Snug as a Bug in His Rug

Its winter and things are quieter here after last year's show season wound to a close and we settled in to the cold, wet and gray of the season.  In the Pacific NW equestrians tend to focus more on improving their riding skills and their horse's training.  During this time of year the shows dwindle down to a few schooling shows mainly to get the babies or the green riders out.
Just a very few get to load up the trailer and head to sunnier climes.  I guess I could go too like last year, but this winter I decided to hibernate a bit.
  I like the break and actually need the time to recharge my energy and enthusiasm which feeds my creativity so that I am all ready to "do it again" once the season starts.   I am starting to feel glimmers of the itch to get back at it.
  That said, I still manage to keep busy with work. 
Coming up in the next month, I will have images in six different equestrian publications.  That's a record for me for a one month period!  I hope that is saying something positive for the health of our equine publications industry.  The industry took a big hit last year with the economy and of course it trickled...rather, gushed down to us photographers and writers.
A big part of the reason that I got into equestrian sport photography was from a desire to help promote the sport and share through my images, the people, horses, events and places that people might not otherwise get to see.  Our equine publishers and staff share that dedication as well. It might be important to note that most of them are horsemen too!

Last month I was sent out on special assignment to photograph behind the scenes of a typical day at Whip'n Spur, home of the very successful jumper rider Rich Fellers and his training program.  Usually I have to get in an airplane to photograph such a rider and his horses, but not this time, just a short 25 minute drive down the freeway.   
The photo shoot included a visit with super jumper Flexible and various scenics around the property and will be a featured pictorial in the upcoming special jumper issue of the Chronicle of the Horse.  Don't miss it!   I thoroughly enjoyed this photo shoot as I was turned loose as that proverbial fly on the wall  to photograph whatever struck my fancy during a typical day, so it was truly a creative process. 

In the past few weeks I've also sent off images to illustrate articles in Dressage Today, USDF Connection, Practical Horseman,  Gaitpost and a cover for Flying Changes magazine.  From the sounds of it, these publications are going to have some great features and articles.  Look them up online.

  Photo: one of the horses at Whip 'n Spur lounges in his stall while keeping an eye on me traipsing around the property with my cameras.