Tori and Pear
Somehow over the years I had never been to the Jump for Hope show, as a competitor or photographer, so I was excited to be attending this show for the first time. I had two private clients booked for the weekend and Tori and Pear were my first pair. They were competing in the .85m and I had arrived early, peppermints in hand, to meet them both and start photographing.
I came upon their stall while Tori was in the midst of getting ready, a bit rushed since her alarm hadn't gone off that morning. She was still calm and relaxed and managed to get everything done on time, even saving a few extra minutes to clean Pear's stall. Pear and I made quick friends over peppermints and I learnt about him from Tori. I was slightly surprised at his bred, an Arabian Oldenburg cross, two breeds that I had never seen mixed before. Tori said he sometimes had the firey personality of an Arabian but the jumping abilities of the Warmblood. That sounded like a good mix to me. Tori had been leasing Pear for a year and a half but she was looking to move up horses and had wanted photos to remember her time with Pear. It was clear the two had built a strong bond.
Soon it came time for Tori's class and we left the barn, with her large fan club of mom, dad and grandmother following to the warm up ring. It was beautiful and sunny but the rings were still soaked from the downpour the night before and so the one dry warmup ring was packed. I did my best to capture shots in the two clear seconds I had before a horse came infront of my lens. Soon though Pear and Tori were ready to head into their rounds, in an arena that was much less hectic.
Tori rode her first round beautifully, with two unlucky rails but she came out of the ring happy none the less and patting her pony. She was aware of what had went wrong and chatted with her coach about how to improve the next round before watching her teammates rounds. Pear was relaxed and ready for his next round, and eagerly awaiting a peppermint.
On their second round, Pear's jumping ability certainly shone through and they went clear and straight to the jump off, where it was time for his Arabian personality to shine. Tori certainly switched it into over-drive and the pair raced through the jump off, with grace and style. They were certainly turnin' and burning. A few riders had knocked the last rail previously and so as Tori and Pear bravely approached it with a lot of canter, her supporters held their breath a little but they cleared the oxer beautifully. Everyone, especially Tori was happy when the announcer read that she was in 1st place. I am always thrilled to capture the "winning smile" as I like to call it. Plenty of pats and peppermints were awarded to Pear when they exited the ring.
It was such a pleasure to watch Pear and Tori kick some butt in the Jumper ring and to capture some moments that I'm sure Tori will treasure forever. Moving on from a horse is never easy and certainly not a horse as great as Pear but when you can treasure your accomplishments together forever it makes it just a bit easier. Thank you Tori for choosing me to capture your treasured memories, you and Pear were so much fun to be around!
