BABY GIRL

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/15 sec.

  In one of my previous posts, HORSE POWER, I caught a motion blur of Kristy Gray galloping along on her horse, Baby Girl. When she was done riding her and my daughter, Jocy, would come over and rest the horses before going back out into the field riding.
  In one of these breaks Baby Girl allowed me to take a portrait of her. It is said in photography, and especially in portraiture, to focus on the eyes. I think this counts even more so for animals because most of the time, the eyes are the only form of expression animals have. They can't talk to you and unless you are around a certain animal a lot, you can't pick up on the little quirks they have.
  Kristy's other horse, Smoke, in some ways behaved similar to a dog in that if you scratched his head he would lean into it and really enjoyed the human interaction. Baby Girl was more like a cat. She didn't hate the petting and scratching, but she would lay her ears back and at times seemed almost bothered by it.  At this particular moment, however, she seemed content and more than cooperative to pose for me.
  She is a beautiful horse and Jocy rode her all day with no issues at all. As I learned with my Dad's horses and with Kristy's, the horse can tell how experienced the rider is on her.  And if they feel comfortable with a new rider they will be less aggressive and more careful. If they are not comfortable with a new rider and the rider makes them nervous, they might take off running through the woods with them. Baby Girl was very gentle with Jocy and it was a joy to watch them ride.  It was also a treat to watch Kristy "air it out" with her and run her hard as well. You get an appreciation of the strength and power horses possess when they run like that.