Confidence. Yo is subtle, and often gets pushed aside by the bolder fillies. Here Pea is chewing on my hat while Yo works up the courage to join in the fun. Pea was born in the back yard, but Yo was wild for seven years. #wildhorses #horsesofnewzealand #confidence #confidencebuilding

Entering the round pen at liberty with R+. Yo (the horse) gets a treat for coming into the pen and another treat at the end of the training session. She has good treat manners; she sees me open the container of carrots, but stands still and nickers for me to come closer with those carrots, please.

Good morning✌️🍀

Letting Lalia lick the car. Oftentimes, horses are expected to get on a trailer without ever having been allowed to investigate things for themselves. Mmm road dirt. #naturalhorsemanship

Lalia says good moooooorning!
3 am in New Zealand, 6 sec iso 6400 f/2.
#photography #horses #horsephotography #milkyway #nightsky #astrolandscape

First liberty neck yields from Yo and Pea :). Looks easy but it took a minute. The horse is trusting you to be on both sides of its head and is yielding its head to your direction.
@hcvt.bsky.social

Lalia at 5 am. Two of the three horses were sleeping and when I got out there, the third took a nap as well 😂. It's an honor but also I was like "great I'm honored now could you please get up and stand still for eight seconds in front of the milky way?" Hahaha.

Lalia against the milky way at five am. She moved for part of this 8 second exposure, which is why some stars and the milky way can be seen through her head. In the opposite corner, the other horses moving around. #photography #horsephotography #astrophotography #nightsky #milkyway

Sweet Pea, foal of a wild mare, discovers the cury comb. Sorry for the shaky camera, I was holding it in my other hand while energetically rubbing this horse, who is leaning into it with a surprising amount of force. But look how happy she is! I will worry about them standing still later.

Sweet Pea discovered the curry comb (a nubbly brush of soft rubber, you rub it in circles to loosen dirt) and she is *obsessed*. Yo likes it to, but Sweet Pea gives me the sense she'd like to be in an entire car was made of curry combs. Film at eleven.

Gamilesh Unbridled, a great liberty trainer in Texas who works with rescue horses and young people, is starting this youtube channel! I'll be watching for sure :). This is the kind of drama I can get into.
@hcvt.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5XL...

Finally got this complicated liberty exercise with Yo. She stands still and I fan a circle around her with the lunge whip. So proud of her! This is exercise one in Hannah Catalino's liberty horsemanship program. @hcvt.bsky.social

Anyone have tips for posting videos? I want to upload the one that goes with this pic but I seem to be having only very intermittent success :). Tia.
Also, cinema mode, where have you been all my life?

My recently wild mare getting some rubs :). Her name is Yo.

Hiya. Here's some night sky photography with horses, from New Zealand. These are Northland wild horses that have been mustered to humanely control the population. They now live in my back yard. Nice to meet you!