To say Lexie Russell lives and breathes horses would be an understatement. From a very young age, she grew an affinity for horses while watching her grandpa train American Paint Horse Association (APHA) race horses – many of which would eventually secure World Championships. Lexie’s grandpa has always been her hero, so she took every opportunity to be just like him. And that meant liking fast horses. Lexie runs a successful performance breeding and sale program out of her family’s ranch in Gainesville, TX with a brand we all recognize… a coffee cup. The brand pays tribute to her beloved grand ..read more

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of photographing Hayley and her flashy mare, Ruthie, at their home near Oklahoma City. A huge thunderstorm had just swept across the land leaving us with some fresh, green grass for this sunrise shoot. After tragically losing her horse not too long ago, Hayley had the courage to open up her heart to another special horse. Ruthie, an off-track Thoroughbred, is learning her way around the barrels and continues to impress Hayley with her progress at local jackpots. Throughout our time together, we walked up and down a beautiful country road capturing timeles ..read more

Owning a horse is more than just winning in the show ring. Think about it. Those fateful few minutes at the show or those few seconds at the rodeo are just a fraction of the time you spend preparing for that moment. I think photographing horses is the same. Equine photography should be more than the winning show ring photo. Enter documentary photography. If you’re unfamiliar, the documentary approach to photography is the art of capturing people, places, and events accurately. It entails a photographer stepping into a scene, freezing the moment in time, then leaving it exactly how they found i ..read more

Storytelling has become quite the buzzword circling the business world, so let’s unpack what it looks like to use equine storytelling in your horse business’s marketing efforts. But first: stories. What’s the big whoop? Our brains are wired to connect with them. Think about it. Stories have been in your life for as long as you can remember. From novels and movies to bedtime stories and cartoons, our imaginations concoct elaborate stories that take us on exciting adventures. Storytelling generally serves three main purposes:  Stories are how family legacies are shared across generations ..read more

Written by Guest Contributor Caroline Arendt What do you get when you mix one of the most-downloaded social network apps with snappy, digestible and fun content? You get Instagram Reels. Similar to TikTok, Instagram users can record and edit together 15 to 30-second video clips set to music and share them to their Stories, Explore Feed, and the Reels tab on a user’s profile. Now that Instagram has claimed it’s no longer a photo sharing app, now’s the perfect time to add Reels into the mix! Brand or not, in a world of short-from content and viral trends — why not try Reels? Check out these 5 re ..read more

Last weekend, I finally checked a trip off my horse girl bucket list when I traveled to Art of the Cowgirl in Bozeman, Montana at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. I signed up to attend the 2020 event at the end of 2019, but it was canceled as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. You could say the anticipation was real. This was my first experience in Montana and to call it breathtaking would be an understatement. The drive was a mix of rolling prairies, towering mountains, and rocky cliffs. The beautiful Snake River earned its name slithering through the landscape beneath an endless sky full of ..read more

As an equine professional, you have a lot going on. Think about it… caring for one horse (let alone an entire barn) is a large task. You have to balance their nutrition, keep their health in check, and exercise them regularly. On top of that, running a business is not for the faint of heart. You are balancing books, hiring and managing a team, creating new products, performing your services, marketing to potential new clients, and so much more. So how are you supposed to keep track of it all? Enter task management software. It’s a type of software that helps equine entrepreneurs get their busi ..read more

Do you need more equestrian vibes on your Instagram feed? These are my top ten social media accounts you must follow – from one horse girl to another. It’s a mix of style, education, and design, but the common thread is powerful stories that reflect a shared love of horses. Enjoy! Calling All Horse Girls @callingallhorsegirls Emmie Strommen is the incredibly talented force behind this growing community of horse lovers from all walks of life. It’s an inclusive community of passionate people who believe in the power of the horse girl that is dedicated to celebrating and supporting the journey ..read more

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