A Girl & Her Horse

A note from the photographer: I have been sitting on this blog post for quite some time. I've written and re-written it but never got around to publishing it... I was worried that the post would not do the session justice. After receiving some news this morning, I'm quickly reminded that a picture is literally worth one thousand words. A picture is one of few things that you can hold in your hand and bring back fond memories, even when something or someone in a picture is no longer with us. A picture doesn't need words. 

This morning, Ashley messaged me to let me know that Sophia's horse Princess Cinderellie had passed. I am truly heartbroken for Sophia. The bond between Sophia and Princess was simply beautiful. I know that Sophia is devastated. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for Sophia's mom, Ashley to comfort her daughter after the tragic loss of Princess.

A few months ago, I had a photo session with a sweet girl and her horse. I've always thought horses were absolutely beautiful animals but in the same breath, their sheer size terrifies me (or at least it did).

When I arrived at Heartland Horse Farm in Queen Anne, I was greeted by Ashley and her family. Ashley introduced me to her daughter Sophia and Sophia's horse Princess Cinderellie aka Princess. My fear of horses was immediately put at ease when I watched Sophia fearlessly handle Princess. She wasn't the slightest bit bothered when Princess attempted to carryout her own agenda... and a photo session was not one of them. 

As we continued the session, I was intrigued to find out that Princess was no ordinary horse. Ashley and Sophia got Princess a little over a year ago. Princess was about 17-18 years old, her coat didn't look great and she was a bit underweight and scared of nothing. 

It took a lot of love and patience but within a year, Princess got back to healthy weight (975 lbs.) and her coat improved tremendously. 

I think it's safe to say, a bond between a girl and her horse is nothing short of lovely.