Lily & Zorro | Project 27 Horse & Rider Photoshoot

Lily & Zorro’s Horse & Rider Session

Private Farm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

I am so excited to finally share with you the first installation of Project 27. This project is incredibly dear to my heart, and I have been beyond moved by the outpour of support and sentiment from fellow equestrians. I have poured my heart into this project, and I’m doing it all for the horse that started it all—my heart horse, a little red mare named Riley. 
Early on in my equestrian journey, Riley became my best friend and constant companion, a partner I could count on through thick and thin. For eight wonderful years, that precious Quarter Horse was my partner as we adventured through the trails of my family farm and competed in local barrel races. She was the crucial component to one of the most precious chapters in my life, and when Riley passed away at 27 years old, I can hardly express the immense pain that I felt. 
I don’t have any pictures that manage to capture the bond that Riley and I shared, nor any that could possibly convey the impact that she had on my life. But I’ve tried to maintain her legacy in little ways throughout the years. She’s the “copper” in Copper Arrow Photography, and the main reason I’m so passionate about capturing the friendship between horse and rider on camera. I would give anything to have had professional photographs taken with Riley, but the least I can do now is give this gift to other horse and rider pairs. And that’s where Project 27 comes into play.
After countless applications, many tears, and a surge of memories, I selected 27 applicants, one for each year of Riley’s life, to participate in a photoshoot with their heart horse. These are lifelong portraits that I was never able to have for myself, but to contribute in this way to the equestrian community is something I can do in Riley’s memory. I hope that you’ll enjoy reading about these beautiful bonds as much as I enjoyed seeing them firsthand. Just a fair warning—you may need a box of tissues. I know I did.
Our first addition to Project 27 is Lily and her Quarter Horse, Halis Hot Racer, who went by Zorro. Two months after our session, Zorro’s health quickly declined and he was peacefully put to sleep on November 8th, surrounded by love. I am so grateful that I was able to capture some precious moments between Lily and Zorro, so that Lily has pictures she can cherish forever.
Lily found her love for horses from an early age, and after her first ride at the age of eleven, she wanted nothing more than to ride a horse again. After watching her first barrel race, she knew there was no going back. “Even on the sidelines,” Lily recalls, “Listening to how hard those horses were running—that’s when my drive started.”
Zorro wasn’t Lily’s first horse, but he was the horse that made her who she is today. Lily says of Zorro fondly, “He gave me strength, but challenges at the same time. I’ll forever be thankful for the grit he installed in me.” Zorro wasn’t what one would consider an easy ride, but his strong-willed personality and dedication to showing up was what helped Lily grow into such an accomplished rider. Zorro worked hard for his success, but he required Lily to work hard too. But despite his strength and resoluteness, it’s the way he made Lily feel that’s what sticks with her the most. 
“He always tried his hardest to make me safe, every ride, every run,” she says. Speaking of panic attacks suffered as the result of a bad car accident, Lily adds, “When I would feel one starting, I would just go out to the barn and he would do the rest for me. I’m not quite sure how to explain the feeling, other than he made me feel safe.”
Lily’s favorite memory with Zorro was at NBHA State 2020. The two of them had been struggling to hit a good rhythm in their racing when, thanks to a recommendation from a friend, they decided to switch directions. Out of over one hundred riders, Lily and Zorro clocked in 12th in the Youth 2D, with Zorro being 22 years old. “There were so many times I had come out of the arena crying,” she remembers, “but that was the first time I came out with tears of pure joy.”
When capturing photos of Lily and Zorro, I wanted to capture not only their bond but all of Zorro’s physical traits that I knew Lily would surely miss when Zorro was gone, from his crooked blaze to his precious droopy bottom lip that she would lovingly tease him about. And even though Zorro was nearing the end of his life, you can see his spirit shine through in the pictures from our session together. And together, Lily and Zorro share a sense of pride as they regard one another, matched by the kind of confidence and safety that one can only feel with their heart horse. I know all too well how much Lily misses Zorro’s companionship, and I hope that these pictures give her something to cherish for the rest of her life. 
Everyone experiences relationships with their horses differently, but Lily sums up the bond between a horse and its rider perfectly with her following statement, and I think it’s a feeling that anyone who has been fortunate enough to love a horse has been familiar with. “I knew he was my heart horse when I walked into the barn and saw him there. I looked at his beautiful black coat and white blaze and I thought to myself, ‘You’re the One”. And he was—Zorro spent the last five years of his life with Lily by his side, and their journey proves that this was a relationship simply meant to be. 
My next installment in Project 27 will explore the bond between Ashley and Louis. I can’t wait to share their tale with you.