WESTERN

"I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH HORSES SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD. MY PARENTS SAW AN ENERGETIC BLONDIE AND KNOW THEY NEEDED TO FIND AN AVENUE FOR ME. I STARTED WITH ENGLISH LESSONS AND THEN AT AGE 8 I JOINED A PRECISION DRILL TEAM CALLED "THE WESTERNAIRES.." 

AT 11 MY DREAM CAME TRUE WHEN MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME MY VERY FIRST HORSE, AND APPALOOSA NAMED GUY. I RODE CHATFIELD STATE PARK FOR 7 YEARS WITH MY FRIENDS, RACING ACROSS OPEN PLAINS, UP AND OVER FALLEN TREES AND WADING THROUGH WATER THAT CAME UP OVER THE HORSES BACK. IT WAS A TRULY INCREDIBLE CHILDHOOD I GOT TO LIVE. RUNNING FREELY ON THE BACK OF MY HORSE. THE LANDSCAPE GUY AND I RODE AMONGST WATCHED ME TRANSITION FROM A GIRL TO A WOMAN, WALKING WITH ME THROUGH THE AWKWARD YEARS OF ADOLESCENCE. I RODE ON AND OFF IN COLLEGE AND THEN BACAME A BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL GUIDE IN THE ROCK MOUNTAINS.

IN 2013 MY HUSBAND AND I ADOPTED A WILD MUSTANG, DYLAN, THE GREY YOU SEE IN THESE PICTURES. HE KNEW NOTHING, HAD NEVER BEEN HANDLED, HAD NVER HAD ANYONE ON HIS BACK, NEVER BEEN TOUCHED. THE BEST PART OF WORKING WITH HORSES IS GAINING THEIR TRUST AND HELPING THEM FIND SUCCESS AND VICTORY IN THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. DYLAN WAS THE FIRST HORSE I EVER STARTED AND SO HE AND I LEARNED ALL HE KNOWS TOGETHER. IT TAUGHT ME THAT I TRULY AM NVER DONE LEARNING, AND ENCOURAGED ME TO PURSUE HORSE TRAINING IN NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP WITH MY TRAINER SEAN IN ERIE. I LOVE THE PROCESS OF TRAINING AND HANDLING THESE ANIMALS AND FIND THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE TO BE VERY REWARDING AND FULFILLING."

THE WHOLE PROCESS OF THIS SHOOT WAS SO MUCH FUN! WHEN I WAS FIRST APPROACHED ABOUT THE IDEA FOR THIS SHOOT I WAS SUPER EXCITED AND WAS REALLY HOPING THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN. I LOVED BEING ABLE TO BRING TO TLIFE A VISION THAT TAYLOR HAD. DYLAN AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT! THE SHOOT WAS ALSO A GREAT TRAINING AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR MY TWO HORSES. THE OTHER HORSE SEEN IN THE PHOTOS, MAGGIE MY MUSTANG MARE, HAD NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND SO IT WAS AN AWESOME EXPOSURE FOR HER. TAYLOR AND BRIDGETTE WERE SUPER FUN TO WORK WITH AND CLEAR TIN THEIR COMMUNICATION."

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING WITH HORSES AND WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THE JOB?

"WHERE TO BEGIN... HORSES HAVE THE UNCANNY ABILITY TO REFLECT THE PERSON WHICH SITS UP ON THEIR BACK. ARE YOU TENSE? YOUR HORSE WILL REFLECT THAT. ARE YOU TIMID? YOUR HORSE WILL SHOW THAT TO EVERYONE WATCHING. THIS IN TURN CHALLENGES ME TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF FOR THEM. TO BE CLEAR, CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 26 YEARS AND STILL TO THIS DAY I AM HUMBLED THAT THIS 1,000 POUND PREY ANIMAL WOULD LET ME, THE MEAT EATING PREDATOR CLIMB UP ONTO IT'S BACK THE SAME WAY A MOUNTAIN LION WOULD GO TO MAKE ITS LETHAL STRIKE. AND THE, OH WAIT... LET ME STRAP ANOTHER DEAD ANIMALS TO IT (LEATHER SADDLE AND BRIDAL) AND LET ME RIDE IT FREELY WHEREVER I'D LIKE TO GO. IT TAKES A HECK OF A LOT OF TRUST AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION COMING FROM BOTH SIDES. THE PASSION I HAVE FOR HORSES RUNS DEEP... I CANNOT GO ONE DAY WITHOUT THINKING OF THEM. I WILL CLEAN STALLS ALL DAY IN THE HEAT JUST FOR A RIDE AT SUNSET. IWILL STACK HAY TO THE CEILING AS LONG AS I GET TO TAKE A STROLL ON THEIR BACK AFTERWARDS. I DO IT ALL FOR THEM.
HORSES HAVE TAUGHT ME TO BE QUICK TO CHECK MYSELF BEFORE CORRECTING ANOTHER. RATHER THAN TELLING OTHERS ALL THAT THEY HAVE DONE WRONG, I MUST TAKE AN HONEST LOOK AT MYSELF AND BE WILLING TO MAKE A CHANGE. I EAT, SLEEP AND BREATHE HORSES. I FEEL COMPLETELY CERTAIN THAT GOD PUT ME ON THE EARTH TO RIDE THEM. I FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD FALL OFF MY BACK WHEN I RIDE ON THESES BORROWED WINGS. THEY EMBODY A STRENGTH THAT HAS BEEN REVERED THROUGHOUT HISTORY, TAKING MEN BRAVELY INTO BATTLE, BRINGING THE FALLEN HOME TO THEIR LOVED ONES, AND CARRYING OUR ANCESTORS ACROSS UNCHARTED TERRITORY. TO RIDE UPON THEIR BACKS IS TO RIDE UPON THE WINGS OF THE WIND, IF ONLY FOR A BIT, BUT I ALWAYS WALK AWAY A BETTER VERSION OF MYSELF."

WHAT MAKES YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT WORKING WITH HORSES?

WE WANTED TO GET TO KNOW SARAH A LITTLE BETTER SO WE ASKED HER A FEW QUESTIONS:

THIS SHOOT WAS A REALLY FUN EXPERIENCE FOR ME. WELL FOR US, MY WIFE BRIDGETTE HELPED WITH STYLING! WE WERE ABLE TO CONCEPT THIS AND BRING THE VISION TO LIFE AS A WAY TO HIGHLIGHT WESTERN AND RANCH LIFE CULTURE. WE GOT INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO WORK WITH SARAH WELTY WHO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH HORSES FOR ABOUT 26 YEARS. SHE IS INCREDIBLY KNOWLEDGABLE AND PHENOMENAL WITH THE HORSES SHE WORKS WITH AND CARS FOR. ON THIS SHOOT SHE BROUGHT HER MUSTANGS, DYLAN AND MAGGIE. WORKING WITH MUSTANGS WAS TRULY A DREAM BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE HTHEY INCREDIBLY POWERFUL BUT THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT!

JUST FOR FUN

DENVER, COLORADO

2021