New babies

Earlier this spring, I was making several trips back and forth to a nearby town. Every day I would pass by this standardbred horse farm. Finally one day - the mares were out in one of the pastures next to the road. There is lots of shade and lots of green grass in this particular pasture - and there were probably about six or eight mares and their wee ones, whiling away the afternoon hours, tails switching, little ones close to their dams.

As always I marvel at new life. Whether it's birds, goats, sheep, cattle, dogs or cats, but especially horses. I've always loved these big creatures... and mostly they've responded by at the very least acknowledging me.

This day I got out of the car having finally remembered my camera, and began snapping away. completely ignored by the mums who dozed in the shade of huge trees. A couple of foals moved closer to their dams as I got closer to the fence. But all was serene. It was quite the tableau.

As I watched, one youngster began to nurse and a mare nibbled grass as her babe moved in closer, little tail switching at blackflies.

 This mare glanced at me and moved her head between me and her foal.

Turning back to protect her baby, tail switching as if to say - okay enough already. Leave us in peace now.

And so I did.

But I was quite taken with the wonder of these animals. They're bred to race. To pull a sulky and a driver. Generally they love this - or appear to.

And while I'm sometimes conflicted about horse racing, dog racing, turtle racing even - I know that some animals like some people really do have it bred into them and love the challenge and the joy of just plain running in a pack with others of their kind. And then again you hear horror stories.
But for today, it was a peaceful scene, a pastoral afternoon, full of tranquility. It made me think of sunny afternoons I'd spent with my boys when they were babes - out in the parks of the big city, or at a cottage, by a lake or a river.

Today was somewhat the same where I live at the moment. Warm and sunny with a lovely breeze across the deck...dogs dozing nearby, cats snoozing in deck chairs (they do like to be pampered those two) and I felt and still feel completely blessed that I too can sometimes doze in the sunshine with my babes nearby.

May you each experience the same if not today, tomorrow or soon.