Photography of Equine Guided Coaching

horse on the Hill JJ on the Hill

Have you ever had some close up time with a horse? You may have ridden horses, or just come up close at a zoo or carnival. Either way, if you were paying attention, you noticed the horse reacting to you. If you really paid attention, you saw that reaction was based on how you felt about the interaction. 

The horses at Breezy Knoll Farm

Whoa. Not sure I noticed that the few times I was around horses when I was younger. I have seen and understand it much better now, after having experienced the "Equine Guided Coaching" with Bettyann Cernese at Breezy Knoll Farm in Pepperell, MA. Bettyann asked for some help communicating what this means through photography. She is in the process of building a new website for her business. 

The horse barn at Breezy Knoll Farm

I often get calls from clients who would like photography to help their business, but aren't sure how to go about it or what is involved. Sometimes they think they know what might work, other times they only have some vague ideas. We start with a conversation. Quite often the process leads us both in a direction neither of us expected. 

Taking a break from the action.
This certainly was the case here. You may wonder what exactly is "Equine Guided Coaching". If you are in the corporate world, you may have participated in leadership training or corporate coaching. You may not have heard of the practice of combining coaching with the intuitive nature of horses.
Bettyann is very knowledgeable about horses and the way they interact with people. She explained how the horses are much more in tune with the electrical fields produced by living things, and can feel and react to the changes in those fields. They literally can feel the vibes you put out! 

Of course, we are still working with wild animals, and even though Bettyann has had them for a long time, they have minds of their own. We weren't sure what the horses would do, when they would do it, or if anything would happen at all! Bettyann asked that I get photos of that….. 

Saying hello

 I visited the farm a few days before the scheduled event so we could map out her plan, and I could get an idea of what I would be facing. This included any structures or obstacles, the areas where action would potentially happen, what activities were planned, as well as possible sun direction. As it turned out, heavy rain greeted us for the event day. The schedule didn't allow for changes, so the rain became another factor to consider.

Horses out, rain or shine

The rain was intermittent in the morning, so we had nice diffused light for most of the session. As you can see from some of the photos, the horses did what they do. When it came, the rain didn't seem to effect them all that much. This photo below shows the soaking we all experienced. The humans were tasked with leading the horses to a specific area without contact, and I'm pretty sure the horse's head down had more to do with the interaction than the rain. 

Horse and human connections, figuring it out

But all the interactions were not strained. I believe understanding was eventually reached. 

Finding a connection

This photo is Bettyann explaining and reacting to the participants (the human ones), and I believe it perfectly sums up the day. She selected a group of photos from the day for her site, and I look forward to seeing how everything turns out. I'll update this post with a link when she''s done. 

Bettyann reacting to the day

Photography is a powerful means of communication, but it can also be very subjective. A project like this one comes with some risk. Will I be able to see and capture something the client expects and is happy with? The scouting and in-depth discussions with a client go a long way toward minimizing that risk. Bettyann was very happy with what we created, and I think it helps her to explain to new potential clients what she does. 

The Breezy Knoll Farm
×
Stay Informed

When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.

How Do You Organize Your Photo Library?
What is Photographer Expertise?