98/365 Taking her sweet time

Shep has an interesting personality.

She's a Quarter Horse, while both Oprah and Xena are Paint Horses. Quarter Horses were and are bred for sprinting. They're the fastest horses when it comes to short distances, and when Shep chooses to show it, there's no question of her breeding.

It may not be a race track, but the pasture regularly becomes a makeshift sprint track. When all three of the horses are out, usually at the far end away from the barn, one of the three will spur the others and say, "Go!" They take off running, full-out, up to the barn, cued at the same moment.

If Shep wants to win, she will. Hands-down, no contest, that girl can run.

And she likes to win. As the dominant horse of the little group, she enjoys leaving Xena and Oprah in her dust.

But there's another side to her. When it's time to come in for the night, Shep is routinely the last to come in. She enjoys taking her sweet time, ambling up to the barn at her own speed, not caring that someone may be waiting for her.

And no one walks slower than she. To walk beside her, I have to consciously slow my steps to match her pace.

I guess she's just a woman who likes to do things her own way. I can't fault her for that.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 at about 8:00 p.m.