What was I thinking?

I photographed two large horse trials back to back on consecutive weekends. I don't know what I was thinking!

The first one was my event, Colorado Horse Park's 3-Day event and Horse Trials with over 200 competitors. I had 2 assistant photographers and together the three of us shot over 9,100 images! Lucky me, I get to sort and process all of them.

Afterwards I spent one whole day at home and caught a plane to Massachusetts where I borrowed a car and drove to South Woodstock, Vermont to help Joan Davis of Flatlands Foto take pictures at the Green Mountain Horse Association's June Horse Trials. This event was only 2 days but had 250 competitors. I shot over 2500 images there. Thankfully I only have to sort and process what I shot for GMHA. Joan is on her own! Thank you Joan for inviting me out to shoot it with you. I enjoyed all the green!

For those of you waiting on the proofs to all get up, hang in there. I'm preparing them all as fast as I can. The cats have me chained to the computer. (They are pretty happy to have me back after being away for almost 3 weeks with only a feeder, not a petter, to hold them over.)

Belle

Prince Shawn

OKC Memorial

A few images from the OKC Federal Building Bombing Memorial. It's a sobering, beautiful and peaceful place now, very unlike the violence that preceded it's existence.

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillacs just don't grow on trees... Apparently, they grow in fields in Texas carefully cultivated by many different human travelers.

A Hoof and Hair day

When I woke up Monday morning I had nothing specific to do for the day except get my pearly-whites polished at the dentist. By the time I got dressed, my day was full. First, I was asked by my farrier to help him find some images I had taken over the last few years to illustrate a piece he was submitting to the American Farrier's Journal. After my dentist appointment and he came over and we found the images he needed.

I am very, very fortunate to have such a talented and passionate farrier who understand equine conformation like no one else I've met. With his 40 years of experience he's seen just about every hoof and conformation combination out there. He is also one of the rare farriers that has no issues with working with a veterinarian to get to the desired goal: A sound horse with a true as can be hoof flight pattern. He understands wholly and fully how important hoof balance is. Not just the toe to heel balance, but also how critical the medial to lateral balance is as well and that getting that balance requires one to understand conformation thoroughly. Every horse is an individual with individual needs based on the way they are built and the tasks required of them.

Next on the roster was an impromptu photo shoot. I rarely have to get the photos taken the day I was booked! So later that afternoon, I headed out to a small farm to get some nice images of some Gypsy Vanners that were going to be put on the market. I was excited, like, OMG! Hair! Lots and lots of hair! Nice horses under all that hair to boot. Three of the four go under saddle and in harness too. The fourth was a youngster, not yet a year old. A mellow & agreeable sort they all were too. I arrived just as the grooming was coming to an end. Perfect timing!

First I took conformation pix of each of them and some head shots, then it was just about time for the really fun part... galloping in a field! But, alas, the sprinklers came on! No worries, the groundskeeper was still around so we requested that he turn them back off for a little bit. First I had 2 turned out together and after a a few shots the other two joined in to make a herd. There was flyin' hair everywhere! I didn't get to send them around too many times. It was their dinner time, they weren't yet allowed to be on fresh grass for too long lest they eat too much and set themselves up for a bout with laminitis and it was long past the barn help's time to clock out. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get what I wanted because they are darned photogenic, even more so as a group.

After the shoot, of course I had to go home a prepare the images for the client. That is always the most time consuming part of the job. By the time I got done with that, the day was long past over and I was about done too.

Quincy Finds a New Home

The other day I went to the local book store to find a book for my dad's upcoming birthday. I was having trouble finding it so I went to the desk to find out if they had it and if I could order it for him. While I was standing there waiting for the the employee to end a customer phone call, I saw a book on the counter that caught my eye. The book store was announcing an upcoming book signing for the book. I read the cover, mostly because it had a horse on it, and I noticed a familiar name as the illustrator. Michelle Black. Hmmmm... I know someone named Michelle Black, a horse trainer and riding instructor, but I didn't know she was also painter. I wonder... could it be her? I did not recognize the author's name, Camille Matthews, right off the bat.

When the bookstore employee finished up with her phone-in customer, I asked her if the name on the book could possibly be the local Michelle Black. She said she didn't know, but did the obvious and wise thing and opened the book to look. She said, as I read, that the author was a lady named Camille Matthews and she lived at 1908 Glade. WHAT?!? That was the address of the house I grew up in!!! If the author lives there then it MUST be the Michelle I know! Indeed it was, and the author is the same person that bought that house from my parents, has horses and is involved in therapeutic horse activities. Wow! I decided right then and there that I would return on Saturday during the book signing.

Today, I remembered about the book signing at 1:20 pm. Ack! I gotta go NOW! I called my sister-in-law and asked to steal her kid, Autumn for a little while. The two of us made it to the book store with 10 minutes to spare before the end of the book signing. Michelle saw me and greeted me and I introduced both Camille and Michelle to my niece. They asked her questions which she answered a little shyly at first but she soon bloomed and they personalized a copy of the book, A New Home for Quincy, just for her.

The book is geared for children, ages 4-8 or so and it's a wonderful look into Quincy's world as he moves to a new home. His first big barn, his new friends and his secret fears and hopes. He befriends the horse in the stall next door, Beau, who helps him adjust and answer questions. The paintings by Michelle that illustrate the book are eye-catching and lovely (and some of the originals were on display at the book signing too!) For more about this new beautiful book and Camille and Michelle, visit their website QuincytheHorse.com.

How cool and small is the world of horses that it turns out that I did know the illustrator of the book and was connected to the author in a way too. I knew that those who had bought my parent's house bought it, in part, for the horse corrals and barn. What I originally thought was bad luck in the store not having the book I wanted to buy turned out in my best interest after all. I mentioned this to them while I was there and Michelle said that it's magnetism. Horses do that.