Fiesta Charreada Apr 20-26, 2015

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

The San Antonio Charro Association hosts 4 charreada's a year.  A charreada is a Mexican rodeo with roots going back into the 1500's.  There are two charreadas during Fiesta week and they are called "Day in Old Mexico".  I have lived in San Antonio, Texas on and off now for 32 years and had never been to the charreada as a spectator.  One year, I was invited to ride here in a group presentation of Peruvian Paso horses, but we did not stay to watch the event.  This was my year to not only view the performance, but to view it from the photographers pit as a member of the press for The Horse Gazette Magazine.  I love mixing my love for horses with my love for equine photography.

I arrived early to get a lay of the land: check which way the sun would be heading, locate the entrance of the competitors, which lens would be suitable for my proximity, and elbow space.  The festivities started with a good mariachi band to wake up the crowd.  Then the dancers, both young and old, mesmerized us with their beautiful dresses. The music started up again and beautiful ladies wearing Adelita dresses came riding into the lienzo (arena) at full speed sidesaddle.  The ladies executed perfectly timed manuevers and were proud to represent the only female event at the charreada- the Escaramuza.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

The men performed in 9 different events.  Many of the events were similar to events we could all watch in a standard rodeo, but they had their little twist for a charro style.  

Event 1 is Cala de Caballo/Reining and was a test of speed and agility of the horse.  They show the horse's talents at the lope, gallop, sliding stop (as seen below), spins on its hind legs as well as backing.  It is difficult to master and points are not easily garnered.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

Event 2 was a little different.  It is called Piales en Lienzo (Healing).  The charro's line up in the rectangular part of the arena and they have one horse run full speed in front of them.  The charro throws his lariat to rope both back legs of the horse and bring him to a slow stop.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

Event 3 is unique only to a charreada; Colas en el Lienzo/Steer Tailing.  The charro runs along side the left side of the steer, grabs the steers tail, wraps it around his right leg, and causes the steer to fall.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

Event 4 is a old favorite for everyone, Jineteo de Toro/Bull Riding. The difference here is the size of the bull; much smaller. The charro cannot fall off and must dismount the bull, landing upright.  He must also remove the bullrope and bellrope.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

Event 5 sounds like a standard but definitely is not.  It is Terna en el Ruedo/Team Roping.  Three charro's attempt to rope a bull- one by its neck, one by its hind legs, and the last one ties his feet together. They have a maximum of 6 minutes.  Points are awarded for rope tricks!  This particular charro did amazing rope tricks and entertained the crowd to thunderous applause.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

Event 6 is another old favorite, Jineteo de Yegua/Bareback Bronc (Mare). The big difference here is that the charro rides upright and his legs stay horizontal to the ground, oh, and no ropes to guide the horse.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

The next 2 events are pure charreada:  Manganas a Pie/Forefooting and Manganas a Caballo/Forefooting on Horseback.  Forefooting is where the charro has three opportunities to rope a horse running by him.  He also does rope tricks during his time before roping the horse.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

The charreada finale is the El Paso de la Muerte/The Pass of Death.  A charro riding bareback, with reins, attemps to leap from his own horse to the abre back of a loose, unbroken horse without reins and ride it until it stops bucking.  The most dangerous part of this is if the charro performing the pass falls under the three other mounted charro's that are chasing the loose horse around the ring.

Charreada San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

This shoot was fantastic.  I loved viewing this cultural event while taking in its visual beauty.  The details in the authenticity showed in the facility, the rider's attire, the horse's equipment, and the overall atmosphere of the event.  I was apprehensive of the event; worried that the animals may not be treated humanely . . . I was pleasantly surprised.  The level of horsemanship was astounding with both the men and women riders.  Each horse knew his/her job; whether it was to be roped or to be roped off.  The whole event ran smoothly with no mishaps and hugely entertaining.  San Antonio historic past shines through yet again!

Please follow this link for more images of the 2015 Charreada.

Jeanne Harford

www.genieimages.com

San Antonio Photographer

San Antonio Equine Photographer

San Antonio Event Photographer

Texas Horse Show Photographer

Texas Event Photographer

Texas, Born and Bred 

Apr 13-19, 2015

Rocky by San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

TA Rodansk+/ is 22 years young this year.  He is a purebred Arabian gelding that has graced many lives.  His story is so long and varied that I could not possibly tell you the whole thing in this short blog.  I will try to hit the high points at least!

He was born in Pilot Point, Texas in 1993 under the expert guidance of  breeders, Dick and Christine Reed of Toskhara Arabians.  Dick and Christine were relocated to Leicester, England and decided to take all of their wonderful Polish Arabian horses with them.  Rocky, as his friends call him, was shipped to England as a youngster with his mother and many others.  As a 2 year old, Rocky was named British National Champion In-Hand Gelding; a testament to his beauty and the beginning of a very long and successful show career.

I met Rocky in 1997 when Billy and I relocated to Newmarket, England.  As luck would have it . . . my British instructor from Texas A & I University, Elizabeth Salmon,  helped me locate a horse training job in England with the Reed's. I met with the Reed's and instantly knew we were a match.  Team Toskhara established a western training program for Arabian horses; which was a first of it's kind.  At the time in England, western was relatively new and definitely not a style chosen for Arabian horses.  Rocky was the ambassador for this new program and went on to win countless National titles among the Arabians and other breeds around the country.   

Billy & I moved to Turkey in June 2000 but I flew back for the British National Championships in July.  That year Rocky and I were named National Champion!  When I got down to accept the honor, the crowds applauded, Rocky whirled around, I fell, and the next thing I know I was being carted off by stretcher to hospital with a ruptured ACL wearing my chaps and cowboy hat! (This happens to be the only picture of me to ever grace the pages of  the Arabian Horse World Magazine;  me strapped to a stretcher at the British National Championships- nice!!) This ordeal is a whole other story on it's own- British hospital, how I got back to Turkey, the blood clot that followed, and Turkish hospitals.

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After our tour in Turkey, the Reed's bestowed the greatest gift ever to me- Rocky!  He was to come back to the USA and be mine.  My special boy got on another plane and came back to his/our home, Texas in 2002.  He then started on a serious show career and more importantly, he taught many riders many skills.  His top show honor in the USA was Reserve National Champion Western Sidesaddle 17 & under with Hannah Sartori in 2007.  He has won a multitude of ribbons in halter, walk/trot, western pleasure, sidesaddle, trail, showmanship, and horsemanship.  His last win to date was at the 2014 Region 9 Championships, earning a Top 5 in Trail with Sherry Rosser Carroll. 

Sherry Rosser Carroll is Rocky's bff. She has been there for him through thick and thin.  Billy and I had another tour out of country from 2008-2011 and decided that it was best to leave Rocky home here in Texas this time.  Sherry and I thought out a plan that made sense; she would take over ownership of Rocky because I had no idea where Billy & I would end up after this tour. It was hard to let him go, but I knew I was doing the right thing and, more importantly, with the right person.  During my absence, Rocky continued his winning ways in the show ring and added another discipline to his repertoire,  ACTHA trail rides.  Rocky enjoyed this time out of the show ring and of course brought home more prizes from these outings!

We did come home from our tour in Italy in 2011 and Rocky was still going strong at 18 years old!  Sherry & I then became "co-parents" and decided that he would let us know when it was time to head to pasture for his leisure years .  He continued to go and do and win and even started competing in yet another new division, Western Dressage, and was winning at that too!  Every task put before this horse was accomplished and accomplished with style.  Even when Rocky was  . . . well . . . being Rocky, he always looked beautiful.  You see, Rocky has these moments in which he chooses not to participate quite in the manner that is described by the rule book; it is humbling.  You just have to laugh and pet him on the neck and assure him that it is okay and he is still loved.  And loved he is; loved by his family and his adoring fans.  His beauty and presence stops many in their tracks . . . I think he likes that.  

It all went by so furiously; international travel, showing in multiple disciplines, trail rides, parades, going to an English hunt, and stunningly carrying our nation's flag at opening ceremonies. He has done it all and stayed remarkably healthy until last fall.  His aches and pains caught up with him and he needed a PRP Treatment on his front leg.  It has been a lengthy recovery but it seems that now he has turned the corner.  He has little pain when running free as you can see in the picture above. Riding him will continue to be slow process,  but all in all, he is happy and healthy and enjoying being a horse.

I have many images of Rocky in full regalia doing his thing for a prize, but I had very few of him in a natural state.  Last week, with the help of many friends- Sherry Rosser Carroll, Kitty Williams Salinas, Katie Springer, and Joy Brown- we were able to get some wonderful images of him. He felt great, the spring bluebonnets were in full bloom, and the weather was stunning; the stars had aligned for us.   Thanks to all that made this photo shoot happen and thanks to the Reeds for letting me a part of this wonderful horse's life and most of all, thanks to Rocky for being the most amazing horse that will ever touch my soul.

Jeanne Harford

www.genieimages.com

San Antonio Photographer

San Antonio Equine Photographer

San Antonio Event Photographer

Texas Horse Show Photographer

Texas Event Photographer

Spring Growth
Apr 6- 12. 2015

Shepherd's by San Antonio Texas Event Photographers Genie Images

I am the baby of a 4 child family; the oldest being 14 years older, then 12 years, then 7 years, and then me.  Basically, I am an "oops" and I am good with that.  The two oldest, my sister Gail and brother Gary, were grown and out of the house by the time I was 6 so we did not have a lot of bonding time.  As it turns out . . . that did not matter much because we are the best of friends now.

School started this last week and the weather had been crappy.  I had not shot much and bluebonnets were up all over town. Bluebonnets signify the time of year where South and Central Texas come to life.  It is the time of year that we pack our cars and camera's and head out to the country for those precious shots of the bright blue flowers that some call weeds.  We love them.  They mean so much to us Texans; spring, rebirth, new beginnings.

This is a special shot; smiling faces of my brother Gary, his wife Betsy, and their beloved Bella, within a Texas landscape.  My family has not been the same since the passing of our mother in 2013.  We are fragmented and still healing.  There are still pangs of sadness when we go to each other's houses and see a familiar object that often accompanies a loving story.  It is tough and we realize it.

It is true that time heals all.  We have grown in many ways and become better people all in all.  Our relationships have deepened and we understand that we are each other's family.  Not everyone has made the  leap into this new adulthood as orphans.  I continue to struggle with the understanding of the huge differences in those that were brought up under the same roof . . . but i suppose some were raised under shade and some in the sun.  I was lucky . . . I got the sun.

So, in this spring of 2015, it is my time to bloom.  I am still getting the sun and relishing in the life around me.  I love my new life as a photographer and everyday I peel back another layer to see the people in my life more simply.  I don't see the flaws they feel.  I don't feel the angst they carry.  I  just continue to push through the layers and keep the warm rays on my face and rejoice.

Jeanne Harford

www.genieimages.com

San Antonio Photographer

San Antonio Equine Photographer

San Antonio Event Photographer

Texas Horse Show Photographer

Texas Event Photographer

With a Dash of Faith
Mar 30- Apr 5, 2015

ADA by San Antonio Texas Equine Event Photographers Genie Images

                                 
Shot:  Canon 6D w/70-200 f./2.8, 1/160 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 10,000

My horse friend of 25+ years and organizer of Lone Star Western Dressage, Sherry Rosser Carroll, invited me to come to the Alamo Dressage Association clinic at the  San Antonio Rose Palace this weekend.  She sent me a Facebook message stating that Jace was going to the dressage show to be part of an evening clinic where  Dr. Lew Sterret would ride Jace for the first time.  I was skeptical to say the least!

I have met Jace a few times and each time he has presented himself as an opinionated teenager with an independent attitude.  He is a leggy, 3 yr old, 1/2 Arabian (Egyptian background) and 1/2 Quarter Horse.  He was born under Sherry's care and has been her baby boy ever since.  He is delightful yet trying.  He is curious yet reluctant.  He is athletic yet rambunctious.  These clever youngsters often take the most time to figure out the best training methods; they tend to think ahead and make their own decisions.

So . . . this young horse was going to be loaded into a small trailer, unloaded into a  new and bustling environment, put into a strange stall without any of his horse friends around, lead into a small pen in center ring solo, crowds of people chattering all about, and then was to be saddled and ridden for the first time ever.  YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAAAAAT?!  This could not be a good thing!

The horse community is inundated with these, with what could be considered, snake oil salesmen that can "cure" any bad horse or jump thru a ring of fire in 4 easy steps.  We, as good equestrians, have attended the clinics, read the books, and watched the video's to learn all of these wondrous training techniques. It all seems so simple when the genius trainer does it and yet when we get home . . . nothing seems to work quite the same.  I believe that these trainers have amazing gifts as horseman and even more amazing talents as marketers.  I know they can do what they do with a horse AND tell a good story while doing it.  I also believe that there are many folks that watch these guru's and then believe they can do the same thing with their horse at home; most cannot.  The guru's are fortunate to have these skills and we aspire to have that wonderful touch and sensibility.  So, yes . . . I am a skeptic.

I arrived early to say hello and offer her husband an older camera to video the big event.  I then positioned myself away from everyone to observe and photograph what I could through the round pen railings. Jace was in the round pen alone and would occasionally roll or run around bucking which drew laughs from the crowd.  It was start time!  Dr. Lew rode in on a beautiful palomino and began by speaking to the crowd about faith.  "Oh crap," I thought to myself, THIS was the big trailer in the parking lot that had Sermon on the Mount plastered on the side.  I didn't come for a sermon, I came to watch some horse training!   Blah Blah Blah . . . he rambled on and I sat alone thinking of how my faith has wandered for the past few years.  Then he said something that pricked my ears, "Your faith is personal.  It does not have to be in a church.  You do not have to share it with others.  It is between you and God.  It should fill you with joy and trust."  Okay, you have my attention . . . what else can you do mister cowboy preacher man.

He spoke clearly as he discussed trust and relationships.  He related it all to this young horse and to the people in your life.  He talked, he watched, he listened, he interacted, he created a relationship between himself and the interested Jace whom he recently met.  Dr. Lew knew the psychology and timing of making a connection.  He understood that when things get tough, the natural reaction for humans and animals is to back out of the situation.  Jace quickly understood his roll and happily joined Dr. Lew to learn new things; JOY.  There were moments of resistance but they calmly faded away and Jace came back for more; TRUST.  This man was good cause even I got it . . . in my life and with the people/animals in it.

Jace and Dr. Lew continued to work together and in the end, Jace was saddled and ridden within a 2 hour period.  He was able to walk, jog, and lope both directions of the round pen (without any bucking I might add).  Dr. Lew then had the round pen opened up and took Jace into the large expanse of the show ring.  He explained (and showed us) that at some point you have to let the "walls" down and trust.  They walked around calmly in only a halter and lead rope with a relaxed frame and look in each of their faces. The pair came back into the round pen and finished the program.  Dr. Lew dismounted and then remounted from the offside to wrap up the evening.  He sat facing his crowd as Jace was facing the other way . . . yes, the man was backwards in the saddle with a horse that had only been saddle broke for 30 minutes.  Pretty incredible.

The evening was a success.  Jace was not stressed (not near as much as his mother, Sherry!).  He had taken it all in, survived, and was better for it.  I had witnessed a man dealing with a young horse, nervous mother, chattering crowd, while educating us all on trust.  I came away a different person because of this event;  I thought about my faith and relationships and I wondered how my life could be better.  I went to bed blissful.

Jeanne Harford

www.genieimages.com

San Antonio Photographer

San Antonio Equine Photographer

San Antonio Event Photographer

Texas Horse Show Photographer

Texas Event Photographer