He's Splendid!

And splendid he is! I had the good fortune to photograph this special 21 year old Thoroughbred gelding called He's Splendid last week. You would never guess he is 21 because he is in fabulous condition. Splendid is a special horse with a very large heart and a ton of compassion. He seemed to possess the collective wisdom from his species.

Splendid came all the way from CA with his human Christie. I met Christie at Melisa Pearce's Lil Bit North Ranch at a workshop a week and a half ago. She and Splendid have quite a bond that didn't go unnoticed. I was touched and delighted that Christie asked me to come back later in the week for a photo session!

A little black cloud of rain and hail followed me down the mountain and to Boulder. I thought we would be rained out but I went anyway. Christie and I talked for quite a while in the barn and soon enough the sun came out. One thing about Colorado weather is it can change in a heartbeat and the shoot went well after all!

Christie gave me free rein to choose and work on any piece I wanted to. What trust! I was a bit nervous showing Christie the portrait because she was sooo close to her horse but she was delighted and went off to show it to Splendid, who we believe approved!

Splendid and Christie left for home yesterday and should be back in CA by now. Christie decided to leave the portrait with me so I could have it mounted on aluminum for her (She sent me an email already telling me she is counting the days until it arrives!).

Everybody at Melisa's was touched by this horse.....

Take good care,
Susan