Seeing someone very special this weekend.  Photos to follow......

The Image is Everything by Bronwen Healy Photography | Make Your Own Book

There comes a time when enough is enough, and you realise that you have to take a stand,  and not do what you've been doing for longer than you care to remember, which is to just give in and keep accepting things the way they are.  Usually having the strength to take such a stand accompanies some sort of event, or realisation that it just cannot continue, no matter what the short term pain might be.    However the only urge I'm giving in to this morning is the one which causes me to sit on the floor of my kitchen, and drink my cup of tea there.  Then I'm going to square my shoulders again and resolve to be strong.  And I shall go and play with ponies to again and naturally the camera will be coming along for the ride.

Whilst on the subject of black horses, it would be remiss of me to not comment on champion stallion Danzero's departure from Arrowfield Stud last week.  I've photographed 'Dan', as I call him seeing as his namesake is my dear old Subaru car, who despite his increasing rattles, continues to see that I reach my various pony related destinations in one piece, for Arrowfield Stud since 2008.  I've loved photographing him, he's a grand old boy, and in both 2009 and 2011 he stamped all four of his feet, telling me he bloody well still had it!   Danzero heads to Rosemont Stud in Victoria.  He will be well looked after there, and well received.  I hope to visit him there, but will certainly miss him when I am back at Arrowfield at the end of this month.  It's been a slice of heaven Dan, and the pleasure has been all mine..

Black horses. There's just something VERY special about them. My favourite fictional horse was a black horse (yes, and of course a stallion to boot), his name was "The Black", from the popular "The Black Stallion" book series. I lived on it, and every now and again I get one of the books out and re-read them. My favourite racehorse was black, the legendary Kingston Town. Octagonal was very nearly black, and my other special boy, Lonhro, well, he was about as close to being black as they come!  One of my favourite racehorses of recent times was black, the grand mare Hot Danish. Black Caviar is technically brown, but in the middle of summer on a sunny day, her coat can actually appear towards the black end of the brown scale. So it is little doubt that I'm becoming very fond of this particular pony, my good friend Angela's second horse, Rhonda. He's gorgeous!!! 

In the process of trying to distract myself from various realities, I'm in the process of putting a book together.  It's reminded me, yet again, of the rapidly changing nature of the working conditions that we photographers operate under, and the swiftness with which a situation can go from being perfectly workable to completely atrocious.  It's a bit like life sometimes I guess... This series of images, of the 2011 Todman Stakes, where Smart Missile inflicted the only defeat Sepoy has suffered to date, were taken less than 3 minutes apart. Sepoy Smart Missile Smart Missile (outside) runs down Sepoy (centre) in the G2 Todman Stakes, on 19 March 2011

The great racehorse, and now stallion Lonhro (Octagonal - Shadea) has joined rare company.  In the 2010-2011 Racing Season, Lonhro, with only 5 crops to race, joined Vain as the only Champion Racehorse of the Year to also win a Champion Stallion of the Year.  Lonhro was Champion Racehorse of the Year in 2004.  I will be photographing him for Darley Australia at the end of this month, and will make sure we take the prerequisite 20kg bag of carrots along for all the boys to share.    Lonhro - 2003 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Darren Beadman)   Lonhro - 2004 George Ryder Stakes (Darren Beadman) 2002 Chelmsford Stakes (Darren Beadman)