Love

As I stood on a hill overlooking a schooling ring on the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, I observed a young rider and her horse interacting. She was trying to put on her spurs, but her adorable horse kept leaning over to nuzzle her face. She would laugh, pet him and lean down again, and he would give her another kiss. When looking at the resulting photos, what came to mind immediately was the word “Love.”

The two obviously have a close and trusting relationship, and he just wanted her attention. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in capturing the perfect action image that I forget that some of the really endearing and special moments happen outside the show ring. On this particular morning it was refreshing to see that sometimes a ribbon isn’t the only reason we show our horses: it’s simply spending time with the ones we love.