Amberlea Novice Horse Show

I was surprised as I pulled up to Amberlea Meadows and was actually able to find a parking spot, and was not met with cars parked up and down the dirt road. I think that was the first time I'd ever encountered that. Having not looked up the schedule before hand, I was met with much less hustle and bustle than I was expecting. It was refreshing and enjoyable. What was even more refreshing was to photograph solely hunters for a day. As a jumper and eventer myself, I am always drawn to the jumper ring at horse shows. Watching the grace and expertise of hunter rider's all day was incredibly enjoyable.

The ring was filled with beautiful horses and I was happy to see a few of my own clients showing, and collecting a few ribbons themselves. There were fun classes, such as the steady-eddy class, in which the riders had to hold a cup of water in one hand and steer their pony with the other, whilst trying not to spill the water. There were certainly some wet breeches after that but everyone enjoyed a good laugh.

I have to say that Amberlea must have a rule about smiling while you are riding because I have never seen so many smiling faces aboard their horses. I don't know about you, but I never remembered to smile when I rode at shows and any pictures of me usually had a frown or concentrated grimace, because riding is hard and stressful and you don't want to get bugs stuck between your teeth. The riders at Amberlea got and A+ for smiling and certainly did themselves a favour when it comes to capturing photos. So kudos to everyone who remembers to smile.

There were some very adorable ponies at the show and it was a joy to just watch them, not to mention photograph them. With a smaller crowd and more opportunity to focus on the riders, rather than worrying about capturing every pair, I was able to test out some more artistic angles and play around with the art of photography more than I do at a busier show. One of the highlights of my day was meeting with a client to deliver the canvas prints of her daughters and their horses. I always get excited knowing that my images will be treasured and hung in the home.

Although I only attended one day of this two day show, it was so enjoyable to spend the day next to the hunter ring, soaking up the sun and saying hello to old friends. The early, rushed morning and hours working are so worth it at horse shows. As a student, I wouldn't have time for showing even if I wasn't pursuing photography and photographing these shows gives me a chance to stay connected to the equine community and enjoy the horse show experience, without the annoyance of entry fees.

Congrats to all the riders and look out for me at your next show!