I first met Amber at the Miss Rodeo North Carolina pageant in late January when I was the photographer covering the event. You can read all about the pageant HERE!
At the pageant, I was immediately taken aback by Amber. I was shocked that she was only fourteen! She was so mature, posed, and confident.
I was also super surprised to see her ride. She rocked the horsemanship category and was totally deserving of the best horsemanship award at the pageant.
When I went up to her and her family at the event, I was so surprised how humble and sweet they were! I knew we would get along just fine. 🙂
I loved her answer for the question, “If you could pick any celebrity to play you in a movie, who would you choose?”. After a long pause, she said that she didn’t know because she doesn’t watch movies because she is always outside with her horses! Haha!
When I met her for her equine portrait session, she was waiting for me with Mr. Swag, an older but handsome bay gelding.
Since he was a super broke rodeo horse, I had the hardest time getting his ears up! We were laughing so hard!
We tried throwing my reflector into the hair, playing horse sounds, honking horns, throwing ropes. NOTHING. Not phased by any of it at all!
Amber on the other hand was super easy to work with. She followed direction so well and was so fun to hang out with.
She is a very successful barrel racer. She travels up and down the coast going to rodeos just about every weekend.
When you have the kind of talent Amber has, the sky really is the limit. I have no doubt this girl is going to be winning some big national titles in the future.
Aren’t her and Mr. Swag so cute together?! For being so young, she handled him with ease and was so comfortable. I can’t wait to watch her in action someday!
Amber had just gotten back from Florida, where she was with other Miss Teen Rodeo winners. She had a great experience down there!
I was so impressed how much she travels and how much she truly loves the sport of rodeo.
I could have chatted with her and photographed her for daaaaaaaaays. Isn’t she absolutely stunning?!
This girl loves her horses. She trains several herself and uses different ones for different events. How many fourteen year olds can say that?!
Amber loves her dog too, so we got some pictures with her, Mr. Swag, and her Boston Terrier!
I really loved how Amber stands true to who she is as a person. She is comfortable in her skin and isn’t willing to change for anyone else. I love it!
We started to run out of light, so Amber changed into her Miss Rodeo North Carolina Chaps! I loooooooooove them!
Amber was so down to try anything. She was a dream to work with!
Amber is so young and has so many young girls who aspire to be like her. She is the perfect role model too!
“Get your ears up, PLEASE!!!” Bahahahaha
The thing that makes her different from other Rodeo Queens is how incredibly invested she is in the equine business community. She is constantly promoting equine businesses and professionals in order to help grow the industry.
Miss Rodeo Queens are supposed to help grow the rodeo industry, and if we had more Queens like Amber I am positive it would!
With little makeup, she totally steals the show! I adore her for that and her natural beauty! <3
As I think about my home state, I cannot think of a better teen to better represent the great state of North Carolina than Amber.
She is an incredibly talented horsewoman and knows how to kick butt in any arena. She doesn’t just talk the talk, but she walks it too!
She is kind and sweet, and so very supportive of others in the rodeo industry. She really aims to lift everyone up!
She is so genuine and real, which can be a breath of fresh air in the equine community. I looooove the confidence that this young lady exudes!
Amber was a dream to work with, and I am so happy that she snagged up the Miss Teen Rodeo North Carolina title of 2016. She is the perfect queen to represent NC, and I am so glad to have met her and got to know her personally.
Check out her page HERE ya’ll!
