Why Equine Photography is More Than Just a Photo: Preserving Your Horse’s Life Story
That dreaded day finally came. The professional hauler pulled up to the farm just as I finished the last standing wrap on my mare, Bindi. After three years of countless vet appointments, a bone scan at New Bolton in PA, six months of stall rest, rehab, coffin injections, back injections, hock injections, and new shoes with frog support, I still couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with her. I had plenty of professionals tell me I was crazy, that she was fine. But every now and then, when she trotted, there was this weird hop. Was it a new habit I needed to push through, or was she in pain? I couldn’t figure it out, and the uncertainty was killing me.
I consider myself extremely lucky that she was only 9 when this happened, which allowed me to find her an amazing home as a broodmare in New Hampshire. She’s living her best life—spoiled and an amazing mom to some spectacular sport horses. I’m so glad she’s in a great place, but there is one thing I wish I had done differently: taken more professional horse photos.
Yes, I get the occasional update from her new mom, and yes, I had a necklace made from part of her tail. But I still feel like I don’t have enough to remember us by. I have to search for the photos on my phone or wait for them to show up in Facebook memories. I want to eat breakfast in the kitchen and look at a photo of us. I want my parents to come over, flip through an album, and say, “Remember when?”
I spent six months training with Boyd Martin and won several events with Bindi. But I don’t have a single image or even the ribbons we won to remember it by.
I always took cell phone pictures, but I’d run out of space, go through them and think, “I’ll take more later” or, “I don’t need this one.” When I switched from Mac to PC, I backed everything up on an external hard drive, thinking my photos were safe. But when I tried to move them over, I realized the hard drive wasn’t formatted correctly, and I can’t access any of them.
Then there’s my first horse, Jigsaw. He’s 30 this year and living in Ohio, battling navicular. I dread the day his current mom will reach out to tell me he lost that battle. Lately, I’ve been thinking about reaching out to his current owner to offer a free equine photography session simply because I want to make up for the images of him I don’t have. But I also wish I had the photos from 15 years ago, when we were running novice and riding bareback down Wood Road. I can’t go back and get those moments. I can’t get the photos I wish I had, and I regret it every day.
I imagine some of you are nodding your head, thinking about your own past horses and the memories you’ve left behind.
My hope for you is that you don’t wait until it’s too late. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of caring for and training our horses that we forget to stop and think about why we ride.
Life moves fast. And so do our horses. Whether they age, get sold, or tragically pass away unexpectedly, time is fleeting. One day, you’ll look back and wish you had captured more of those small, quiet moments. The ones that seem so insignificant in the moment but are everything when you no longer have them.
In 15 years, you’ll want to remember those foggy early mornings when you were the only one at the barn, getting the horses ready for a show. You’ll want to remember that soft nicker when you open the pasture gate. The quiet moments when you’re grooming or just loving on your horse as they sleep in their stall. These are the moments that matter. These are the moments worth remembering.
I get it, it’s easy to put off. We always think there will be more time. “I’ll do it when life slows down, when I lose 5 more pounds, once we get our bronze medal…” But what if time runs out before then?
Your horse has a story to tell. Whether through fine art horse photos or an equine portrait session, the story you’ve created together deserves to be told.
Don’t wait for “someday.” Take the opportunity now to capture your story before it’s too late. Because once they’re gone, the only thing left are the memories. And it’s the photos that help keep them alive. Reach out now, and let’s start planning your equine photography session.
