I'm Back! The last time we "spoke" (so to speak,) I was half-way through a relaxing 6-week stay in my hometown in California. I have since recieved my M Class and improved my motorcycle riding skills ten-fold (aka I'm no longer dropping it every other minute.) Mid-way through August, I returned to Virginia in preparation for the start of the new school year. I rode at the Difficult Run Horse Trials with Tweed after only being back for five days, and finished in 2nd place! I have been working at the barn every day, cleaning stalls and feeding the horses. My retired horse Ben arrived from California to live at Sunrise Stables and serve as a lesson horse, as well as the occasional lower-level competitor. Tomorrow I will be moving into my dorm room, and mentally preparing myself for the start of classes next Thursday.
These photos come from a set of 100 that I took at a practice for the Farandole that was performed by riders from the Santa Rosa Equestrian Center at Dressage in The Wine Country this past August.
When I shot at this practice I hadn't shot in a couple of weeks, and It was really nice to get out and use my camera. The one mistake I made was using my zoom lens, because it made the close up artistic shots difficult. I actually had to back away from my subject (because I was in the arena with them) to get enough of the subject in the shot.
