Vienna – Spanish Riding School, originally uploaded by marianne.jensen.

Grab that new calendar and start to plan how you will make this year special! I had to smile when I saw this photo of globe-trotting photographer Marianne Jensen. She was in Vienna, Austria before Christmas and had a starstruck moment of whimsy as she posed, above, in front of the entrance to the Spanish Riding School.

This image brightened my New Year’s Day, which was considerably darkened by a foot of snow, an inch of ice, and a wind chill factor right around zero.

Marianne’s lighthearted image reminded me that there are still so many places to go, things to see, and horses to admire. We will never see it all. The horse world is infinite.

Kick up your heels, blog readers. Send me your photos imitating Marianne’s pose in front of your favorite equestrian landmark or with your favorite four-legged friend. Remember that where you are right now might be on someone’s list of places they long to see. Don’t forget to smile as you kick!

I’ll try to post some of your photos here or make some sort of a web album so we can all share.

Email your photos to franjurga (at) gmail.com, and don’t forget to mention who you are and where you are. You never know who you might inspire–just ask Marianne! Thanks!

Click on the caption link to see more of Marianne’s photos of Christmas in Vienna.