Grace & Olivia | Project 27 | Horse & Rider Photoshoot
Lakefield Fame in Grafton, WI
Grace and Olivia are the next horse and rider pair I am featuring for Project 27, and I can’t wait to introduce you to this sweet and charming duo. Olivia, whose registered name is Loving Life, is a beautiful Welsh Mountain Pony crossed with a Thoroughbred. Olivia and Grace have been a team for over three years now and are practiced in both hunter and jumper disciplines. Their story is a special one and learning about their journey was just as enjoyable as capturing these two through the lens of my camera.
One of Grace’s earliest memories is in fact when she first remembers falling in love with horses. At Apple Holler, a local farm-based café in Strutevant, Wisconsin, she remembers riding one of the horses around in a circle. “I started my love of horses at the age of two,” she recalls. “And for my third birthday I asked for riding lessons.” Grace’s family was persistent in finding a barn that offered lessons for children under the age of five. And once she began riding horses, she’s never stopped.
Of owning Olivia these past few years, Grace is full of nothing but positive memories. “Olivia is different than any other horse because I feel a stronger bond with her than any other horse I’ve ever rode. My first year riding her I did a bunch of horse shows to get her used to what we’d be doing, and my trainer said that we had a bond you don’t normally see the first year of working together.”
Grace’s grandfather was a particular source of support and encouragement and both of her grandparents loved looking for ways to show their pride in Grace’s equestrian accomplishments. Olivia was their gift to Grace, and when her grandfather passed away that following December, his absence was something Grace felt immensely. But Olivia was a source of comfort and support, an ultimate reminder of her grandfather’s love. “When I was having a really bad day or just needed a comforting presence, Olivia was always there for me. When I am at the barn with her, everything in the world just slips away.”
Grace’s favorite memory of Olivia is the first year they competed in hunter/jumper and dressage. Along with Olivia, Grace qualified for Region 2 Regional Dressage Championships in Kentucky. “It was literally the most amazing experience I have ever had,” she says of competing. “This gave us more of a bond than ever and was an experience I was glad that I could do with her.” Grace and Olivia placed fifth out of 21 people—a truly impressive accomplishment!
Grace jokes that if Olivia were switched to a human and Grace to a horse, no one would know the difference. “We act the same, we do the same thing. I have never felt this strong of a bond before, so when I first rode her, I knew she was special, and I didn’t want to lose her. We were both looking for someone at the same time.”
To conclude, I’d like to end this with a quote from Grace. When I asked how being with Olivia makes Grace feel, she sums it up in a beautiful sentiment. “She makes me feel special. She makes me feel like I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.”
