Making A Connection #13065

The Story

It’s a beautiful summer morning with trees of green and mountains of blue for a background. Getting ready to saddle up for a horseback ride, a young girl and her horse are well-framed in an open barn door silhouette as she works. She puts the horse into the crossties, looking back to adjust the length. Soon, she’ll be onto the next step of throwing over a saddle blanket and riding saddle.

This young rider has saddled her mount many times before and watching this was almost like a smooth dance. I photographed her all through the long process, from crossties here at the start to fitting the bridle.

I’ve photographed barn door silhouettes of several of the horsewomen I know, work that can be seen in the Horse Silhouette gallery. I’ve also used this location each time because of the mountain background and the wide-open floor is much like a stage. Each time, working in silhouette made for a stronger statement than otherwise, an approach that really worked well in my storytelling favor.

Location: Hollidaysburg, Blair County, Pennsylvania. Picture and story © Andrew Dierks