Early on a Sunday morning in August, we found ourselves at Belmont Mills, a feed store tucked into the quiet stretches of Ohio. The plan was simple: shoot a series of western and feed-themed TikTok videos. But before cameras rolled and scripts played out, there was the important step of getting the horses comfortable.
My sister and her friend saddled up and rode her two horses around the mill, letting them acclimate to the unusual setting — gravel piles, storage sheds, and the unfamiliar hum of a different kind of morning routine. These weren’t trail rides or arena circles. This was about preparing the horses to carry novice riders later in the day, building their trust step by step.
I wasn’t riding, just observing. Watching the quiet rhythm between horse and rider as they moved across the gravel and past the mill sheds. I had my camera with me and started taking snapshots — not posed, not planned, just the kind of images that tell their own story when you look back on them.
What struck me most, reviewing the photos later, was how much meaning slipped into the frames without me even realizing it at the time. Two riders heading out toward the trees, their horses steady beneath them, the light of a late summer morning spilling across the sky. Ordinary moments, maybe — but they hold something more. A memory of preparation, patience, and partnership.
Check out the images below. They aren’t staged portraits, but they carry the quiet weight of a story unfolding — one that feels a little different every time I look at them.
