Killerney Farms June 2019

I will always enjoy pulling into the Killerney Farms "parking lot", and by parking lot I mean big grass field, and seeing all the horse trailers and people. It is a warm and inviting place, a welcoming horse show with less of the stress of an A-level competition. It has been a few summers since my last competition here but I have many memories of moving up the ranks at their schooling season and eventually cleaning up in their 3 feet jumpers. Their show circuit has always been my favourite to ride in and has now become my favourite to photograph.

It is always an enjoyable moment to mingle among the crowds and find familiar faces, familiar horses and stop to chat. At this show I brought carrots or peppermints for all the horses and this proved to be a great ice-breaker. We lucked out with the weather for the riders, no rain and warm all day, but as a photographer it was a little tricky to work in the harsh sunlight and I was glad when the occasional cloud cover blew across our skies.

The thing I love most about the Killerney is the diversity of horses. It is not solely warmbloods and TB's as is the case at some shows. I saw everything from appendix quarter horses, Connemaras, Morgans and more, and some of the more unusual breeds did the best, such as my friend Trish and her Friesian Arabian cross who won Division Champion in the 2'6. There was not just a diversity in breeds but in background, with another friend of mine Christine and her horse Shadow, who was originally a pack horse for a trail riding company, winning Division Champion in the 2'6 TB class. I think it is a true representation of the equestrian discipline to see this many types of horses competing together because real riding is not about having the best horse or the fanciest horse, but simply loving your horse and loving the sport, a sentiment which is always present at Killerney Farms.