Village Impressions

My parents and I have a small house in a small village one hour south of Sofia. The village is called Rayovo and is just like the average Bulgarian village: old people working hard, tiny houses here and there, lots of farm animals, beautiful surroundings and so on. Here are some photos, mostly on an equine theme, that I took in our village a few days ago.
The Rebel - Most villagers tie their horses' front legs so that the horse would not run away if spooked. It is cruel, but at least the horses have the freedom to go where ever they want, instead of being tied to a tree with a 5-meter rope.

Local herd of horses

Mom and foal I.
Mom and foal II. - Synchronized tail swishing.

Old Lady and her black horse I.

Old lady and her black horse II - two funny characters.

Lizard

This little lizard went for a swim in an orange bucket with water. When my friend saw that, she decided to take the lizard out of the water and put it into a jar. A few minutes later, we released it back to the wild.

Rex in the River

Rex is my dear German Shepherd. He's 10 years old, but still has some energy to run through a river and fetch sticks (and occasionally fish).

Life of Brian

Brian is an Alaskan Malamute, 55 days old. He's adorable and so photogenic! Our friends bought him after two long years during which they wanted to own a dog but never got the chance. When I go over to visit them, I face the dilemma of whether to cuddle the pup or take hundreds of pictures of him.

Slurp! Tongue action.

Showing off his witty personality.

Playing with one of his owners.

Panting in the hot weather.

The best way to beat the heat - a nice cold bath.

Struggling to get out of the "bath tub".

Yawning.

Feeling mischievous after eating some yogurt.

Unwilling to Make the Jump (Vermont)

Hesitation right before the jump.

The rider makes the horse jump at the last moment.

The horse pushes the bar with his front legs.

And then pushes a second bar with his hind legs.

Maybe it was not the most successful jump...

... yet both horse and rider continued through the course in high spirits.

Horse Show in Vermont: Water Works

Could there be anything more refreshing than a cold shower?

A serpentine of water.

Washing under the belly is important.

When it comes to water in the muzzle, though, it's a whole different story.

Avoiding the water droplets as if they were stings of bees.

Horse Show in Vermont: Details

A horse gently nudges his owner right before they go out on the race course.

Noble horse head with a witty look.

Closing up on the action.