I had the pleasure of spending last Sunday with Jackie and the boarders and staff of Jack McDonald Stables. I was there for a shoot for Pittsburgh Professional Magazine. We managed to turn the day into a lot of fun, even though the weather was less then ideal. At Jack McDonald Stables they specialize in Arabians and Dressage horses.
Though a very serious and respected stables, you can see that they also are very serious about having fun. Here we see Jackie with one of the horse at the stable.
This horse and rider combo impressed me to no end. This is a youngster with a rider and owner who was a grandmother. If you watch these two together, you can tell how bonded they are.
Since Jackie also trains Dressage horses, she gets other breeds besides Arabians and Arab crosses. Here we see one of her junior riders with a Friesian mare that is in training with her.
Here we see one of her boarders and her husband, along with their own personal horse. You can just tell by looking that both her boarders and horses are quite happy there.
This gelding is amazing to watch move. He's going to be a horse to watch when he hits the show rings in the next few years.
Although Christy can no longer rider her mare, due to health problems with the mare, you can tell how much they care for each other and how alike they are.
This set was another set that amazed me. This mare was underweight when her owner bought her. You can see what some love and TLC can do for a mare like her.
This shot sums them up to me, his power and grace matched so well to her inner power. Though he towered over him, you can tell how much he cared for her and watched out for her. He truly was her stallion and he will be missed by all who knew him!
Farewell Dear Malachi, may the Rainbow bridge welcome you to green pastures!
I also discovered some of the other owners enjoying their horses at the stable during my shoot.
The feel and ambiance of this barn was a great inspiration to me. I did a lot of close up work here, along with a lot of farm life type portraits.
They also seemed to have the perfect setting for me to work on my silhouettes. I did a lot of work on those here and I have to admit I'm very pleased with my work there.
I hope you enjoyed the images from Darby Down as much as I enjoyed being there. I hope to be able to return there some time this summer to get to work with everyone when the setting is a little more green.
Though a very serious and respected stables, you can see that they also are very serious about having fun. Here we see Jackie with one of the horse at the stable. 
This horse and rider combo impressed me to no end. This is a youngster with a rider and owner who was a grandmother. If you watch these two together, you can tell how bonded they are.
Since Jackie also trains Dressage horses, she gets other breeds besides Arabians and Arab crosses. Here we see one of her junior riders with a Friesian mare that is in training with her.
Here we see one of her boarders and her husband, along with their own personal horse. You can just tell by looking that both her boarders and horses are quite happy there.
This gelding is amazing to watch move. He's going to be a horse to watch when he hits the show rings in the next few years.
Although Christy can no longer rider her mare, due to health problems with the mare, you can tell how much they care for each other and how alike they are.
This set was another set that amazed me. This mare was underweight when her owner bought her. You can see what some love and TLC can do for a mare like her.
Oh and by the way....It's the first Robin of the year! Happy Almost Spring!
