pony – Decaseconds

Pony Finals 2022 Day 3

2023-Mar-222023-Mar-21 adohertyhLeave a comment

After exploring the first two days of Pony Finals 2022, we’ve reached the last day of my coverage. The positive vibes are rolling…

But already, there are some sad faces as horses and ponies start to ship out.

The warm-up ring is filled no only with young equestrians pursuing its eponymous activity, but also trial rides for folks considering purchasing or leasing.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 3 V I really enjoy the “follow the leader” pattern of this image.

Over by the Rolex, a loner rider slowly walks back to the barn.

I love the energy of an excited rider, fresh out of the ring after a great ride. Hanging out by the Rolex’s in gate gives me the perfect opportunity to captures shots like these.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 3 VIII

Overlooking the scene gives me some opportunity to make additions to a recent photographic trope I’ve favored: pictures of a grand scene with an obvious place from which a view can watch.

Can you see the pony jumping in the distance in each of these shots?

Too Many Ponies at Sunset

2023-Mar-17 adohertyhLeave a comment

“Too many” may be an exaggeration, but a field full of ponies on a Kentucky evening sure feels like it’s pushing the limit.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1

2023-Mar-01 adohertyh2 Comments

After posts devoted to my photography on the days leading up to Pony Finals 2022, we’ve finally arrived at the main event.

Days start early and run long; this pair is already heading back from the ring in spite of the morning light behind them.

Nearby, this trainer waits to lunge a pony.

And this young rider hurries to groom.

This was my first summer working with Sony’s 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens; the narrow depth of field (with its buttery bokeh) in combination with the eye-detecting autofocus has taken all of the luck out of capturing shots like this one.

Speaking of luck, the passengers on this overloaded golf cart might be pushing theirs.

Some pictures seem like they’re emitting sound. This is one of those.

Warm-ups in the Rolex Ring were a high-traffic affair.

In spite of the traffic, moments emerge in which a single rider is isolated.

I love those moments in which horse and rider seem to share the same expression.

Though there are no events in which adults compete during Pony Finals, this wouldn’t be a Kentucky photoset without Piper and Reuben in the mix.

Emily Elek, one of Piper’s trainers, is always exceptionally busy during Pony Finals. This picture of Emily talking on the phone is rather special for folks who know her constant refrain: “Don’t call—text!”

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XIII: Emily Now for an amusing pair of shots: two head-on pictures of smiling riders—one with a somewhat larger mount than the other.

Lastly, a shot of Will during his last Pony Finals (he just aged out of the under-18 competition) riding alongside his father in the electric golf cart. (The cart is affectionately called “blueberry.”)

The Day Before Pony Finals

2023-Feb-132023-Feb-12 adohertyh1 Comment

Progressing through important summer horse show days finally brings us to the verge of Pony Finals. To whatever extent the event was subdued in 2020 and 2021, 2022 brought back the full experience.

Around Stonewall Farm, Pony Finals wouldn’t have been possible without the work of a whole team of young equestrians. Catching them in a rare group shot felt like a rare alignment of planets.

Naturally, that was because of the amount of time spent ferrying to and from the Rolex ring. As in past years, golf carts play a key role.

In the ring, young riders have time to school and explore the space before they return for scored trips beginning the next day. Behind this squad, the VIP sits empty.

There’s a mix of high stakes and informal context that makes this day before Pony Finals fascinating.

The formal riding clothes that will make up the next few days, the spectators in the stands, the judges, the jumps—all are absent.

There’s even time to stop for a snack…

…Or for a group photo.

The huge expanse of the Rolex’s footing makes for some remarkably neutral backgrounds. Details in horse and rider are all that stand out.

Back at the barn, pony after pony goes out for schooling or trials.

Will awaits a pony on the way back from the ring.

Megan gets Piper’s horse out of his stall…

And grooms him.

Piper heads off to ride.

The schooling ring is as busy as the Rolex.

In the warm-up, young riders focus on perfecting their rides.

Piper in the ring—with some good advertising.

“Maybe the real Pony Finals champions were the friends we made along the way.”

Rain Before Kentucky Summer

2023-Jan-04 adohertyhLeave a comment

The day before July’s Kentucky Summer horse show was a rainy one—but there was still work to be done.

Naturally, though, we’ll start with a picture of Will taking a break from that work.

Piper hangs out with her horse, Reuben, while he has a snack.

Slick the Corgi is just excited to be here.

Piper gears up for a ride in the rain.

Look at that grin! Even in the rain, Piper’s having fun.

The deep greens make for some dramatic shots.

Emily Elek, Piper’s trainer, observes her warm-up from under a tree. The pony with her is working on his social skills.

The rain paused and the wet raincoat could come off; the smile remained.

There seems to be an understanding.

The trip back to the barn makes some great long perspective shots.

Breakfast at Sunrise

2022-Jan-172022-Jan-16 adohertyhLeave a comment

A summer sunrise accompanies many breakfasts when horses are involved, but I have to admit that I prefer mine with less grass and more eggs.

Breakfast with Swayze

2021-Dec-29 adohertyh1 Comment

Sharing a sunrise breakfast with ponies is an experience I highly recommend.

Young Ponies at Sunrise/Goat Paddock

2021-Aug-182021-Aug-17 adohertyhLeave a comment

Breakfast with ponies is the best way to start the day—but it’s only possible for me when we stay in Kentucky, where they can sometimes come home from the Horse Park in the evening.

Though the cottage’s paddocks may be the charming/rustic remains of enclosures for goats, that doesn’t lessen the beauty of a sunrise over its tree-lined rim.

Pony Mirror Symmetry

2021-Aug-132021-Aug-12 adohertyhLeave a comment

These two gray ponies chose to graze in a very satisfying mirrored geometry.

Kentucky Summer

2021-Aug-092021-Aug-07 adohertyhLeave a comment

We’ve finished Kentucky Summer at the Kentucky Horse Park and I thought it was time for a mega-post of my favorite shots from the week.

A lot has to happen around the barn to get the horses and ponies ready to compete… But everyone needs a break from time to time. The ponies seemed interested in Will’s snacks.

Will’s family dog, Slick the corgi, joined us in Kentucky this year.

Rider Lexi Miller was out schooling ponies in the shadow of the Rolex Stadium.

Maya Thomas likewise had her ponies to school. I really like this pony’s mane, which prefers to stick straight up.

Piper Klemm was jumping Reuben in the schooling ring. Her trainer, Emily Elek, looks on from the background.

Lexi relaxes around the barn on a step ladder…

…Or on a trunk.

Piper heads out on Reuben for a class.

A father and daughter have coffee-and-phone time in the morning.

This horse’s whiskers were caught perfectly in the morning light.

Piper tightens Reuben’s string girth, a signature of Balmoral.

In a parallel to the “dogs look like their owners” trope, I like photographing cases were riders match their clothes to their horses. Unsurprisingly, this seems to happen most with gray horses.

Back at the barn, boots need last-minute polishing before heading to the ring.

Will wait to ride. The step ladder gets a lot of use for both climbing onto horses and waiting to do so.

This horse is drying after a bath; the curly mane is a sign that braids have recently been removed.

Julia Rossow, here watching action in the schooling ring, is an assistant trainer at Balmoral.

That schooling ring can be an exceptionally chaotic place.

Following an under-saddle class, the winner is called forward to receive her ribbon while the rest of the large field watches.

A Gucci belt is quite the warm-up accessory.

Piper gets some training advice from Emily Elek.

David Vega is an incredible horseman; Piper was honored that he made it to the ring to watch her show.

Hard work pays off with a wall of ribbons.

Horses Walking, Left to Right

2021-Jun-142021-Jun-13 adohertyhLeave a comment

Horse shows are these magical intergenerational spaces where equestrians of all ages come to compete. In the three images below, I found a trio of similar images in which riders at different points in their careers traverse the frame from left to right.

Tag: pony