Wild horses in the mist

During a misty walk in nature reserve 'the silent core' near Zeewolde [NL] we encountered a herd of Konik horses feasting on plants among the thistles.
This turned out not to be an easy meal, as many of the Konik horses have scars and sometimes the thistles are still stuck in their skin.

Fortunately, there are more and more places in the Netherlands where these Konik horses, along with cattle such as Scottish Highlanders, can live relatively freely in the wild.

I didn't want to disturb the herd of Konik horses and had positioned myself at a respectful distance despite the fog. Sometimes, however, nature comes to you, and in a short time the herd of Konik horses had gathered around me. Up close, they are impressive animals - especially when the stallions watch you with wary eyes in the process.
This 'brown beauty' in particular was very curious and posed right in front of me like a professional model.
I took advantage of this opportunity to quickly take a few pictures of the Koniks before slowly withdrawing from their immediate surroundings.
Not unjustly, by the way, because not long after that a "disagreement" arose between two ladies within the herd of Koniks, which was enforced non-verbally. Even the adjacent Konik horses were pushed away.

But I'm glad I was able to take advantage of the moment and that the weather conditions also helped, because the fog creates the beautiful soft pastel tones in the photo.
Version in Landscape format, there is also a version in Portrait format .

close-up / portrait / Konik / horse / horses / herd / harem / wild / animals / pristine / pure / natural / nature conservation / nature management / thistles / natural behavior / pastel / light brown / brown / green / blue / gray / crop / close up / bushes / fog / wild horses / free