I've been a lover of horses since my grandfather George put me on my first pony at age 7, the day after my mother married my stepfather. Later we moved to Saskatchewan to a little piece of rural paradise where I spent just over two blissful years traipsing around the farm. I was really fortunate in many ways because we had dogs, chickens, cats, one lonesome cow named t-bone, and of course, horses.
There was not one day that I didn't go out to spend time with or ride Skippy. Inherited from my dad's sister who passed away at 17, I was the first one to lay claim to him after she died. I think losing his youngest daughter in a car accident changed my grandfather in ways I can't really comprehend, but having me on her horse gave something back to his soul, just a little bit, and it gave me a friendship that I cannot even describe the depths of.
Right after getting off the school bus I would head to the pasture, grab a halter if I was lucky (or a piece of twine if I was not) and visit my best friend. I was so little that I would push him against the fence, climb on, and we would spend hours like that. Not even necessarily riding around, I would lay on his back while he grazed until the sun began to set and my mother would call out that dinner was ready.
Later, when my friend Karyn introduced me to Blarney Stone Farms in order that I could help her keep her horse Jacob in shape, I fell in love with the barn. I don't think I could ever work there, because every time I walk into that stable, a little piece of me goes back to the farm. I don't get to ride very often anymore... the fancy stable horses are a little more sophisticated and high strung than my dear old Skippy, but running my hand over velvety noses and taking in the warm washes of light and the smell of sweet hay melt away any anxieties I'm harbouring in my spirit.
8 years later I met Lauren the day I photographed Chelsey at the barn. It was a wonderful day, and seeing Chelsey's face as she slipped onto Sheepi's back is such a gratifying memory that it just re-affirms to me that this bond between horse and rider is a special gift. I promised Lauren some time in front of the camera with Sheepi to express my gratitude and it was such a lovely afternoon in the sun.
Lauren and Sheepi are just a little bit special, because she coaxed the qualities out of Sheepi that make her such a great horse. Bought off the track, Sheepi came with issues that anyone without love would pass by her, but Lauren saw the gem in her and now I see the light in them both.
If you're afraid of horses, or have never been around them, let's take a day to visit the barn. I can show you how to share breath so they get to know you. I can show you how to brush them until they shine, and you can see how everything else on your mind will disappear as you meditate on the strokes of the stiff bristles and the sound they make running over the coat of your new best friend.
With that little bit of history, have a peek at some of the images of Lauren and Sheepi in the last days of the warm September light...
