Go to the end for the newest shots.
Purebred Arabian mare Ember was 17 at the birth of her second child, Hawkeye, by the Lipizzan stallion Pluto Carrma III (Pooka). Hawkeye belongs to Tori Thompson. Em and Hawkeye lived initially with Hawkeye's full sister, then 2 yr old Twix, Em's half brother Celesteele (Q) and boarder Anglo Arabian stallion Philip and me on some agricultural acreage above Riverside, California. E-mail if you want to get these as e-postcards instead of viewing here.
Purebred Arabian mare Ember was 17 at the birth of her second child, Hawkeye, by the Lipizzan stallion Pluto Carrma III (Pooka). Hawkeye belongs to Tori Thompson. Em and Hawkeye lived initially with Hawkeye's full sister, then 2 yr old Twix, Em's half brother Celesteele (Q) and boarder Anglo Arabian stallion Philip and me on some agricultural acreage above Riverside, California. E-mail if you want to get these as e-postcards instead of viewing here.
Shot 5:13 am June 25th, another Lipizzan-Arabian star made his entrance about a half hour previously. Happily for me, he belongs to Tori, who leased Ember for this joint production.
He had to endure weather in the high 90s and a sudden influx of flies. Born dark bay, he will grey out.
Another birth day image
Mom is Rem-member Me, called "Ember". Sire is Pluto Carrma III, called "Pooka". He lives in Arizona.
Ember is 15.2 hands high. This kid is tall, and marked similarly to his full sister, Twix, now two.
Can you believe I was still shooting on his birth day? Believe it. I'm a horse photographer by trade, and having in-house models like this is golden--and having backgrounds like this is, um, leaden? Bad. Blurring the background in camera is always my goal!
Hawkeye celebrates his first turnout on day 5. A big zero on my ability to do background blurring.
He realizes he can do some fun things with his body, as Ember sticks her tongue out and Philip tries to play too.
Posing for the neighboring mares, all in their fly masks.
Twix, 2 year old full sister, and Celesteele (Q) watch mom and baby. Q is my endurance horse, he is by Remington Steele out of an SX Saladin daughter.
Hawkeye rips it up on day 6, figures out how to use those long legs.
He is All That and more...
Mom goes screaming after him, he is starting to display independence.
Day's end, first week.
Foal heat and Ember is interested in Philip, the Anglo Arabian stallion that constitutes my only outside horse. He belongs to Kat Swigart, and does dressage, jumping and endurance.
Em and Hawkeye motor sedately home from Philip's house.
A nice "Harrier" vertical takeoff, the first sign that this boy may have boingities inside.
There is no longer any doubt, as stilt-boy spent most of his slow gear in vertical ascent mode.
Lawn chair photography. "Only" 91 feels good after a week near/at 100. You can see that mom gave up and went back to dinner as he continued to zoom around independently.
Mad mare, I love those expressions. Hawkeye takes note of the "threat", Twix nowhere near them. Later Ember let them nuzzle each other. No camera at hand, alas.
Ripping it up at considerable speed, independent of mom who resignedly ate her dinner inside the pen.
Being Hawkeye's mom is a full contact occupation.
All foals are fascinated with poop-removal devices.
Ember bites Twix on the butt; her crime is eating her dinner while too close to them. Twix just ignored her.
But I'm soooo cute, eh?
A moment learning about grazing weeds.
Day's end for the week-old kid.
Jumping imaginary jumps is classic "boingity".
Spaghetti, anyone? Hawkeye joins the "Bad Boys Club" by chewing on mom's tail after I asked him not to.
Two weeks old, looking more like Mom than Pop in the face.
You can really see his goatee in this one. He was born with it.
Besotted owner Tori has forbidden all shots with her in it, except this one!
The light got pretty, I let them out despite having been out for many hours earlier. Shot about a dozen photos, this was my favorite along with one in this pose with his mom.
3 weeks old, coat shot through with grey.
Balanced and beautiful, that's our boy.
Shot for fun, kneeling in the mustard. California golden hills are either grasses or dead mustard weed.
Ready for their closeups
Momma loves her boy, even when he's talking back
You can see he's still skinny when sideways, but not quite like the "playing card" he was earlier this month!
Pesky hot weather and flying pests: around 102 degrees with high humidity
Only a few shots tonight, hard to get motivated when it's hot. They are wandering further afield now, Ember finally remembering that the area to the north is safe and good. My first sunset shot of this boy, and I LIKE it!
He gets "sticky", shot this while backing up, and he kept coming. Wanted scritches of course, not pictures.
The only human around was operating the camera, so Hawkeye had to service himself.
In today's cooler weather (after 20-something days of 100s) they wandered further away from home.
Twix and Hawkeye have some words.
Toot toot! (the caboose)
I am the tall golden boy of the land, none shall pass without scritching me.
Yeah. Well. For photographic excitement, serve up one mare and foal, stir in offspring from two years ago, and place in a pre-heated oven.
Hawkeye won every race.
Tori got this great shot of Em and her two kids. Since we can't pose these guys we have to take what we're given, and sometimes the gift is very nice indeed.
Hawkeye ran away from home to join Ms. Twix, who wasn't sure she really wanted her little brother at all.
He had jumped his first real obstacle earlier in the day, here he appears to be contemplating a 2 foot vertical.
He was quite the troublemaker tonight, and Ember spent much of the time with her ears flat back warning Twix away.
Em tries to keep up with Hawkeye.
Twix said repeatedly Get AWAY from me, you're getting me in Trouble with mommmmm! A few times she ran and hid behind me, as I stood inside the wash rack for safety.
Hawkeye is greying quickly, although nowhere near as quickly as Twix did.
Hawkeye's family: Philip the Anglo Arabian stallion, dusty sister Twix, and "Uncle" Q. Hawkeye will probably grow up with "stepdad" Philip, in his large pen/arena. They already enjoy spending time together through the fence; Philip has experience with youngsters and grew up that way himself, with his father and brother.
Hey just because it's 100 degrees, extreme heat warning, doesn't mean I shouldn't get the visitors that Twix did!
We had incredible light tonight, and here's the gorgeous mama, whom I call my "mane muse".
I wanted to shoot their profiles while moving, and they had to go into the sun to do it right. No helpers.
He blends, for now--but clearly visible is the darkest-charcoal underneath the bleached bay coat color.
Simple pleasures: satisfying your own itch, in the cooling breezes after one of the hottest days of the year.
The pole makes it look like Hawkeye's in his own room.
The transformation to grey is startling, he is not even 3 months old.
Full siblings share dinner at dusk
Hawkeye floats downhill in the smoky light
Look at the dust tracks, Hawkeye headed down the hill by himself and streaked around my corrals like Superman around the earth when he was turning back time to save Lois Lane. Ember belatedly decided to join him.
Today the boy decided he'd be Daddy's Boy all the way, and he looks very Lipizzaner today from almost every angle.
A bit of boingity before supper, in the smoky light.
He knows he is a scamp.
Air time for Hawkeye, absolutely reminiscent of sister Twix at that age.
Hey! The view is great from up here! And mom shows she doesn't mind with her relaxed ankle. In other shots, she minds all right. I'm waiting for the smackdown one of these days.
Peek-a-boo! After the boingities were through, such an innocent look. I must have 20 shots of him rearing and/or jumping on mom. A boy has to keep up his strength!
Caught in the act of drinking.
Target acquired: Hawkeye speeds away from mom towards Twix, who starts to leave the moment she senses his intent.
Too late! The little wretch is fast, and tailgates poor Twix mercilessly, herding her around the grounds. Twix gets light in the behind but never fires.
One of several shots where Twix is saying, "can you BELIEVE this little monster?"
Not only does he herd, but is usually in step.
A pause in the action: a very SHORT time out.
I yelled to Twix, "try Boingities!" She tried, but it did not dissuade him.
Ho, hum, just another day at the office, says the King of the Pipe Corrals.
Apt pupil Hawkeye gets some more coaching from his mentor Philip, whose favorite boy-game of all time is "herding".
Hawkeye seems to be inviting the Deere 'dozer to a duel.
Low altitude boingity compared to Ms. Twix, but we can't be perfect at everything!
He's a bit over 3 months old--how did he ever fit inside Ember? Seems impossible.
We're ready for our closeups!
He got on momma's last nerve with this move: Tyrannosaurus Hawkeye
He didn't understand why mom snaked her neck at him and raised a hind foot offering tough love if he persisted.
Changing colors with the season
High key fun, llama-face by Q as they play the "I'm Bigger" boy game.
Misty morning anatomy and gender lesson, as the loser of the game gets to smell the winner's butt. Twix just ignores them.
Bucket for 2: looks like an ad for the company, eh? Playing with the backup long lens.
Cristy visited and took this "snack bar" shot.
Another of Cristy's with yours truly. Snacks on the tailgate. Don't they remind you of hungry dolphins?
Twix likes his presence now, and he sticks to her like glue. Mom enjoys the break.
Moonrise about 10 minutes after the shot above, early November.
Snotty siblings, both had colds and had been confined for many days.
Something grabbed their attention next door. Yep, they are standing on a hill, all going downhill, makes them look pretty dorky.
Twix finally got out on her own, while Hawkeye agitated to go out with her.
Winter blues for the bay baby, much more fun out with Twix than with mom.
Objects in the camera's mirror may be closer than they appear
Changing gracefully to grey as compared to how his sister did it.
A morning romp, he doesn't herd Sis much any more.
Rock pusher
Uncle Q instructs on the finer points of the "I'm Bigger" game.
Wet, very wet. But it does show his undercoat of dark grey rather well.
Does my brother make my butt look big?
Yes, that is white inside his tail. It's an "Oreo" tail.
A fine rainy day with low-lying fog
Twix and Hawkeye went next door to begin the weaning from Ember. Twix has been a most patient babysitter. Hawkeye will be moving to the next paddock to share it with Tori's mare Taffy. Twix will come home, and we'll be three again.
Trying to nurse from a male could get you executed in some places. Uncle Q is visiting the kids, and Hawkeye took liberties.
Q very gently told Hawkeye that it was not socially acceptable to seek nourishment from his urinary device. Taffy watches with interest, somebody's gonna get a whoopin'. Twix goes for the food.
Hawkeye performs his best ingenuous apology moves.
As you can see, Taffy has now adopted Hawkeye as part of her family. He even sleeps at her feet.
Motion blur at dusk.
Hair we are, Hawkeye is nearly a year old, Twix is 3.
Playing in the jump course, and incidentally helping grind up the poop to soften the footing.
Hey, some lovely bits of filth down here. Ember's genetic contribution is particularly evident in Twix's front end pose.
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Happy Birthday to Hawkeye! Age 1
Magnificent boy, eh?
Artsy fartsy view
Fun with step-dad Philip
Philip is so happy for some boy play
Mates
Hawkeye seems happy to be in the company of a man after all those wimmen! Alas, just a play date.
First Pip had a jumping lesson. You'd think he'd be a little bit tired after that.
Before Philip entered the "room". Such a balanced mover, the blend of his breeds so well expressed. 18 months old now, and of course owner Tori is well pleased with her boy.
Just Add Toy/Playmate: Lots of juice left!
Don't look back, something's gaining on ya. Flashy mane, rare to see a light mane on a dark body on a grey horse.
Philip creates nice framing, for Hawkeye who puts his nose up in a futile attempt to be "bigger".
An uncropped view of Philip's magnificent head and neck, oh and mane.
Hawkeye is learning how to do what Philip does.
But nobody throws these moves the way Philip does! I call it "flinging", you should see the whole sequence. January 09.
In sequence, #1 Twix does a hard stop at the fence.
#2 Rollback and two strides to this boingity.
#3 Canter off with baby brother.
Mooching Tori for treats.
Tori created a treats-monster and Twix was searching for the repository.
Another race.
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