Part of that dream came true when Rebekah Hart of Hart’s Island Pony Ranch graciously invited me to attend Pony Penning Week with her. She had won a raffle for “A Vacation of a Lifetime,” which included special access to the week’s events. How could I say no to an opportunity like this?

The Pony Swim

Pony Penning Week in Chincoteague, Va., is a cherished tradition for both locals and tourists. This annual event, held during the last week of July, is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the wild ponies of Assateague Island.

The first event I attended was the beach walk. The Saltwater Cowboys, who guide the ponies through this experience, bring the northern herd down the beach to meet the southern herd before both herds swim to Chincoteague Island.

On the day of the pony swim, we were up well before dawn to catch a boat to Assateague Channel. Everyone was quiet as we navigated the dark ocean waters to our spot. I remember looking up to see a velvety night sky filled with stars as the cool air washed over my face.

The timing of the swim varies each year and depends on “slack tide,” where the tide is neither going in nor out, so the water is relatively still, making it easier for the ponies to swim.

Once the herds make it to shore, officials signal the beginning of the swim with a red flare. The actual swim took just minutes. It was exhilarating to watch and capture with my camera.

Once on land, the Saltwater Cowboys give the horses about 45 minutes to catch their breath before they parade them through town to the carnival grounds.

The Auction

The next major event is the highlight of Pony Penning Week: the pony auction. This auction is an opportunity for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to raise funds for equipment and maintenance while also ensuring the health and sustainability of the pony population.

The morning of the auction, I expected to see a lot more drama when mares were separated from their foals, but everyone was relatively calm. Some foals would get feisty when led around the auction area, but keep in mind, these are wild, unhandled foals!

Buyers from across the country bid on the ponies both in-person and online. Several groups pooled together funds to bid on “buybacks.” These fundraiser foals stay wild for life and remain the property of the Fire Company.

A Fitting Conclusion

After the auction, the remaining ponies are released back into their herds by either swimming them back across the channel (if they are part of the southern herd) or trailering them back to their stomping grounds (if they are part of the northern herd).

Beyond the excitement of the pony swim and auction, Pony Penning Week is filled with fun activities such as parades, riding demonstrations, carnival rides, a farmer’s market, shopping, live entertainment, and more.

Pony Penning Week is more than just a spectacle or a fundraiser. This event brings together communities and visitors in a shared appreciation for nature, tradition, and the enduring bond between humans and horses.

This article about the Chincoteague Pony Swim appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Imagine being behind the lens, capturing photos of the majestic Icelandic Horses in the mystical and breathtaking scenery of Iceland.

Take a visual journey through the land of fire and ice, where I spent 10 days photographing the stunning beauty of the Icelandic Horse in its natural habitat.

As soon as I arrived in Iceland, I knew this was going to be a trip unlike any other. The landscape was covered in colorful lupine flowers, and I saw ocean, waterfalls, mountains, and glaciers everywhere. For the next 10 days, I would photograph one of the country’s most iconic animals: Icelandic Horses.

This experience was organized and lead by photographer Phyllis Burchett. Almost exactly a year before I boarded the plane to Iceland, and on the heels of turning 50 during the pandemic lockdown, I found out about this opportunity and couldn’t pass it up.

Phyllis organized six different equine photo shoot setups that ranged from waterfalls and river crossings to horses in meadows of lupine flowers.

A team of four talented horsewomen moved the herds or individual horses to the locations and into the specific spots where we wanted to photograph them. They endured rain, rivers, and early mornings, as well as being dive-bombed by nesting sterns, just so we could get our shots!

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The joy of capturing this experience through my lens is one I will remember for the rest of my life. Through capturing the beauty, grace, and sheer majesty of these magnificent creatures against some of the most breathtaking backdrops that nature has to offer, Iceland left an indelible mark on my heart.

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With the project, photographers across the nation serve as allies by photographing each participant and interviewing them about their experiences as diverse members of the equestrian community. The resulting images and interview responses are combined in a blog published once a week at www.equestriansofcolor.com.

More About the Equestrians of Color Project

To date, the project has published over 55 stories from breeders, trainers, non-profit organizers, riders, barn owners, and horse lovers across the nation. The impact is significant with increased diversity seen in publishing, advertising campaigns, associations, and nationwide movements.

If you are an equestrian of color 16 years or older interested in sharing your story through the project, you can connect with a local photographer ally at www.equestriansofcolor.com.

This article about the Equestrians of Color Project appeared in the July 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The horses of Angel Reins are bringing hope and healing to victims of human trafficking.

When we think of therapeutic work with horses, traditional programs for people with physical challenges are what usually come to mind. But in recent years, equine therapy has been expanding to include those with mental health challenges, including survivors of one of the worst traumas a person can face: human trafficking.

Also Read: The Best Therapy

Hope Through Horses at Angel Reins

Angel Reins Stable, located on 40 acres in St. Augusta, Minn., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit providing a place of hope and healing for victims of human trafficking with the help of a gentle herd of rescue horses.

These women have suffered not only physical trauma, but also mental abuse. For some, they are not ready for traditional talk therapy, and being able to just be with horses can start to heal and unlock their hearts.

“We find that rescue horses are good for this kind of therapy because they, too, have been through trauma and are able to mirror the women’s emotions,” said Kathy Zachmann, the program’s founder and director.

“In all honesty, sometimes they just like to get the country air, to breathe, to brush their horse, [and] to talk and cry to their horse, and that’s OK,” says Zachmann.

Being at Angel Reins gives the women the chance to forget about the past and their pain and just be with the horses. The women feel safe because the horses are honest and don’t ask or expect anything in return.

In the words of one of the program’s participants, “When I’m out here, I feel like I’m 12 years old and I don’t have any worries in the world.”

This article about Angel Reins appeared in the June 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Today, the traditional sport continues, but not without controversy. Animal welfare activists feel it is cruel to encourage the hounds to hunt and kill a fox. Others would argue that other means of controlling the fox population (i.e.. traps, poison) are equally or more cruel than a quick kill by a hound.

Because of the controversy surrounding the tradition of live fox hunting, many clubs have shifted to a drag hunt, where hounds and horses follow a scent dragged across the countryside minutes before the start of the “hunt.”

The dragsman lays a scent using a bag pulled along the ground in 1- to 3-mile sections across the countryside, with stops for the horses and hounds to catch their breath (called the “check”).

One of the benefits of a drag hunt is the predictability of the path the riders will take through fields and forests. Drag hunts are also more efficient, and last just a few hours instead of all day, because the hounds aren’t as likely to lose track of the scent as they would with a live animal.

Also read – Fox Hunting with George Washington

Reimagining fox hunting in this way allows club riders to enjoy their timeless equestrian sport; there are currently over 160 registered drag hunt clubs in the U.S.

I had the pleasure of photographing a drag hunt with Minnesota’s Long Lake Hounds at the peak of fall color in 2020. Established in 1959, this club has a rich history of hosting drag hunts and hunter pace events in the summer in fall.

Hunter pace events award the group of horses and riders that cover a route closest to the optimum time, which nobody knows in advance. Hunter paces have a variety of jumps and are meant to mimic the pace and terrain of a fox hunt, which can be another great way to experience the thrill and camaraderie of “hunting” without all of the formalities.

As many of our horse sports come under increasing scrutiny, it is good to see some rethinking of the traditions to the benefit of our horses as well as other species.

This article about a new approach to fox hunting amid controversy appeared in the October 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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My friend Carol Prindle of Whispering Meadows Morgan Farm and I had been talking for months about doing a winter photoshoot with her colorful herd of horses. The part we couldn’t plan is that I wanted to do it on a morning when there was frost clinging to the trees, and this only happens a few times each winter, usually with little warning.

As I was eating breakfast, morning light started to illuminate the landscape, and I looked out to see the trees heavy with frost. I messaged Carol to see if she would be game. She replied yes, and the wheels were set in motion!

I took care of my own horses, thinking I would wait until the sun came up a bit more before heading out, when she sent me a photo of one of her foals with frost clinging to his fluffy coat. I chugged my coffee, grabbed my camera gear, and hit the road.

Carol and I ended up playing with the horses in the snow and cold for over three hours because we were having so much fun!

This photo story about Morgans in the snow appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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In recent years, I have taken several trips to photograph wild horses. These trips have taken me west, where horses roam free and cowboys and cowgirls still ride the range. But last year, I wanted to do something different and head east to a place I’ve only visited in the pages of a favorite childhood book: Misty of Chincoteague. When most of us think of wild horses, we think of the American West, with its iconic herds of Mustangs. But wild horses and ponies can be found all across the U.S., including the coastlines of Virginia and Maryland on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands.

These wild horses are believed to have been on a galleon ship, bound for America from Spain. The ship wrecked in a storm, and the horses were able to swim to safety to the shores of Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, where they learned to survive on their own. A recent discovery of a shipwreck off of Assateague Island supports this theory.

While they are proportioned like horses, people most often refer to them as ponies due to their small stature, caused by a less-than-ideal diet of salt marsh plants and brush.

Seeing the ponies of Chincoteague and Assateague with my own eyes was a childhood dream come true. Getting to photograph them and come home with memories in the form of photographs was an unforgettable experience.

This photo portfolio about the Chincoteague Ponies appeared in the July 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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When you think of a sanctuary for wild Mustang stallions, you probably don’t picture it nestled in the heart of midwestern farmland. But that’s exactly where 20 old Mustangs from the biggest horse rescue mission in U.S. history found a refuge to live out the remainder of their days in peace as part of the Hallelujah stallion herd.

The Backstory

Many of the horses who served in World Wars I and II were rounded up from what is now known as the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge on the northern border of Nevada. It became a breeding ground for these “war horses,” most of whom were shipped to Europe, where they were used to pull artillery or carry soldiers into war.

The Sheldon Mustangs who were left after the wars ended remained on the refuge. They were managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), not the Bureau of Land Management, so they didn’t fall under the protection of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which prevents sale for slaughter.

In 2014, the FWS ordered the herd to be “zeroed out” by 2017. Nine hundred and seven of the Mustangs went to a sanctuary in South Dakota, which subsequently failed in 2016.

The horses were discovered to be in bad shape, starving and suffering the effects of the harsh winter environment. The state seized them in a humane case and was planning to sell and/or adopt them to recover the cost of feeding the herd.

The First Seven Stallions

This is when Elaine Nash of Fleet of Angels stepped in. Her organization helps arrange transport for horses in need, so she had the network and the passion to help these horses find homes quickly. Nash dubbed it the “Hallelujah Horse Mission,” and put out a call for anyone who would adopt two horses at a time.

When Nancy Turner of This Old Horse (TOH), a sanctuary in Minnesota for aged horses, heard Nash’s appeal, she wanted to help by taking two of the horses.

“My heart started aching,” Turner recalls. “I knew there was nothing I could do—I couldn’t take 900.” Then she started thinking. She told Nash she would take two older mares.

“It’s going to be the older ones,” Turner confirmed. “The arthritic ones. The ones that aren’t able to be retrained.”

“What about blind ones?” asked Nash. “How about stallions? How about seven?”

Turner was never one to back down from helping horses in need.

“Seven wild, blind stallions? OK!”

Turner recounts the day seven horses arrived at This Old Horse in Minnesota.

“When they got here, these wild stallions were going insane in the trailer. I thought, ‘We’re going to have to put them down. We don’t know what we’re doing. This is never going to work.’” She felt like she had made a huge mistake.

But once the hallelujah horse mustangs were off the trailer and reunited, they calmed down. Turner turned to her friend and TOH volunteer Jeanne Klein and said, “I think we did the right thing.”

“What makes you think you had anything to do with this?” Klein replied. “They found their way to where they needed to be.”

Little did Turner know how much these words would ring true in the months to come.

The Last 20 Stallions

Nash eventually raised enough money to pay off the state of South Dakota and had rehomed 887 of the 907 horses. The Hallelujah Horse Mission became the biggest horse rehoming operation in U.S. history.

By May of 2018, the herd was down to 20 bonded senior stallions. Some of them were blind, and the herd had come to depend on each other, so they needed to find a home together. Nash had moved them out of South Dakota to Colorado, where they had a temporary home at a rough stock facility.

This last remnant of the Hallelujah Horse Mustangs had to find a home by the end of the year, or they would be euthanized.

Turner was still following their story.

“How do you work so hard to save 887 horses and you can’t cut in the last 20?” she wondered. So she made it her personal mission to raise funds and find a place where a sanctuary could be built for them. She sent an email to her leadership team expressing her sorrow at these horses’ fate.

“It’s not our responsibility, but it weighs on my heart.”

That’s when Becky Robb Hotzler, a volunteer and part of the TOH leadership team had an idea.

“My sister has a farm in Goodhue [Minn.],” said Hotzler. “They have 50 acres. It’s not set up for horses, but maybe they would be open to it.”

Her sister and brother-in-law, Ricka and Josh Kohnstamm, weren’t sure how this idea would be received by neighboring farm owners.

“They really wanted the buy-in of the community,” Turner recalls. “They wanted to do what was right.”

The Kohnstamms decided to hold an open house for their neighbors to get feedback and address any concerns they might have. After the meeting, Turner expected the Kohnstamms to need time to think about it, but instead, they said, “I think we’re good!”

“I cried like a cartoon character—tears were streaming off of my face,” says Turner. “We were going to save them. I couldn’t believe it!”

Home at Last

It took a few months to put up fencing, shelters, and waterers and arrange transportation. When the herd arrived, they separated the sighted horses from the blind ones, and they all ran the fence in a panic. The gate had to be quickly opened between the two groups, and the horses all settled down. This was one herd, and they needed to be together.

Hotzler now manages the sanctuary.

“When I think about all of my horses and the horses I’ve loved, this is where I’d like them to end up,” she says. “I love the idea of giving back after a lifetime of enjoying horses.”

“They are pretty easy to take care of,” Turner says. “You just feed them. They receive minimal vet care, and we intervene only in emergency situations.” The horses have rocky
dry creeks to walk over to get to water that keeps their feet from getting too long.

These Hallelujah Horse Mustangs will live out their life at Wells Creek, and the herd won’t be added to. When they’ve all passed on, TOH may look at turning it into some other kind of sanctuary, but this is their home as long as they are alive.

“It’s truly a sanctuary in every way,” says Turner. “We worked really hard through this whole process. It’s such a privilege they ended up with us.”

The Kohnstamms donated their land, and other donors helped set up the infrastructure and paid for transportation from Colo., but the monthly cost of feeding the Mustangs is significant, so they set up an “Adopt a Mustang” sponsorship program to help offset the cost of their care. Hay is $5,500 every month and a half. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these stallions, visit www.thisoldhorse.org/wells-creek-detail.

This article about Hallelujah Horse Mustangs appeared in the April 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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It seems you can’t watch a TV show or movie these days without seeing scenes filmed with a drone. This unique perspective is able to spark our imagination and give us a view of the world normally reserved for birds and frequent flyers. Aerial photography from a drone can be extra challenging because you are not only taking photos, but you are also flying a small aircraft. Getting the right exposure, accurate focus and an interesting composition while trying not to crash your drone is harder than it looks! I will admit that while trying to do drone photography of horses, my drone has gotten cozy at the top of a tall pine tree and on the side of a hill and lived to tell the tale with photos that have made my efforts pay off.

Drones and Horse Safety Drones can cause a horse to have a negative reaction. Follow these simple tips to keep horses safe around a drone. ◆ Know and follow the FAA rules for flying a drone. If you plan to fly a drone for profit, you need to obtain a Part 107 license from the FAA. ◆ Make sure every rider knows you will be flying a drone near their horse and has given you permission to fly near them. ◆ Take off and land the drone away from horses. This is the part of flight that generally causes the biggest reaction. ◆ Start with the drone high and away from the horses and bring it gradually closer to gauge their reaction to it. ◆ If your drone is airborne and a horse spooks or gets nervous, fly away as quickly as possible. My personal experience has been that if you take your time and follow these tips, most horses will acclimate to the drone fairly quickly and some may not react at all.

This article on drone photography of horses appeared in the January 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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At 15 years old, Rilee Klaers may be just starting his driver’s education training, but he’s been driving his Percheron horse, Cole, since he was just 11.

Rilee has grown up surrounded by draft horses. His family runs a carriage business from their 100-year-old, 84-acre farm on the outskirts of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. They raise cattle, grow hay and have a small herd of black Percheron horses.

A Percheron Driving Horse of His Own

When Rilee was just 5, he became involved in his local 4-H club. By age 9, he was showing his Miniature Horse, Dollee, in showmanship and driving classes. The switch from little Dollee to Cole the Percheron at age 11 came with its share of challenges.

“Cole’s head is big and heavy, so you have to pull harder for him to go,” says Rilee. “He’s also harder to turn than a Mini. I have to give myself more room.”

When Rilee drives Cole into the show ring, he makes sure to stay on the rail, while smaller horses take the inside track to avoid any collisions.

Rilee loves working with Cole, who is a whopping 18.1 hands tall and weighs over 1,800 pounds. Everything is bigger when it comes to draft horses. Cole eats a big bucket of grain and supplements twice a day, along with a full bale of hay. And just one of his horseshoes is as wide as Rilee’s head!

In spite of his massive size, Cole is not intimidating. He invites you in with his soulful eyes and calm spirit. His easygoing, gentle nature makes him a great horse for someone just learning to drive.

Rilee is still mastering the art of putting on a harness, as there are many pieces that need to be safely in place before the cart is attached. One of the biggest challenges for Rilee has been getting the harness over Cole’s back, but as Rilee gets taller, it’s gotten easier.

Working on the Farm

When Rilee isn’t showing or working with Cole, he’s helping out on the family farm. He pitches in with daily chores, such as feeding and watering the horses, helping harvest hay fields and mowing their huge lawn. Even though it’s a lot of work, Rilee loves living on the farm.

“There’s always something to do,” he says. “Sometimes I just go outside and sit and watch the animals.”

The family carriage business also keeps Rilee busy. He often goes along to help get the horses ready, assist customers into the carriage, and stand with the horses so people can pet them and ask questions. Sometimes he even gets to ride in the carriage with his dad. He isn’t driving yet, but someday he hopes to take the lines (the driving version of reins).

Rilee is looking forward to showing Cole in 4-H for the next three years. After that, he would like to keep showing. What makes him want to show a horse like Cole?

“I wanted to challenge myself,” says Rilee. “Go big or go home!”

This #IRL (In Real Life) column about a young man who loves driving his 18.1-hand Percheron horse originally appeared in the September/October 2019 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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