An 18th Birthday Equine Photoshoot with Izzy Morton and her ponies

An Equine Photoshoot for Izzy's 18th birthday

I was lucky enough to be invited over to Izzy's beautiful stables based at her home in Gaddesdon, Hertfordshire in the Spring. Izzy is an accomplished Dressage rider and after meeting them at a few events I'd photographed, Izzy's mum, Emilie had reached out to me to enquire for a photoshoot as a gift for Izzy's 18th birthday. I was surprised on arrival to learn they had a whole menagerie at home from sheep, to chickens and of course many horses and dogs!

A mixture of ponies

We had a whole mixture of ponies to include in Izzy's very special birthday shoot. They are the sort of family who have collected their ponies over the years and we had the two golden oldies Mini and Shaggy - both in their 30s, Kassius Izzy's beautiful chestnut showjumper and Prince, Izzy's now semi-retired PC all-rounder dark bay gelding. She's done it all over the years with them all and what a lovely way to bring all the years of friendship, love and experience together in picture format.

Locations

When photographing an equine photoshoot at home in stables in your back garden, it does of course mean we have free range compared to some livery yards. I don't often visit yards and find them to be restrictive but of course we do always have to remain respectful of other liveries going about their business. Luckily though, Izzy and her mum are the only two on the yard and with the help of their supergroom, Emma, we were able to wrangle the horses/ponies in duos, and even include gorgeous little Raffi - Izzy's very own KC Spaniel!

We opted to make use of some young blossom trees, their very own bluebell woodland and various paddocks with long and short grass. Often people worry ahead of their photoshoot that they won't have enough 'pretty' places but this just isn't the case. We need a little bit of greenery, but usually great lighting and a little bit of nature is all that's required. We were spoilt for choice at Izzy's however and this only helped to enhance some beautiful moments of companionship between her and her animals.

Marking milestones

Not only did this photoshoot mark Izzy's 18th birthday, but she also starts university this year. She'll be taking showjumper Kassius with her to be able continue with tuition and competition life, but this photoshoot was a great way to spend some beautiful quality time with all her ponies before the next big change in her life! I wish Izzy all the very best of luck with her move with Kass to university, and it was a total pleasure to be trusted to work for such nice people!

Thinking about booking a session with your horse?