An Equine Photoshoot with the Shaw sisters and their two ponies at Little Lodge Farm in Thetford Forest!
Earlier in the year, I was asked by Michelle whether or not I'd travel to Little Lodge Farm in Thetford Forest for an equine photoshoot. Of course the words 'yes, absolutely' couldn't tumble out of my mouth fast enough so off I trotted to ask kind permission from the wonderfully accommodating owners, Hannah & Jeff Hibbs. Initially Michelle wanted it to be a surprise for her two sisters, Katie and Rachel - but whilst Michelle has many skills, apparently keeping secrets for longer than a few weeks is not one of them! She didn't want to wait any longer so the girls were told and we got to planning! Not only did we end up having the most amazing photoshoot at Little Lodge, but Michelle generously prepared us the most delicious dinner (see, I did say she was skilful!)! I practically rolled out of their lovely holiday log cabin back to my car to go home - I was treated like an honorary member of the family.
The three Shaw sisters have been taking their ponies to Little Lodge Farm each summer to have a week in the fresh country air and paddling in the fresh water of the Little Ouse river (you've definitely seen those river photos on social media before!). So, since Rachel has moved away to university (studying to be an equine vet may I add!) and taken their extremely polite and well-mannered Connemara stallion, Darcy with her, the girls decided to take advantage of the rare occasion that Darcy and their other Connemara gelding, Hugo would be in the same place... *Enter Holly Outtridge Photography stage left!*
Their other horse, a mare and their first ever pony, Marley - a coloured pony - couldn't join them this year as she is now (very happily!) retired. Reflective of the Queen that Marley knows herself to be, naturally we had to ensure we organised something separately to make sure Marley wasn't left out of the photoshoot fun. We ended up with a two-part photoshoot series - double the fun!
Thinking about your own equine photoshoot?
How does one family come to end up with 3 of the nicest natured ponies?
The question I asked the girls at their viewing session yesterday! All three of their ponies have the friendliest temperaments and I suspect it comes down to the fact they know they are valued members of the family and are all treated kindly as individuals.
Marley: the ideal first family pony
Piebald cob Marley was the sisters' first ever pony over 10 years ago back when they were children. She's 23 now and looking the absolute picture of health. Michelle tells me in her day, Marley did it all including giving the livery staff the run-around each time she was used as a lesson pony. She even taught their dad, Warren to ride too! Since her more mischievous days galloping around Epping Forest, she has proven to be the best first pony the family could have wished for. They learnt all the important lessons of horse ownership (and life!), and in return they have now retired her. Their philosophy on retirement is one I admire - Michelle told me they chose to retire Marley when they did because even though they easily could have had a few more years of ridden life, they didn't need to. They wanted to retire Marley in good physical health so that she could enjoy gentle years of pampering and mingling with horsey friends before anything went mechanically wrong for her. It's been almost 2 years now and Marley is thriving. She took a no-nonsense approach to our photoshoot and made sure we were very efficient with our time-management so that we didn't lose her focus to the various hedges and tasty grass!
Barrowby Supermatch: Hugo
Or, Handsome Hugo as I nicknamed him! Hugo is just 7 and was bought directly from the Barrowby Stud as a 2 year old by the Shaw family. He is a beautiful dapple grey Connemara pony and a very broad boy with a big presence! I was also afforded the absolute luxury of hopping on board Hugo for a little spin, and as a fairly tall girlie I was pleasantly surprised with just how big and floaty he rides under saddle. Hugo is being slowly and carefully produced mainly by sister Katie whilst Rachel is away at university with Darcy. Katie says he loves jumping and is in his absolute element when he's sailing round a course of fences!
Barrowby Lord D'Arcy: Darcy
Dashing Darcy as he was labelled on shoot day shares a similar background to Handsome Hugo in that he also came from the Barrowby Stud. Darcy is 10 now, and is a beautifully behaved stallion. Darcy has the most beautiful warm brown eyes and a naturally textured, curly mane! All the ponies are beautiful but with his fantastic manners and handsome looks, he makes a lasting impression! The week after our photoshoot, superstar Darcy actually went to strut his stuff with the girls in tow around The Agria Royal International Horse Show!
Thinking about your own equine photoshoot?
The photoshoots
Due to Marley being retired and therefore not gracing us with her presence at Little Lodge, we opted to do her shoot at home on the farm on an overcast day (my favourite!). There were plenty of locations - the driveway, fields with atmospheric long grasses and treelined walkways. During my equine photoshoots I aim to keep everything as simple as possible for my clients - I give support and direction in terms of posing, but it's never forced or uncomfortable. We achieved a beautiful mix of imagery for the girls, and for their family members to treasure. We were even able to recreate some of their oldest home-taken photographs with Marley too which was a lovely comparison to make.
The Connemara boys photoshoot at Little Lodge Farm was held during a beautiful summery golden hour evening - the way the light hit the farm was unmatched and gave us a beautiful warm, delicate evening light. It's super flattering, so when you have a location like Little Lodge that is flat with big open fields and a pine forest, you absolutely make the most of the surroundings and the sunlight!
Enjoy more of the moments that were captured of the girls and their horses below x
Hello, my name is Holly...
Welcome to my blog
I am an equine photographer based in Essex, England. I've owned and ridden horses always, and I've never known a life without them! I've started this little blog for my many ramblings. I've always liked to write, but previously had no outlet for it - now I do! I write about all my photography adventures, horses and dogs so if you like any of those things, you're in the right place! Maybe we'll even get to work together some day...
