Toby and I recently went to the wood yard in Samovodene to get some wood shavings (good value – 1m3 bag of large shavings, 3 leva per bag) and decided to come back the long way, through Resen and Stefan Stambolovo through Maslarevo.  When we were just crossing a stream on our way out of Resen a group of horses came rushing towards us cantering hard and headed off to the village centre – they were beautiful, really beautiful in their movement, and in the group were a pair of jet black horses that looked like a breed I recognised but wasn’t sure.

Anyway, ever up for a diversion (and certain that Jane would want to see the horses) I turned the car around and drove off after them.  We found them in the village “park” among the flowers and benches and kids play equipment, munching down on the bright green grass around the edges that hadn’t been cut – in fact the man doing the grass cutting was working just a short distance away but the noise of his bruchcutter wasn’t bothering them. I took these photos on my phone while Toby took the opportunity to take some more professionally framed pictures for his own portfolio 😉 .

For the life of me I couldn’t remember the name of the breed of the two jet black horses but they were spectacular – all of them were clearly well looked after – and among the group was a foal with its curly coat and belly covering of mud from rolling around.

Anyway, from down the road came the revving engine sound of a bike and then a quad bike came into view, taking a long sweep around the park area to come down behind the group of horses – obviously the owner or something – to where I was standing. I said hello in my pigeon Bulgarian and he replied in perfect English! He was the owner and he told me that the two pure breed mares were Friesians, and the foal was a Friesian cross and the stallion was an eventer that he owned. Anyway, he said that we were welcome to come and visit his little farm any time we wanted to see the horses – perhaps a useful contact for Jane :-)!  With that he revved up his quad bike and the horses bolted off – not, I think, in the direction he wanted them to go because we watched him chase them around the block before they headed for home.

We followed him as he herded the horses back home or rather, he followed them revving loudly as they took themselves home at the gallop, slowing gracefully to a trot as they approached the open gate to their paddock and walked in to a manger full of hay.  It was a great diversion – one of the real pleasures of taking time out and getting to know our local area in beautiful Bulgaria!