Hillary & Prize

One of the things I love to do is capture stories. And this story is truly special of this team of nearly 20 years.

Hillary was in a horse 4-H club and when she first met Prize. Prize was a green 4 year old and Hillary was the one (after riding horses for a couple years first) who trained her under saddle. They were a team for 6 years and with the permission from Prize's owner (the 4-H leader), Hillary took her with her to Oregon State University.

Once Hillary graduated from college, Prize was given to her. Now she had her very own horse for keeps. Prize is 23 years old now, and loves to go on trail rides and low key competitions. And during their peak show seasons, they were quite the team, even taking Grand Champion Showmanship out of 101 competitors.

​It was my pleasure to capture the bond that they share at a place they love to go trail riding at, McIver State Park. I was a gray Oregon day, but that didn't slow them down.

Many of the leaves were just starting to transform to gold and orange, and the weather was perfect for sweaters galore. Hillary even pulled out a couple cute dresses and her wedding gown, because why not!

Prize was quite the lady and even showed off her halter and bridle bling with her slightly fuzzy coat. She's getting ready for the cool weather ahead and is looking great!

And if you've scrolled down this far, I have a little secret to tell you. You might have noticed that Prize's tongue sticks out. Like many older horses, their teeth are a little funny or even missing, so that is the case with Prize. After a while in front of the camera, she got a little tired and her cute pink tongue peeked out from the right side of her mouth. She is quite the character and a true gem.

If you liked these photos, please leave a comment. And if your horse has a funny quirk, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for taking a look.