“Every horse deserves, at least once in his lifetime, to be loved by a little girl.”

Meet Josh the pony! Josh is 34 years old and sweet as can be. For the past couple years, he’s been teaching 6-year-old Taylor how to ride, and he has done a heck of a job.

Josh was nearing the point of full-time retirement when Taylor’s family found out they’d be relocating to the East Coast. It was decided that Josh would be returned to his owner to live the retired life, but Taylor had a special request before they parted ways: a photoshoot with him so she could “put pictures of him all over her room.”

I was honored to be chosen for this very special shoot!

During the shoot, I was too focused on the job at hand to really get sentimental about it, but when I came across this photo when I got home I definitely teared up:

The way she’s looking at him… ???

To a little girl who has been bitten by the horse bug, a horse is the most magical thing on earth. I remember when I was little, instead of doodling the names of boys like my friends would, I wrote down all the horses I had met from trail rides I was lucky enough to go on. I may have only met each one once, but they were the loves of my life.

Once I got my own horse, the magic faded into the background as I focused on competing, and high school, and yes, boys. But then after graduation I went horse-less for 12 years until I was able to buy one as an adult.

My goal now? To remember every day that they are magic. This shoot was certainly a reminder of that.

Here’s to the girls who fell in love with these incredible animals and never looked back, and to the noble steeds, no matter the size, who gave us the world.

Did you have a special pony when you were little? Drop me a line and tell me about him or her!