Black Heart Horse Models 🖤
Hi guys, we have had lots of comments and requests for more details about the horses we use in our Black Heart Equestrian photoshoots so here’s a bit of an introduction.
Gee
Gee has to be first on the list as he is the ‘main man’ of the yard and who Black Heart was named for. He is a 8 year old jet black Dutch warmblood stallion, bred in Holland from a Westpoint stallion and a Florencio mother. He’s massive and stands around 17.1hh but can feel even bigger if he is fresh!
He is the most gorgeous horse inside and out. He is my horse of a life time and has so much talent. We have spent most of the past year working on our flying changes - which Gee finds easy but very exciting! We have competed together at the British Dressage National Championships but have been concentrating on training recently. We are very nearly ready to compete at Prix St George.
Gee is incredibly photogenic but is a total fidget when we are doing photos as he finds everything around him very interesting, especially mares! He also likes to bite and slobber over the clothes...!
Obviously I don’t have favourites with the horses but if I did, it might be Gee 😏
Lola
Lola started off as my Mum’s horse but I competed her at International Junior level and she was selected for GB at the European Championships. Lola has a lovely, kind nature and can do great piaffe and passage. She’s ready for Grand Prix but I just need to find some time to get out of the office and into the competition arena this summer when I finish uni!
Lola is also a Dutch warmblood, a mare and is about 17.1hh. She’s the perfect model for Black Heart and often stands in for Gee when he is being a nightmare as she has the loveliest nature. I recently used Lola in a professional photoshoot in the woods, dressed in a long floaty dress, no shoes or boots with a smoke bomb in the background and she was so well behaved!
In the photos Lola and Gee can sometimes be mistaken for each other but Lola is more of a dark brown with a bay muzzle.
Sonny
Sonny is my European team horse and we have won at both international junior and young rider level. Sonny is a Dutch warmblood (think we have a theme here?!) by Sandro Hit x Gribaldi. He has a great, laid back nature most of the time but when he is feeling fresh he squeals like a little pig and then he leaps around - he’s the only horse I have fallen off in the past 10 years - and it was at a show. I had heart failure as he ran off from the warmup and then passaged around a poor girl’s dressage test!
Sonny is dark brown and has a very distinctive white mark on his forehead. He isn’t always the most photogenic as he has a tiny head and long gangly legs - He is about 17hh but wears a cob sized bridle!
Bo
Bo is a 7 year old, yes you guessed, Dutch warmblood, gelding by Dancing Hit. He sometimes makes an appearance in Black Heart photos as he is a very, very pretty bay. He’s been in training for the past year with a professional rider but back home now to further his dressage (and modelling) career. Bo is good at getting his ears forward for photos but doesn’t understand personal space! He’s one of the only bays on the yard so quite distinctive in the photos.
Tiko & Fleur
Tiko and Fleur are our two chestnuts. Tiko is a German warmblood by Quarterback and Fleur is a Swedish warmblood by Bretton Woods. They are both young and very ginger. We use Fleur quite a bit as a model as she is seriously pretty and always has her ears forward! She has a distinctive blaze on her face which goes off to one side! Tiko is the baby of the stables and lives out but might do a spot of modelling when he gets his summer coat!
Arty and Bacardi
Aka Little and Large - Arty is enormous! He is about 18hh and is rising 5. Bacardi is a rescue Shetland and is about 9hh! But they are best friends. We haven’t used Arty much as a model yet as he has grown so big and is really gangly looking. He’s starting to fill out so maybe he will make an appearance this summer! We have used Bacardi a few times as he is super cute but not very well behaved and can be a bit of a diva!
We are also lucky to have friends with beautiful horse models and these sometimes make an appearance in our photos. The stunning grey we use is called Lancelot and is a Grand Prix dressage stallion competing for GB with my friend Ellie McCarthy. He is very nearly as gorgeous as Gee but I'm probably being biased haha!
