From the first time I chatted with Sydney on the phone, I knew I would LOVE working with them. After some an unexpected equine death at their barn, Sydney was smart and decided to do a horse and rider session with her gelding, Bucks.

He is her world, and she wanted amazing photographs to remember him in the event something unexpected happened.

 

I pulled up to Shady Brook Stables and the lighting was perfect! The scenery was gorgeous and I knew we would get some amazing portraits. Sydney greeted us in the barn with smiles and introduced us to Bucks, a stunning Quarter Horse buckskin gelding.

Sydney and Bucks have been together for three years and had a rocky start. Sydney rescued Bucks from some people that just weren’t taking care of him.

Sydney told me that when she saw him for the first time, he was skin and bones. He was shy and it took him a long time to open up to Sydney.

She gave him a year off in a large pasture to be a horse and build his trust up. He thrived, and when she started riding him he excelled. He was eager to learn and wanted to please.

As we started our session together, it was easy to see that Bucks was FULL of personality! We were laughing and playing the entire time we did his black background portraits.

He was such a ham, and was the PERFECT model! His eyes are a warm brown, with gold undertones that match his coat perfectly. I was in love!

Sydney showed Arabians as a youth until she got Bucks and wanted to focus on him. She has worked with him so much and their bond is something amazing to be around.

He kept giving her kisses, and loved to be in her presence. They are the best of friends, and seem to have their own private jokes and laughs the entire session.

Sydney talked about how he went from being scared and shy to giving out kisses to everyone he meets. She has to tell him “Bucks, not everyone wants kisses”. Haha it was adorable!

Sometimes he gets a little sassy, especially when Sydney is not around. He loves to be around people now, and is very curious.

He kept sticking his nose in my bags and licked my camera a few times during the session. He definitely is Mr. Personality!

Aren’t they absolutely gorgeous?! One of the most stunning pairs I have seen!

Bucks was so great riding bareback. Seriously he was the perfect model!

Sydney goes to Campbell University, and she loves how close Bucks is to school.

She talked about how Bucks is #1 in her life. He is her main man!

They were such a fun pair to be around. You could tell they had so much love and respect for each other.

Fun fact: Dover totally reposted Sydney and Bucks sneak peak! He is officially a #dovermodel <3

I seriously had so much fun with these two. It was refreshing to be around someone who not only appreciates photography, but understands the value of it too. Sydney talked about how photography is an investment but over time she will be happier she took the time to do it “right”.

I cannot wait to see all the places this pair goes. They have a bright future ahead of them!

 

 

And some outtakes, because this pair had us laughing the whole time! They act like a cute married couple! Aren’t they the cutest?! <3