Silverwood Farm Dressage Show

Last weekend, I packed up my Forester and hit the road between two fairly large thunderstorms. The destination was Silverwood Farm of Camp Lake, Wisconsin, a charming village south of Milwaukee and north of Lake Geneva.

The drive was uneventful, filled with moody skies as I caught up to the storm ahead of me, lightning strikes lighting up the sky. I arrived at Silverwood Farm, the show grounds for the weekend, just as dusk settled. I found my River Ridge crew, petted the ponies, and then headed to the hotel for a late dinner and quick bedtime before the 4:30 am alarms went off.

The evening before the show is one of my favorite parts of tagging along. There’s a blend of nerves and calm that fills the room, and with the right people, they balance each other out, ending the night in laughter and cheer.

When the alarm goes off and the lights turn on, it’s show day! A quick shower, most importantly coffee, and we’re on the way to the barn, racing a sunrise on the horizon. Walking to the barn and hearing the horses nicker to their people, always lightens the mood.

This morning was a quick one as the first rider from the barn I traveled with rode early, with two nearly back-to-back tests. Before I knew it, I was trailing behind as she headed to the warm-up ring with her trainer, who reminded her to ride like she’s at home and to have fun. The nerves before entering the ring are my least favorite part of showing—I just freeze and forget everything I’m capable of. That’s one of the many reasons I prefer being ringside, shooting instead of mounted in the warm-up ring.

Saturday flew by after the 5th or 6th ride I was shooting. The scenery and lighting was perfect, the weather couldn’t have been better! Unlike last weekend, it was only in the low 70s, and the sun was not trying to make leather out of my pale skin. Altogether, I was able to shoot 30 different riders over the course of 6 hours. Since I wasn’t the official photographer, I focused on the five riders from the barn I was traveling with and photographed most of the riders in between their tests.

My favorite ride of the day was a sweet little boy and his adorable grey pony named Swayze. It was the boy’s very first show, and he was such a great sport. I think I shot the most frames during his four-minute training level test—around 102. The highlight was when his parents, Mom, who was reading his test and Dad, who was filming, came up to him during the bit check. Their smiles were contagious. Seeing happiness and support at any age keeps me hopeful. There are times, while being a wallflower, when I overhear striking negativity as the first words out of a parent, trainer, or rider’s mouth. If given the opportunity, I always try to let the rider know their ride was full of great moments, no matter how short. Reinforcing positivity helps those moments become longer and more frequent. I’m not a trainer or a parent, but as a mentor, uplifting each other is always my goal.

Once I wrapped up my time at the show ring, I introduced myself around the barns and handed out my business cards. I hate self-promotion, but it’s necessary if I want to keep doing this. The hardest part isn’t trying to recall the horses I photographed, but more so hoping the human I’m talking to was the rider. After making the rounds, it was time to help load the trailers and head back home. This weekend was a short show weekend, and I was more than okay with that.

The drive back was much more pleasant, with blue skies and no clouds. I tailed the last of the trailer caravan, happily watching the two butts and ears of George and Rowdy over the two-and-a-half-hour drive home through southern Wisconsin farm routes. I even spotted a farmer heading out to a field with his team in a perfectly layered Midwest scene.

All in all, this weekend was a success. The galleries are posted, and I’m happy with most of my work. I’m always striving to improve my technical skills with the camera. I was happy to get back to shooting stills after shooting mostly video the previous weekend at Sorenson. The photo  post-process is much quicker, and I don’t get as distracted by all the fun edits I could make into reels and shorts. If you’re interested in viewing the gallery, here is the link.

I was happy to be back at Silverwood Farm and can’t wait to return in a few weeks!

This weekend, I’ll be making a cameo with Team River Ridge at the Tamarack Dressage show this Sunday at the Greenbriar Riding Academy. I will be offering early morning portraits of horses and riders from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, then heading out for a top secret out-of-state overnight project that I’ll be excited to share in the future :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend and gets outside!