A few weeks ago I did something I’ve never done before: booked a photo shoot for my horses. Aside from show photos I have precisely zero professional photos of my horses. I know that those soft-evening-light, wear-a-nice-outfit-and-pose-with-your-horse type of photos are really popular on Instagram, and they’re pretty, but it’s definitely just… not my bag. I did a very tiny bit of mostly sports modeling years ago to earn extra cash and god I was just so uncomfortable. I learned that I really don’t like being in front of a camera. At all. If you ever see any posed photo shoots from me, I’ve 100% been body snatched, send help immediately. However, I definitely love a good theme photo, and I also love photos of my horses, so when a young local photographer posted about a holiday special, I went for it, opting for black background pics of just the boys.
Fittingly, the shoot was set for the day after Thanksgiving. Perfect time for a Christmas theme. I spent the previous afternoon finalizing what the boys would wear and getting everything cleaned up. I had scoured Amazon earlier in the week to find an antler headband for Presto (because you KNOW he’s a reindeer), which isn’t as simple a task as it seems. His ears are a good 6+ inches long, so I had to find the longest possible antlers to make sure they wouldn’t just get lost behind his ears. Not the weirdest Amazon scour that I’ve ever done, but it might rank top five.
I trimmed up their manes a little bit, and chopped off their grown-out bridlepaths. I don’t take off whiskers or ear hair, so those remained untouched, but I did scrub all the dirt off of Presto’s one sock. And yes, every time I have to clean that little sock I bitch about it endlessly. There’s a lot to be said for Henry’s delightful plain bay. It was a bit too cold for baths (and also I’m not that dedicated) so instead I busted out the vacuum. Turns out the barn owner already had one, so I didn’t have to buy one. Henry thought the vacuum was going to eat him, but dubiously acquiesced after some reassurance. Presto, true to form, thought the vacuum was AWESOME and seemed to enjoy it. Because of course he did.
When I asked you guys for bridle opinions I was already leaning toward the hunt bridle, which got the overwhelming majority of the vote. For Presto I thought his green rope and leather Kincade halter was just a little too busy on his already busy face. I knew if I put him in his bridle he’d just chomp and make faces the whole time, but I didn’t have his plain leather halter with me, and his navy leather halter seemed like it would clash (yes, okay, he has a lot of halters). So I went and dug out the black Kavalkade halter he showed in last year, which is a cob size. I had to drop it to all the loosest possible holes, but it worked.
Look at me, I was prepared. They were going to look great!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. HA.
The next morning was foggy, with that heavy mist in the air that just makes everything feel heavy. I fed around 6 but the photographer wasn’t scheduled to come until 9, so there’s no way I was going to leave everyone inside for 3 hours. I figured I’d turn them out for a bit and go get them around 8:15-8:30. I turned them out, cleaned the stalls, dumped and refilled the water buckets, spread the manure, then went back in the house to eat breakfast and change. About half an hour later I hear something. Is that… is that RAIN? There was NOTHING on the radar when I turned them out. But sure enough, I look out the window and it’s freaking pouring. By the time I put on my shoes it had already tapered off – it was just a small little pop-up shower, intense but very short-lived. The horses thought this was very exciting and were galloping around chasing each other. It was now 8 o’clock and they were SOAKING WET and absolutely riled up beyond belief.
Naturally I panicked. I went out and grabbed them and brought them into the barn, trying to dry them with towels. Presto is really hairy and was absolutely dripping wet. His previously clean sock was also now even filthier than it had been before I cleaned it the night before. I had each of them in a crosstie and went back and forth trying to get them dry while the horses still left in turnout continued to run around, which continued to amp up the two I’d brought in. Finally I remembered that the vacuum also had a blow-dry setting, so I grabbed it and tried that. Henry absolutely would not have it, but Presto didn’t protest. There I was, 8:30am the day after Thanksgiving, blow-drying my 2yo. This is normal right?
The photographer was early and while Henry was at least mostly dry, Presto certainly was not. I’d been pretty successful with his front half, but his back and butt were still soaked. I apologized to the photographer (I literally had ONE JOB) but she didn’t seem phased and said we could work around it.
We started with Henry, and left Presto in the crossties while we took him out into the courtyard. That pissed Presto off. He thought we were abandoning him all alone, so he proceeded to paw and tapdance the entire time we were working on Henry.
Then we switched horses. After Presto’s shenanigans I figured I’d tie Henry out near where we were shooting to try to help make things easier… which it did. Until Henry untied himself and took off. OMG welcome to the circus. I went and retrieved Henry, and tied him over in the barn instead. He promptly untied himself AGAIN and was off AGAIN. This time I retrieved him and hooked him up to a crosstie (good luck getting out of that without thumbs!), and he proceeded to flail around like a fish on a hook, pooping all over the aisle and churning up a cloud of dust. It was embarrassing. He was terrible.
By the time we finished the photo shoot I kind of hated both of them. They acted like a couple of feral hooligans, which is pretty out of character but still really annoying. I’m glad the pictures turned out great, though. Henry looks absolutely stunning (maybe I’m biased but also I’m right) and the hunt bridle was definitely the right choice. And Presto is ridiculously cute as a reindeer. Very apropos.
The pictures are almost enough to make me forget how bad they (ok mostly Henry) were. Almost. I think it’ll be a while before I ever try to wrangle those morons for a photo shoot again. That is WORK. Props to you people who do this regularly. Many thanks to Rowan Ahearn Photography for her infinite patience and somehow still managing to get great shots despite all the mayhem.
breedrideevent.com 
The stories are almost as good as the photos. LOL!
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They both look awesome but HOLY COW – Henry looks jacked and like such a Serious Horse.
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Despite the chaos, you got great pictures. One of my greatest regrets is not getting really nice photos of my girls when they were alive.
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Presto looks So Grown Up. And well done getting HUGE antlers lol!
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Amber LOVES the vacuum lol. Ugh, and horses. It always seems on the day there shouldn’t be too much pressure and it should be simple that they JUST CAN’T EVEN OMG lol. Presto looks amazing in those antlers tho!
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As both a photographer and a horse person, can confirm that they all seem to know exactly when it’s photo day, and it’s ALWAYS mayhem. I promise. If it’s not mayhem it goes completely the opposite way and they’re perfect. There is no in between. lol
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Those are great pictures!!!!
Henry looks particularly handsome & I think the antlers tell everybody that despite the good looks Presto is a silly beast.
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The photos are gorgeous! Can’t tell they were wild feral buttholes that morning! Sounds like a day in the life of a horse owner.
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That photo of Henry is absolutely stunning. I agree with the person above who said he looks like a Serious Horse. The photographer did a really nice job.
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This is what it is like to get 3 boys and a husband to take family pictures. This year I recruited the kids pony to be in the picture to keep the kids from being able to run. They were instructed to not touch the reins or kick the pony so they did both but the pony knows better to listen to them when I have a hold of her. Saintly pony for the win!
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Both boys look stunning in their own ways. I just love those pictures! Any chance we will get to see an “out take photo” or two? 🙂
What kind of vacuum did you use? Is it a horse/livestock one or a shop vac type unit?
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The pictures look great, but the boys sure made you work hard to get decent photos!
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Henry looks stunning, and Presto is perfect with those (awesome) antlers! Of course there were shenanigans. “My horse was perfect for the photo shoot!” said no horseman ever. My greedy monster helpfully drooled German horse muffin juice all over my shirt before we even got started on our holiday photo adventure lol.
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Let’s be real, I’ve done a kijallion photoshoots with Rio. He is an ASSHOLE every fucking time. He hates them with a fiery passion. I hate doing them in that they make me want to murder him. Every time I end up with beautiful pictures that look like we love each other dearly though so I keep doing them. I tend to wait about 6 mos between shoots- just long enough to forget what an absolute turd he is about taking them. Yours look brilliant so all the effort was totally worth it. Can you tell I’m doing a shoot on Sunday and I”m trying to psych myself up??
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Ok well the fact that other peoples’ horses are also shits about it makes me feel better lol
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Hahahahahaha! This is why I haven’t tried to do a photo shoot with any of my hooligans. They really did come out great though! LOVE Presto as a reindeer especially.
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Love it!
Though, as an owner of a gray horse, I have ZERO sympathy for you having to deal with ONE white sock.
And if that Kincade halter ever needs a new home, I have an Arab with a cob-size face….
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I love Henry’s pic so much. He looks so regal and his eye just glows.
That hunter bridle looks like it was made for him. So handsome!
Presto looks like a grown-up horse, love the antlers.
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Well, for all the trouble at least you wound up with fantastic photos! We will never tell that their back halves were still wet and curly, LOL. Those are some antlers – I had no idea they sold a headband with such realistic ones! Henry looks like a total stud, and Presto the sexy youngster which of course is exactly what they are. So I think the photog did an outstanding job!
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Great pix, you have inspired me to try to get pix of my boy! Tell me about the Kavlkade halter – I’ve been eying it but my horse is a funny between size, sort of cob, sort of not. I love my Kavalkade bridle so I trust the leather is nice?
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I like the Kavalkade halter more than I liked the bridle I had.
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You know.. This sounds a lot like when I was wrangling my twin two year olds for photos this year…
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That’s kind of what I was thinking “who needs kids when you can deal with 1200lb versions of them…”
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I kinda really want to do a photo shoot of my horses. But then I remember I have two greys I would have to clean. It isn’t going to happen,
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They’re from Punk Ponies
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Beautiful shots!
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What a delightful holiday shoot, filled with festive spirit and beautiful horses! Your photography skillfully captures the magic of the season, showcasing the bond between riders and their equine companions. As I admired the graceful poses and the evident joy in the riders’ faces, it got me thinking about how incorporating a calming supplement for horse could elevate the entire experience. Imagine the serene and composed demeanor of these magnificent creatures, adding an extra layer of tranquility to your holiday-themed shoots. Introducing calming supplements could potentially contribute to not only stunning visuals but also a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for both horses and riders during these special sessions. Cheers to the joyous moments you’ve frozen in time, and here’s to the possibility of enhancing them further with the thoughtful addition of calming supplements for horses!
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