Sam & Jack | Project 27 Equine Photoshoot

Sam & Jack’s Horse & Rider Session

Cimmaron Equestrian | Oconomowoc, WI

Sam and Jack are the next horse and rider pair I’m featuring for Project 27, and just be warned, these two are going to capture your heart and ride away with it. Black Jack, a Dutch Warmblood who simply goes by Jack, has belonged to Sam for the past two years, but their journey started long ago.

“I’ve owned Jack for two years, but before that I was his only rider and full lease. I paid for all his care and support,” Sam says of Jack, adding, “When I first met him, I was retired. I truly felt I would never find a horse to take care of me.” If this statement alone doesn’t draw you to their story, just wait until you hear about how they came to be a pair. 

Sam’s sister began riding lessons when Sam was in fourth grade. Every week, she would accompany her sister and watch from the sidelines as she marveled at this exciting new world. After begging for lessons of her own, Sam eagerly traded her other extracurriculars to pursue her own chance to get on the back of a horse. This decision, however, didn’t necessarily alter the course of Sam’s future, but it laid out a foundation for Sam to return to, even as she pursued other interests in high school. “Even after I quit riding and obtained scholarships in other athletics, that flame inside was always there for riding,” she says. 

After a devasting car accident that left Sam with permanent damage in 2017, Sam reconnected with her old trainer. This trainer had heard about her accident and had a story of her own to share—she had experienced similar injuries as Sam due to an accident, and riding was imperative in her recovery. Sam was willing to try anything, and thanks to her amazing perseverance and strength, she soon found herself back in the saddle, quite literally and figuratively.

“I got a call from an owner of a barn who told me, ‘I have a horse that needs its person. I will give you a free lesson to try him’.” This was when Sam considered herself “retired”. The horse she had learned to re-ride on had been moved to another barn, and she was preparing for another surgery. But upon meeting Jack, Sam knew her life would never be the same. “Since first meeting, I knew in my heart he was the missing piece my heart and soul was truly searching for. He has been there as I grieved the loss of my father-in-law, my grandparents, and my own physical and mental health. He taught me to clear my mind and live in the moment.” 

Jack and Sam’s connection is special in ways that are undeniable. He had a reputation for being stubborn, stopping “dirty” in front of jumps, bucking, and taking off without direction. But with Sam, it was different. He recognizes that she can’t take a fall in the ways others can and protects her at all costs. When Jack took a tumble and Sam fell under him during a ride, he would not leave her side—even as paramedics tried to get past him. “Jack will truly do anything for me,” Sam says. “He will lay with me in his stall or in the field when I just need a shoulder to cry on.”

During our photoshoot, which took place on a day that peaked in temperature at 13 degrees Fahrenheit, Sam looked beautiful—and told me she felt beautiful, too. But what really radiated was the relationship between her and Jack. I am so happy with the results of the photoshoot. Sam now has photos she can treasure, pictures that display Jack’s personality and highlight all of the physical traits that Sam adores. And of the scars that line his face, from a life before Sam, she says, “They remind me that we all have a past we do not know about. It’s my job to ensure he never gets another scar.”

Sam, like so many of us enthusiastic about horses, has loved and trusted many horses. But she also knows that a heart horse is different, and she’s found that in Jack. “I can feel him at all times,” she says. “He’s shown me what it is like to fully live.”