Photographer for Horses in Atlanta

Rio, Scarlett’s Inspiration – Heart Horse Project

Heart Horse: noun. A heart horse is a term used by horse lovers to describe a horse that is like a soul mate. A heart horse is a horse that one loves unconditionally and feels a deep connection with. A heart horse is usually the most special horse in one’s riding career.

This project is about telling the stories of horses who have changed equestrian’s lives. Our equine partners are so much more than a “pet”. Often times we revolve our entire life around them, make life choices because of them, and dedicate our lives to the sport and the animal.

This is Harper and Rio’s story.

“Curio aka “Rio” came into my life in October of 2020. I had just moved to a new barn to
continue riding and began leasing him. Our story is long, so I am going to try and summarize it as
much as possible. I was financially responsible for my horses at the time, so my trainer was
generous enough to work with my financial situation. We made it work and I could not be more
grateful we did. I leased him (Rio) for around a year and a half before he was given to me by the same
trainer. Despite having an incredibly successful showjumping career in his younger days, he was
now much older. However, with my inexperience at the time we just did little 2ft courses and it
worked out great.

Throughout my teenage years, peaking especially during the time I had Rio in
California, I struggled a ton with my mental health. My life at home was much less than ideal, so
I instead would go and spend hours at the barn. Rio was a massive support and outlet for me
during that time. A few months after he was given to me, I got the news that we were moving to
Georgia. I talked with my parents and trainers in California and decided to bring him with me.
This happened over the summer of 2022, going into my senior year of high school. In two
months my entire life had changed completely. I was in a new school, new state and my parents
had divorced so Rio was the one thing in my life that stayed consistent. I didn’t know anybody at
the time, so I spent pretty much all of my time outside of school at the barn. A few months after
moving, I decided to move him to a different facility in Georgia. Rio had been off due to some
shoeing issues and had lost a lot of weight. This is when I started riding with Jade Anderson.
Jade helped me turn him around, she got her vet to work on him, got his weight back on, fixed
his feet, and he started PEMF therapy. He was doing so well under Jade’s care, so I decided to
start competing him. I didn’t want to push him because of his age, but he kept getting better and
better. Shortly before I graduated, I decided to take a gap year to figure out my life across the
country. I became a working student at Jade’s, she taught me everything about horses I know
today. I ran my first beginner novice event on Rio in my senior year and my first training
event/prelim jump rounds on him less than a year later. At the age of 25, nobody–including me–
thought that he would ever compete at those levels again.

It is tough for me to put into words how important this horse is to me. He has single-handedly been my lifeline and such a light in my life for so long, and on top of that, he took me from not being able to jump a cavaletti to riding at prelim height. I could not be more grateful for the blessing I have received by having a horse like this in my lifetime. He has given me everything and more that I could have dreamed of under-saddle and has supported me so much emotionally. I think if I allowed Rio to run a 2*, he
probably would. I have never ridden a horse with so much confidence and love for his job. He has
changed my life, and even though we are moving to college in a few months and won’t be
competing, I am so excited for this new chapter. Rio truly is my best friend and I would not trade
him for the world. Thank you for reading our story.”

Recently I lost my heart horse, Scarlett. She inspired this project, created my love for photography, and made me who I am today. Read her story here.

If you have a heart horse whos story you would like to share, apply here.