My first love in the animal kingdom was horses. Like all young girls I used to go to bed dreaming of owning first, a black stallion, secondly, a chestnut Arabian, and thirdly an Appaloosa, especially the dark bay with only the spotted rump. Then I fell in love with the Quarter horses (oh, for the return of the old Poco Bueno type).
The next chapter in my life regarding horses was in 1952 when I contracted Polio. My father, also a great lover of horses, acquired a pony for our enjoyment. Apache gave me reason to stand up with my braces and crutches and exercise my arms while brushing her. Riding her (after my Dad put me up in the saddle) gave me a good sense of balance. More on Apache and her offspring another time. As I grew older a larger horse entered our stable. Shirley Andrews, a 4 yr-old 'retired' Standardbred, provided me with many hours of enjoyment, in and out of the saddle. She too provided us with several offspring.
Photography, back then, was of great interest to me, and as such I was always snapping photos of the horses and the many dogs we also raised (German Shepherds). However before I snapped that photo (no digital cameras then), I wanted that 'perfect' head pose. Needless to say I do not have many photos of the horses worth sharing with you.
Today, although confined to a wheelchair indoors and a scooter outdoors, I still love photography and thank goodness for the digital world. Unfortunately Fredericton no longer hosts light horse shows, such as the Arabians, but the FREX (Fredericton Exhibition) is still loyal to its draft horses. Two years ago I had the pleasure of meeting David and Jane Fisher and their lovely Estfork Percherons, especially Tasha, from Centreville. To the FREX I went again this fall and 'shot' other horses and met other draft exhibitors. What a great group of prople.
Although I only use a 'small' camera that is quite portable I am quite pleased with some of the shots I am able to capture. However my greatest enjoyment comes from taking a certain photo or part thereof and with various softwares turn this photo into digital art which is then applied to either a ceramic coaster or canvas. A new product planned for 2008 is a 'Welcome' sign.
Enjoy.
