Horse & Rider Session // Daryn & Beauty

Some sessions just make your heart soar and remind me why I do this job in the first place. This was one of those sessions.

Daryn’s bond with Beauty reminds me deeply of my own connection with Diesel, the bond you can only share with the horse that started your journey as an equestrian. There is a kind of gratefulness that goes hand in hand with horses like this; grateful for the kindness they’ve given us, the bravery they have brought out in us, and the memories they have shared with us. It is something truly magical. It was obvious from spending one minute with these two that this was the connection they shared, a friendship, a partnership but also so much more, the kind of bond that can only be built from a life partnership, though it may not be all of our lives, it is not the length of time but the how long it stays with you after they’ve gone. And just like with Diesel, I don’t think the mark that Beauty has left will ever leave from Daryn’s heart. Now I’m going to let these images tell the rest of the story because frankly, they speak for themselves and do a much better job of showing you the friendship between these two than my words ever could.

“This horse has made me into the person and equestrian I am today, she is the one who started it all. I feel very lucky that all of my horses have been very influential in my life, but she is the matriarch.”