Mud Ranch’s Real Dirt

Some of my most favorite photos to take, especially of horses, are little details.  Sometimes they’re details we miss in our day to day activity.  Flowers are another fun subject.  But today I had some alone time, without the baby so that means if I’m short on over all time, they kids get groomed.  And of course that means that the camera is present.

The crisp afternoon light is especially becoming on detail shots and you’ll soon see why.  It is marvelous for those details that need brightening such as the glistening hair.

Or the ever popular eye shots.  This one was taken in the sun which isn’t all that super-duper but it is fun nonetheless.

Eye shots are very over-used, every one thinks they’ve captured the awesome eye shot until you see someone who’s really captured it with just the right color and lighting.  I saw that photo once, the horse was black, the sky shone a dark blue and the eye glowed a bright amber.  It was a pheonominal shot taken by a member of the Equine Photographers Network and I can’t remember who anymore.

Today I captured MY best, it doesn’t measure up to the image in my head but I think there’s some interest here.  I like the shadows, the highlights and the little bit of mystery.

Cali’s legs… Weird mountain women don’t shave their legs in the winter.

Sunnie’s hair- it’s thick, everywhere, unruly, and his little wannabe star is pretty cute too.

“Who me!”  – The results of my lying on the ground waving my leg around in the air.

A new found talent, Sunnie can do fish lips… with help.

Cali’s glowing coat – a result of all natural living.

…And a self portrait.

I noticed my horses enjoying the coolness as the sun went down.  Don’t get me wrong, they love the sun, the warmth makes them sleepy but when it starts to go down they feel their energy pick up and they start to run around.  So, though I got more portraits than anything, I did get a pretty neat airborn picture of little Annie Oakley.

I’ve been able to capture this type of trot on a few of my horses over the years and am always amazed at the long reach of their trot and the toes off the ground or just barely touching.

And my little girl just after her trot, catching her wind.  Annie Oakley takes after her namesake and is short being only 14.1 hands.  But what she makes up in height she certainly makes up for in punch.  She’s got a lot of spirit and smarts, much like the real Annie Oakley.  She’s my little sharp shooter.

Then there’s my mellow yellow, Caliente.  She is super mellow, mellow enough for all my horses put together.  Nothing gets Cali upset, she isn’t afraid of anything and takes pleasure in making everyone else jump.  She will even take a blue tarp and shake it just to watch the others run.

Cali was also by far the easiest horse to train to ride.  She especially appreciated our lessons that included standing under the apple tree and picking apples.  I think that’s when she decided carrying a person wasn’t so bad!

Then there’s the man, the myth, the legend:  Sunnie.  He is a wonderful, bright, loving, caring soul.  He was my stallion and produced some beautiful babies who all mostly took after him.  When my decision to quit breeding came about, I couldn’t stand the thought of selling him so he was gelded.  What makes a nice stallion makes an even better gelding.  Sunnie was then sent away for 90 days training and he is now a wonderful riding horse with a beautiful stop, lope, trot and walk.  He spins on the haunches and forehand and is a joy to ride.  Oh yes, he definitely will give a goosey bounce every now and then but for the most part, he’s a angel.  I love this horse to pieces.