Extreme Cowboy Association (EXCA)
These are action shots from an EXCA testing event, where the horses and riders are evaluated on their ability to handle an unknown course with certain obstacles. The idea is for the pair to handle the challenges presented in the course, and to work together to get past them.
I was allowed to be in basically one spot on the course, and didn't move around so as to not distract the horses. Although I was told that had I been a distraction, the horse wasn't ready for the course anyway. Nonetheless, I prefer to not make myself obvious when shooting events.
Hope you find these interesting. I got schooled in horse ears and legs by my friend (a trainer), and while not every shot is "perfect", I learned about what the horses are doing, thinking, and listening to.
The course took them atop a small hill. I love this pose.
Hurdle.
A stretch where they can run. This is apparently the ideal pose for a horse-and-rider shot: legs splayed, ears forward.
The walkway tilts as they move across it.
Coming out of a pit.
Notice how the the animal's right ear is turned back? She's listening to her rider.
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