Equine Portrait Session // Heidi

“This horse is truly one in a million and will always be remembered by every person that's had the opportunity to ride her.”

Hearing what Jorja had to say about her beloved chestnut mare before our session, I knew this would be a session to remember. Her beautiful mare Heidi was being retired due to injury and these photos were a. It was obvious that Heidi was a truly special mare by the way that Jorja described her. She had been Jorja’s first horse and they shared a very strong connection, built over the last 5 years. Heidi has a strong personality, one that was obvious in our session but her quirks and opinionated nature clearly only made her more exceptional.

It was clear that Heidi had had an exceptional career, not only in the show ring but as a teacher to Jorja and her leaser. Jorja described that she knew when to challenge her rider to grow and when to be the most perfect and patient horse for her younger rider. I think there is no better way to describe the beauty of owning a first horse and all that they give us than in Jorja’s words,

“I’ve been with this horse since I was 10, so she's been with me for every tough moment I've had growing up, she's watched me grow and let me make mistakes so that I could learn from them.”

Watching Jorja and Heidi together at the session it was clear that they both had learnt from each other and built an understanding and appreciation of one another that could only come with time. Though often Equine Portrait sessions are thought to be about capturing the beauty of the horse, I think they can be about so much more. For Jorja and Heidi, it was about capturing the honour and personality of this quirky chestnut mare, it was about preserving and showcasing her time as a stunning show horse before she enjoyed a life of retirement, it was about getting to pamper her and feed her treats and remember all the wonderful memories that she and Jorja shared.