Horse and Rider Session // Allyson & TW Enigma
Allyson and I had run in similar circles of the equestrian world for many years and I knew of her through many other friends. I had watched from the sidelines(of facebook) her journey with her previous pony, Coda, when she had to sell her, when she was trying new horses, when she first bought Iggy and their journey together. I had also seen the heartwrenching post that she was now making the choice to sell Iggy. I immediately reached out to say that if she ever wanted to capture some memories before they parted ways, that I would love to do that for her. I was so glad and excited when she did reach out!
Even though I had seen countless photos and videos of Iggy, nothing could have prepared me for how huge this horse actually is! As Allyson described though, he was a total gentle giant and basically a big puppy dog, always on the hunt for cookies and scratches. He was one of the most friendly, charismatic and outgoing horses I have ever met and had just the best giant personality to live up to his huge stature. The same goes for Allyson who was incredibly kind, friendly, easy going and thoughtful! It was easy to talk to and get to know her and obvious that her and Iggy shared a similarity in their personalities.
It was obvious that in their 4 years together, Allyson and Iggy had built a strong connection and bond with one another. They communicated effortlessly together and shared a clear understanding of one another. The way Allyson described him before the session was weird, a bit of a dork and mildly unpredictable but also very predictable. Iggy evidently had an interesting personality but it was also evident that this was one of the many things that drew Allyson to love this huge chestnut horse.
Although I did not get to see them ride on this beautiful golden evening, I have seen so many videos on Instagram and Facebook and it has been clear over the years how much they have grown as a team and improved. Allyson still described him as a challenging ride at times that she was still figuring out, mostly because of how giant he was but they had also shared some amazing accomplishments in the show ring together! Allyson said that they had never placed lower than top 3 in any medal class they had ridden in, which is quite the feat!
Selling a horse is never an easy thing to do, particularly one as charismatic, athletic and enjoyable as Iggy but life often requires us to make the hard choices. It was such an honour to capture the friendship shared between these two and see the joy that they both bring to one another! This may be their last summer together and it was a treasure to capture them in this golden light of the final chapter of their partnership.
