Kim & Toby | Project 27 | Horse & Rider Photoshoot in Wisconsin

Kim & Toby’s Photoshoot for Project 27

Private Farm in Greenlake, WI

This next installment in Project 27 is a fun one. Kim and her American Paint Horse, named WR Double Tuff Toby but nicknamed “Toby”, were an absolute delight to get to know and I’m so excited to share their story with you all.

Kim, an experienced horsewoman who rides western pleasure, hunt seat, and dressage, grew up around horses. And it was a passion shared with family. Of her childhood, Kim says, “I have a plethora of fond memories that all involved two things—family and horses.” She spent weekends and evenings hanging out at the barn or at horse shows, and these environments fueled her love for all things equestrian. And Toby has been an integral part of that—in fact, Kim has had Toby for almost thirty years.

Kim was just fifteen when Toby became hers, and she knew from the moment they met that his calming and kind spirit was going to change her life. “I spent several years of my youth with Toby being the center of everything,” Kim says. “We went to shows, we won, we lost, we rode in parades, we carried flags, rode into town, and went on trail rides spending countless hours together.” Of their ethic and partnership, Kim is candid about their desire for independence. “We were never a very serious team,” she admits. “We much preferred to do things our own way, which developed into a connection that I didn’t know possible with any horse.”

Toby has also been there for Kim’s family, too, especially her young daughter. She recalls a precious moment the three of them shared during her daughter’s first leadline class, when her daughter was just four years old. “With perfect form Toby safely and carefully carried my most precious daughter to her 1st blue ribbon and filled my heart with joy once again. He was as proud as I was as he paraded her around the arena.” A sweet detail that stood out to me was Toby’s sparkling purple hooves—painted on by Kim’s daughter just for the occasion! 

Toby reminds Kim mostly of her family, as he has been there for her during so many defining years. And everything Kim did with and for Toby was with the support of her family. Together, they all spent a lot of time in each other’s company, and Kim knew that whenever her and Toby trotted through the entry gate, her family would be without a doubt be in the stands cheering her on.

While she has gone on to become married and have children, and Toby naturally can no longer be the center of her world, he continues to be an integral part of her life, and a source of strength, joy, and inspiration. “He helped me raise my children,” she says. “He taught them to love horses. Through him, our whole family has learned that no matter how much time, effort, and work you put into something, your best laid plans don’t always work out like you hoped—but that’s okay! If we do our best and stick together, it will work out.”

One of Kim’s favorite traits of Toby’s, aside from his puppy-dog like personality, is his affinity for sweets and snacks—especially things not meant for him. Peppermints, cotton candy, shaved ice, soda, nachos, snow cones, and even beer, Toby was always snatching something tasty out of someone else’s hands. But after all his hard work, Kim felt like it was okay to indulge Toby’s sweet tooth—in fact, Toby reminds Kim that it’s okay to eat some candy every now and then! 

Of Toby’s age, Kim says, “I will cherish every day with him while he is here and spoil the old boy rotten.” She wants to shower Toby with the same kind of love that he has shown her. From the beginning, “he was mine and I was his,” she says. “Toby would do anything for me, as long as we were doing it together.”

Kim regaled me with stories of Toby—too many to possibly include here. But if you haven’t had enough of this unbelievably charming horse (and honestly, how could you have?), Kim has written a children’s book called “A Spotted Pony Parade Day”. It’s the perfect story for any little horse lovers in your life, and I highly recommend it. If anyone can tell a story about a lovely spotted pony, it’s Kim! Of her sweet Toby, she concludes with the following: “I’m exceedingly grateful that I was given the opportunity to be moved so much by this goofy spotted horse.”