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that had just happened. A wave of euphoria washed over Carol. Here she was, in the middle of a snowstorm, and witness to a tiny fillies very first steps. As she snapped some photos of the freshly born foal, she realised she was disengaging from the moment and put away her camera. “Is it about the photograph, or is it about the experience? For me, being so close to that particular mob, it was about the experience. So I wasn’t chasing the perfect quality photograph that time,” Carol reflects. When they think of Brumbies, many people have romantic visions of wild horses galloping freely down a mountainside with long manes and tails flowing behind them. Unfortunately, the reality of life for many of these horses is competition between mobs during times of drought, and death due to injury, disease, snakebites or environmental crises such as the recent bushfires, which swept through many parts of Australia. There are also claims that Brumbies cause damage to National Parks and that their numbers are too high: “I’m pro-management and proBrumbies. If the numbers get too high, they become unhealthy, because they’re fighting for their territories. They’re fighting constantly with each other and for resources,” Carol explains.
‘Blizzard’ won 2nd place in the 2018 Australian Photography Awards, as well as the People’s Choice Award in the same year. TOP: Rising from the flames: Two bachelors sparring within days of the fire that swept through Kosciuszko National Park. RIGHT: These Brumby youngsters are as interested in Carol and she is in them. 30 | H O R S E V I B E S S E P T / O C T 2 0 2 0
“But do I agree with the current plans? I am comfortable with passive trappings, but I am not comfortable with anything that is not transparent, nor am I comfortable with the shootings. There needs to be a tracking and identification system so there’s a way that we can monitor the herds, where they go and where they end up. I would absolutely love for everyone to come together and figure out a plan that works for everybody.” Over the years, Carol has observed many Brumbies and has come to realise that our knowledge and understanding of them isn’t great. So, not only is she passionate about photographing them, she’s also passionate to learn more about them: “Why don’t we study the Brumbies? Why don’t we bring them in,
