Horse & Rider Session // Kennedy & Okie Dokie

Kennedy and Okie Dokie’s story is one that deeply reminded me of why I love what I do so much. It is for partnerships like these that I picked up the camera in the first place, for the girls who love their horses more than anything and adore them with such a fiercity and simplicity that you can’t help but want to capture every minute on camera.

Okie was diagnosed years ago with navicular, and Kennedy isn’t able to ride him due to his condition. I like to think he puts most of his energy into looking pretty, because just look at him! It was obvious that being able to ride him wasn’t really important to Kennedy, he is a friend and a partner more than anything and as Kennedy described, “every penny spent keeping him comfortable is worth the joy he brings to my life”. This reminded me so much of why any of us love horses, and why we are able to spend thousands of dollars on them. It is not for the riding, the showing, the training, but instead, for the simple joys they give us, the laughter, the smiles and the never-ending happiness.

It was more than clear to me even in the hour that I spent with Kennedy and Okie that they were a perfect match, suited in every way and sharing joy in life like no other. I only hope that their story can remind others to take a moment and just hug their horse, take in that sweet horse smell and remember why you fell in love with horses in the first place, because at the end of the day that is what really matters and I am grateful to Kennedy and Okie for reminding me of it. I wish them all the best and hope that Okie can eat all the grass he wishes since he made it very clear at our session that it is his life’s mission to eat all the grass on planet earth. These two are truly special and it was an honour to capture the beauty in their partnership.

“He has gotten me through so much in the past 8 years and while I can’t ride him anymore he truly has taught me that not being able to ride is a small price to pay as long as I can still spend time with him.”