I’ve never paid much attention to the Road to the Horse Competition, but this year, two of my favorite horse trainers were competing, so I took a greater interest and watched online.
And what happened with Elisa Wallace and her pick, “Windy,” brought me to tears more than once.
You see, I’m on my own horsemanship journey at the moment. I have a gorgeous, but challenging, 4-year-old Morgan mare who became mine as a day-old foal. Most days, I feel out of my depth with her. But I also know she’s here to help me grow as a horsewoman.
In Road to the Horse, competitors have 3 days to start a completely untrained horse and ride it through an obstacle course. This is no easy feat! I’ve had 4 years to start mine, and I don’t know if she would do that course!
When I watched Elisa not only train, but win the heart of her horse, I felt deeply moved and inspired.
On the third day, Elisa stepped into the round pen, and Windy whinnied and ran straight to her! The whole crowd gasped and cheered at the bond Elisa created with her horse so quickly and beautifully.
Elisa’s attitude about training was that they were just out to have a fun time. She partnered with Windy, made sure she was mentally and physically comfortable with each step, and in the end, she finished the obstacle course with 9 minutes to spare, made me laugh more than once, and ended early because Windy let her know she was done.
The story gets even better when Elisa is allowed to purchase Windy and bring her home at the end of the competition. I watched in amazement (and again with tears) as Windy walked right into Elisa’s trailer in the dark and backed into her stall without any hesitation.
That’s because Elisa won her heart and her trust. I’m pretty convinced that Mare would do just about anything for her newfound friend.
Watching Elisa and Windy deepened something I’ve already been working toward. Not just as a horsewoman, but as a photographer. A commitment to always putting the horse first.
I’m not okay anymore with forcing a horse to do something they clearly aren’t comfortable with just to get a good photo. I am taking more time to connect with the horses I photograph, so that they trust me and have a good experience being photographed. I’m being more careful not to push horses past their stress threshold to get a certain expression.
This “Horse First” mindset may mean things take longer, or I don’t get the exact photo I was hoping for, but the horse and I will both walk away from the shoot having worked in partnership, not pressure.
Elisa may not have won the competition with Windy, but she won the heart of that little mare, and that’s what really matters in my book. ❤️
ps. You can watch that heart-swelling moment when Windy ran up to Elisa here on YouTube.