Where the Wild Horses Roam

Now I know that today's title could be called a mis-nomer in 2 potential ways. These New Forest Ponies are allowed to run wild and free but in essence they are semi-wild. All the Ponies in the New Forest are actually owned by local landowners and they are assessed every year and treated if necessary against diseases. They can also be sold off if they are deemed unfit to be running wild on The New Forest. Despite the semi-domestication of these animals, they are actually an indigenous species to the British Isles and have always been native to The New Forest.

The 2nd way this picture could be called a mis-nomer is the fact I used the word 'roam'. When I hear this word I think of animals running mightily on endless plains, kicking up the dust in the air, while some cinematic soundtrack plays in the background. These horses tend to just stumble about in no hurry, eating constantly, while wondering why you are stalking them with a tripod and taking pictures.

This is not an HDR picture but is taken from a single image. I used Topaz Adjust to add a bit more colour and 'arty it up' a bit. I then used layer masking to mask in the horse's fur texture from the original RAW file.