This is Magic....

Magic

and this is Boo!

Boo!

They were the two horses Mitzi and I looked after for a few days (and the latter name made me laugh, as my nickname for Mitzi is "Boo" though I have no idea why I call her that!)

It was difficult to get any really good photos of Magic and Boo, as managing a camera and a very nosy, curious, intrusive horse with no sense of personal space was kinda tricky.

What ya got there in front of yer face?

Is that a bag of treats in your hand?

It was even trickier to get photos in good lighting as first thing in the morning all they wanted was food food food - no waiting around while I adjusted the focus or looked for the perfect angle without trees growing out of their heads or boards hiding their noses.

Did you bring breakfast? Didya? Didya?

And while they ate their morning yummies, I put on the fly masks, so that was the end of the morning's photo ops.  After all, who wants to be photographed with a mask over the face?

This is a hold-up!
Hand over the treats!

Do you think she recognized us?

Boo was the character.  Filling the water buckets was a hoot with Boo around - she liked to drink the water as it came out the hose or bubbled around in the tub.  Reminded me of a dog I once shared my life with.

Hey, turn it a bit more this way, wouldya?

Magic had his own form of entertainment - trying to see how many times he could high-tail it into Boo's stall instead of his own, or steal Boo's food before or after Boo had a chance to eat her fill.

What's the problem?  I like this stall and this hay better!

Sometimes after dinner, when the air was starting to cool, they spent some time in the pasture without their fly masks and I was able to try some backlit shots from the fence.

Does this sunlight make my butt look big?

Horses in the evening light

But evening was Mitzi's favourite time for a long walk - not too hot, lots of bunnies and deer to watch, mama pretty much finished with horsey stuff. So not a lot of horse photos then either.  Just Mitzi photos.

"Home, home on the range..."

"Where the deer ...

and the bunnies do play.."
(Don't you love Bunny's translucent ears?)

And as night fell, we sat outside listening to the owls and the frogs and watched the tall skinny trees turn to silhouettes against the night sky.

Then we went inside to sleep deep sleeps until the morning sun rose and the horses once again said...

Hey, you there, get out here and feed us!

Yeah, all we've got is some dried up scrub grass!

And all too soon it was time to head home.

Til we meet again, Boo and Magic

Thanks, Marina, for giving Mitzi and me the opportunity to spend time at the ranch and for entrusting Magic and Boo to our care.