Horses!

I grew up riding, so of course I spent time yesterday watching the horses. Ireland loves its horses, so there were two horse rings. First, the traps, harkening back to the pre-tractor days of the draught horse (who is making a return in an era of fossil free farming).

Note the traditional garb on the drivers:

Last one (I wish I’d zoomed more so you could see the fancy harness):

And then there was the show jumping. I competed when I lived in Ireland--although I don’t think I ever went over fences this high--so my heart was a bit up in my throat as the riders cut corners into each fence as they raced against the clock.

The horses are such amazing athletes, I love watching them (sorry, my zooming skills weren’t so great here either).

One last fowl shot:

I’ve seen these creatures in children’s story books but I don’t think I realised that they were real.
5-14