My Daughter: A Little Rider

October 30, 2016October 30, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ Leave a comment

Recently, for an Australian magazine that is printing one of my articles, I took some photos of my 4 year-old daughter riding.

She’s a natural, in my opinion ;).

Below you’ll find a few of my favorites!

Here she is! Riding Leader at Hardwood Creek Farm, in Minnesota.

You have to love this sweet, patient Morgan horse: he must be wondering if anyone is even on him!

First she wanted to avoid puddles, but soon she decided she wanted to go in “ALL THE PUDDLES!”

Here is Alyssa Wick, trainer at Hardwood Creek, leading Elizabeth.

Alyssa is basically Elizabeth’s idol!

Last but not least…

I love this shot; it naturally captures the joy she is feeling and the beauty of childhood (and horses!).

Thank you for stopping by!

~Julia

First Horse Show

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ 1 Comment

I took part in my first horse show last weekend. It was nerve-wracking, scary, and lots of fun! I rode an adorable Morgan horse named Gemini, trained by the Wick family over at Hardwood Creek Farm in Minnesota.

I was the one riding, of course, so my husband gets the credit for the following photos. He didn’t do half-bad, considering he was also keeping our two little ones in check!

Plus, arenas are notoriously bad for photos– poor lighting, lots of photo bombs, fast-moving, etc.– but I wanted to share them with you anyway. Enjoy!

cool shot zoomed in copy — That’s me: Number 289! Atop Gemini, a beautiful Morgan horse from Hardwood Creek Farm in Hugo, Minnesota. This is a Saddle Seat Academy Show: The Capitol Classic, July 2016.

Lining Up with a smile copy — Getting in the line-up after an amusing ride with Gemini. Morgans are known for their smart and active personalities. They are also lookers!

Julia at show close up copy — Trying to enjoy the ride…literally!

victory lap black and white copy — I love the horse’s movement here. Morgan horses in this discipline have a high-stepping trot. This is me doing a little victory lap after winning one of my classes (I was shocked too!).

Cool window shot for blog — Cool profile shot of the horse. I’m happy he didn’t get totally spooked when we went past the big window. Horses startle EASILY.

cool shot copy — There were only a few other people in my classes, which I liked. Too many riders in one area gets stressful.

Julia and Gemini copy 2.jpg — I like to think he enjoyed taking me for a ride!

Thanks for joining me :).

Best,

Julia Arnold

Family Park Date in Black & White

March 3, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ 4 Comments

I love color photographs. I really do!

Every once in a while, though, I love black and white photos even more. Sometimes a photo says more to me in black and white, as these did, below. I have no explanation for this.

These are a few recent photos of my husband, son, & daughter at the park. It was a record-breaking warm day in February, and as you can see from the clothing, we took advantage of it!

Climbing in B and W

Sun & Trees

Thank you for visiting! You can find more of my work on Instagram and Facebook.

~Julia

Rural Buildings

February 20, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ 5 Comments

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There’s no doubt about it, some days (okay, many days) I like to think of myself as a country girl at heart.

Perhaps the beauty I find in old rural structures speaks to that.

Old Barn — I see this building often. There is a large No Trespassing sign near it but I took a risk, snapped a total of 2 shots, and ran back to my car :).

Crossing Bridges — A covered bridge is a hidden gem in our neighborhood. You can’t get to it from the road.

Thank you for visiting! You can find daily photos of the cute, quirky, & beautiful on my Instagram feed. I’d love to see you there.

~Julia

Jake the English Shire

February 14, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ 3 Comments

I’m not sure if you can tell from the photos, but Jake is HUGE. He is a rescue English Shire horse now living in harmony at Sundown Horse Shelter in Hugo.

I love photographing him, but as you can see, he barely paid me any notice as he gobbled his morning hay and alfalfa.

Cool of Jake copy

I could barely get any shots of him not eating. Hey, he has to eat A LOT. Far be it for me to stop him.

Bliss copy — I love the look of bliss on his face here.

Pretty Light with Jake

Yes, this one, below, is the only one where he isn’t munching! Big Jake in Shelter copy

Thank you for stopping by! Please consider sharing my site with any horse-loving friends :).

~Julia

February Snow

February 8, 2016 ~ Julia Arnold ~ 2 Comments

It was “unseasonably warm” in Minnesota today, which is in quotes because it’s still hilarious to me that 35 degrees is considered warm here, but oh well. At least I wasn’t freezing!

Of course, it meant I couldn’t resist going to Sundown Horse Shelter and taking some pictures of all the sweeties there.