Not Accepting Refusal

The second day of the International Horse Trials today and another day of making some headway in planning next season. I'm enjoying the chance to get away from the stand and take some more horse shots today. I'm finding them fascinating.

I'm amazed at the bravery of young women taking out these big creatures at great speed over fences. I asked one lady if she wouldn't prefer to be a Formula 1 driver. She said "No, when I'm out with my horse he has a desire to stay alive and complete the course too, that helps a lot!"

This shot was taken on the cross-country course. The horse refused the fence but the rider simply took him back a few yards and took the fence again successfully. I liked the effect of heavily cropping this one but you can see the full version and some more shots here.