Equus: The Horse

Strength. Beauty. Grace. These are a just a few words used to describe the horse. Equines have been immortalized in art, movies and literature since time immemorial. They are both exciting and calming, powerful yet vulnerable. I have always been attracted to horses. I was one of those horse-crazy girls who dreamed about ponies, horse camp and more. While growing up, our family was a one-sport-family and that sport was golf. We didn’t have a lot of money so I cleaned tack and stalls to earn extra rides at our local stable, which only deepened my resolve that I, too, would one day have horses. That day arrived when I was in college and there were few years between then and now that I haven’t ridden, photographed or cared for these beautiful animals. A few decades ago, my husband and I purchased forty acres in the beautiful Driftless Area of SW Wisconsin. We showed horses at the time – he in eventing and me in dressage – and I often photographed cross-country and stadium-jumping rounds for friends and family. It was during that time, when I was also covering shows for horse publications, that I became fascinated by how different horses move, how their fine legs propelled the strong, muscled bodies through a field or over a series of fences. I spent a lot of time watching, studying the anatomy of the horse and what made them tick. I was a writer at the time but found photography an equally powerful way to tell the story of the horse. I am drawn to shadows and light, motion and quiet moments, the many moods of the horse. Many of the horses shown here live on our farm. Others are those we’ve met along the way. They tell the story of how horses spark the imagination of little girls like me and how it never really leaves you. These images are my contribution to that story, nothing more, nothing less, than one horse crazy girl’s love affair with all things equine.