, they’re certainly close to one another - both physically as the foal keeps up, and in terms of tender family bond. 

Thanks to BobsBlips for hosting.