Meet Anna and her Dutch warmblood, the ever so handsome, Chico! Anna had contacted me a while ago to have a shoot done with her special boy. After speaking with her on the phone, the timing was perfect! She was located just 10 minutes away from Burghley Horse Trials, so last weekend I got up early, before the dressage, to meet them both!
Anna has owned Chico for about 6 years now, having a shoot with him was something she'd been looking in to for a while now. Her Mum offered to buy the shoot as a birthday gift for her
When I arrived, Anna showed me around the yard in Uffington, just outside Peterborough. With a freshly cut stubble field, light stoney walls and a long drive way framed by tall trees - I was spoilt for choice! Chico looked magnificent, with a beautiful gleam to his coat. Anna headed off to the lorry to get changed whilst I stayed with Chico. I stood scraching him just in front of his withers, I obivously found his tickly spot as he kept nudging me back for more!
The shoot begain inside the hay barn just outside the stable area. Anna had fallen in love with the black background portraits and knew she definately wanted some of Chico. He looked absolutely beautiful and stood there like a complete pro, I think he looks like an oil painting!
Sunlight burst through the trees as we walked up the driveway. Whilst I was being shown around the yard at the beginning, I had eyed up a little stone wall outside someone's house. The lady was busy wheeling her wheelbarrow back from her field and said we'd be more than welcome to use the wall and her front paddocks if we liked, which was very kind. I asked Anna to perch on the stone wall, and after a little bit of encouragment, Chico steped up on to the raised stones along side her.
It was hard not to capture Chico at a bad angle, because he didn't seem to have one! Anna told me all about him, she said: "He's the best horse I've ever had." And that was clear, the way she looked at him, she clearly has a very special partnership with him.
Chico is a little dressage diva! Together the pair compete regularly at Medium level, with plans to go up to Advance-Medium towards the end of the year. The floor plan for their freestyle tests features music from the Beach Boys!
With the berries appearing on the trees, it definately feels like Autumn was on the way. Despite the slight early morning haze, it turned out to be a beautiful, warm day. We spent the majority of the shoot on the driveway. Anna was wearing a lovely tweed jacket which she was able to take on and off. Adding an accessory such as a jacket or scarf, or both in Anna's case is absolutely perfect if you'd like to add some variety to your outfit without nipping back and forth to swap and change outfits.
As we headed to the stubble field, all thoughts of Autumn were far from my mind. The sky was cloud-free, the sun was shining down on us and lifting out the golden hues from the stubble. It was such a pleasure to spend the morning with Anna and Chico.
Chico wandered out in to his field to relax in the sunshine whilst Anna looked forward to spending some time at Burghley Horse Trials in the afternoon with her Mum, which is exactly where I was headed back too!
Thank you so much for having me, Anna! It was lovely to meet you both and I am so glad you love the photographs!
