Horses

Couldn't believe how beautiful these horses were. We came across several of these gorgeous animals in a field next to a path we were walking on for our Christmas Bird Count in Canmore, near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. They seemed really friendly. Not sure if I'll lighten this photo a tiny bit. I did try it, but somehow the colour of the horse seemed too light. I love their light mane with the black stripe that goes all the way along it, and the little bit of snow below his/her nose. "The Fjord Horse or Norwegian Fjord Horse (known in Norway as a Fjording or Fjordhest) is a relatively small but very strong horse breed from the mountainous regions of Western Norway. It is an agile breed of light draft horse build. All Fjords are dun in color, with five variations in shade recognized by their breed registries. One of the world's oldest and purest breeds, it has been used for hundreds of years as a farm horse in Norway, and in modern times is popular for its generally good temperament. It is used both as a harness horse and under saddle. It is believed that the original Fjord Horse migrated to Norway and was domesticated over 4,000 years ago. Herds of wild Fjord Horses existed in Norway after the last ice age. Archaeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicate that the Fjord Horse has been selectively bred for at least 2,000 years. The Fjord horse also has a long recorded history of pure breeding without crossbreeding from other sources. Archeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicate the Fjord horse has been selectively bred for 2,000 years. The Fjord horse and its ancestors have been used for hundreds of years as farm animals in western Norway. Even as late as World War II, they were useful for work in mountainous terrain." From Wikipedia.

This colt was one of several horses that we saw when we were on a walk in South Glenmore Park on June 7th. A fence divides the park from the Tsuu T'ina land, to whom these horses belong. I don't remember ever seeing horses in the meadow before.

The Calgary Zoo has a ranch just south of the city and once a year we get the chance to visit. The ranch is a 320-acre captive breeding facility at DeWinton, and is not open to the public. It also serves as a Zoo quarantine and holding area for everything from elk to zebras. There is also a wonderful Whooping Crane breeding program. This photo was taken on 4th October 2008. "The horses at the Calgary Zoo ranch ain’t never been rode – and they ain’t never going to be. They’re Przewalski horses, the world’s only truly wild breed, and the Zoo’s mandate is to keep them wild. Also known as Asian horses, Mongolian Wild horses or Takhi, they were native to Asia and became extinct in the wild. Their captive breeding is now monitored under a worldwide Species Survival Plan, an international program that controls the breeding of most zoo animals today. All the estimated 1,500 Przewalskis today are descended from 13 ancestors captured in Mongolia during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, at least 60 Przewalski horses live on their own at Hustain Huruu, a Mongolian steppe area. Przewalskis are virtually untameable, suspicious and very difficult to manage compared to modern domesticated breeds." From article by Tyler Trafford in Canadian Country Cowboy magazine. www.canadiancowboy.ca/features/the_zoo_ranch.html

When the birds are few and far between (which they seem to have been in 2009, everywhere), my camera turns to other things. This beautiful horse was seen on yesterday's Christmas Bird Count in the Snake's Head/Sundre area, north west of the city. This morning's bird sightings were amazing, though - if you happen to be interested, see my description under the image "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", posted right after this image.

Yesterday, 31st December, I took part in the 2007 Christmas Bird Count in the Sheep River/Turner Valley area, south of Calgary. The weather was an absolutely perfect winter's day! When I crossed the road to try and photograph three Bald Eagles in a field, feeding on a dead Coyote, I noticed this group of beautiful horses nearby. I liked the different colours all happily together.

One of the many horses we came across when we called in at various farms on our long day of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on January 2nd. Four of us covered the south west quadrant of the Nanton and area circle. A very enjoyable day of bird searching, even though the only bird photos I got were of the Sharp-tailed Grouse.

A different kind of photo for me : ). Saw these beautiful horses today when I went with a couple of friends to do a repeat bio-assessment of an acreage south of the city. A donkey shared the field with them.

One of the horses that works at Heritage Park, a Pioneer village in the city.

Just had to get out of the house for a short while yesterday afternoon, so drove a few of the backroads south of the city, south of Highway 22X. We had an amazing hoar frost yesterday and the day before, but the sky was so dull and so little light, which made taking photographs difficult. Came across two of these beautiful horses on my way home. A strange feeling - almost like looking at something that has used Colour Select : ) I soon discovered that the roads were becoming slippery. Also found out, after plunging up to my knees in the white stuff, that the snow in the ditches that had looked pretty solid was in fact still soft beneath the upper crust! So much for getting to the barbed wire fences to take a few close-ups : ) Today, the weather is even worse, and it is treacherous underfoot. Snowing quite heavily.