Balnarring Horses, Mornington Peninsula, VIC

THE STORY

On a few occasions, I've come down very early to Balnarring Beach to photograph the race horses enjoying their workout. However, I've never seen conditions as good as these. With the forecast for near freezing temperatures overnight, I dragged out my winter woolies and prepared for the frosts and icy conditions the next day.

Driving from my home in Mt Martha to Balnarring, I passed through many fog patches as the temperature gauge showed that it was indeed close to zero. On the beach, the soft morning light was slowly starting to see its presence. Slowly, the horses came along from my right. Their typical routine is to canter for a little, then run back and forth on the soft sand before finishing their workout with a dip in the icy waters. Something they seem to always love doing.

As they made their way towards me, a fin appeared close by. What was it? Soon there was not one but two! DOLPHINS! WOW! With mist rising from the ocean touched by the soft golden light, I couldn't believe how beautiful this moment was. The horses bobbed their heads in excitement, seemingly encouraging the dolphins to come closer. For ten minutes, the dolphins went back and forth, loving their time with the horses before they left to enjoy the rest of their day. 

I truly felt blessed to witness such a spectacle.

Tom