Stallions in Action! (Back to Stud Work)

There is real pride in these images. I like to think of these sequences as among the finest work I have produced in all my years photographing. They demonstrate personality, presence, and athleticism, which is primarily why I love photographing horses at liberty so much. And while there are now others who are trying to replicate the work I began, I know in my heart that their efforts to match the imagery you will see here will all be in vain.

These stallions are SUCH characters. More Than Ready, for instance, circles you, a bit like the shark. He can be all menacing, and prowls about, but has never indicated that there was anything sinister about him. He's the boss of the paddock, and does things his way (like being caught when HE feels like it), and comes up to you all interested, before charging off as if to say me and my camera are just beneath him! Yet in the stable, you can go up to his stall, and he sticks his tongue out for you to hold. When I photograph at Vinery, I stay at the farm, and one of the last things I do at night is to go and say goodnight to 'my boys'. More Than Ready always comes to say hello. He sticks his tongue out, then later trys to nip, before saying he didn't really mean it, and offering the tongue in peace again. My darling Testa Rossa (we didn't get him out last time, as with Red Ransom, to which I have bitter regrets, given he was put down not 2 months later due to complications after surgery) is a star. He gave me the most wonderful sequence in the paddock, as well as doing me the honour of rolling in exactly the right spot. The light was perfect and the distance to camera, I couldn't have planned it any better myself! I'm sure he remembers me from the day that I photographed him in the pool during his racing days. His trainer handed me the lead for a friend to take a photograph of me with this wonderful horse. I stood there, with an incredibly valuable horse entrusted to me. Of course we are still friends! Dear, dear Red Ransom. Oh Red, I will miss you terribly in future visits. His loss to the breeding industry is profound. My lesson from the last trip, when I didn't even get him out of his box due to less than perfect weather will stay with me forever. Never assume there will be a next time! Always get the horse out of the box!!!!!

At Arrowfield, Danzero leapt, in indignant fury, at me stopping at Not A Single Doubt's paddock before his. His leaping sad to me, very clearly, 'for goodness sakes, I won the Slipper didn't I, I've still got it!'. And got it he has. I told him I was sorry, and came straight to his paddock (after thanking NASD for such a lovely sequence of images), where Adam took his rug off and gave him a quick brush. His dark coat gleamed, and he was impatient. When set free, he told me he was great. That he was a king of horses. And instructed me to pay attention. He belied his age. He is now over 20 years old. I think we sometimes forget that he was the horse that first alerted us to the greatness that was his sire Danehill, being of course Danehill's first Slipper winner. He's been at Arrowfield his whole life. He's not as pretty as my prince, More Than Ready, but he is majestic, and regal, and a great sire in his own right. He has sired Derby winners and a Slipper winner. On the other hand, his stablemate Flying Spur is calm. Collected. He does things his own way. In terms of running imagery, Adam told us he always runs to the same spot in his paddock, and he was so right. If I didn't position myself completely correctly it was just no good. There were no theatrics. Just a calm hand gallop down his paddock, to where he would then stand and survey his surrounds. Snitzel, ahhh, here's a horse! He's only new, his first crop are 2yos, and they've done so well. I liked him since I photographed him at the farm in 2008. He's incredibly athletic, literally floats across the ground. He plays to the camera. An incredibly well put together and compact horse, he puts on a burst of speed quicker than you expect, and his tail flows behind him with wonderful symmetry. The king of the farm, Redoute's Choice, was alas and woe a little bit lame, due to a spot of temper with a fence! Silly boy! His stallion manager was remarkably calm about the injury, saying it served him right, and that he was getting no sympathy! The great horse does things his own way, tends to be unflappable, and to date, I haven't produced the imagery of him that I am seeking, but this day will come, and when he wants to, he will give me what I seek. Beneath the laid back attitude, this horse does have presence!

And this spring we visited Darley's Kelvinside for the first time, which was deliriously gorgeous. We fell in love with Bernardini in particular, and for me personally, it almost brought tears to my eyes to see my dear Octagonal again. The staff know he's special, and he has a special place in everyone's hearts. He's not their leading stallion, but I'd go close to saying that he is their most important, in the overall scale of people and horses. He was the horse they asked if we wanted shots of ourselves with (uh....... yyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeaaahhhh!), and he's gentle and kind. Still. Medaglia is a great beauty, although doesn't possess the same affectionate temperament as Berni. I loved seeing Lonhro again, and of course Denman and it was here that we took the now very famous image of all three horses together. It was a special moment, and that single picture has probably received the greatest public affection of any other image I've ever taken. I also finally met Big Brown, and he was inducted into being one of 'my boys', and that was a special moment, and I also went across to Coolmore for High Chaparral, which was a fantatstic moment as well.

I feel that I am still in the process of really getting to know each horse, yet feel such a bond with them already. And I love producing imagery that will connect with others. And that will mean for future publications and articles on these horses, that in their own right, frequently become breedshapers, that there is just SO much imagery that is wonderful to choose from. To my boys, I thank you. You are fabulous!!!!!

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© Bronwen Healy Photography 2009

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