Kelty Coburn of Edmonton, Alta., captured this heart-warming moment between Amy Henry and Cowboy Junkie at Bedrock Training Centre last year.
Coburn, who operates a full-time wedding photography business called Photo Junkies Photography, with her husband, Andrew, has loved horses as long as she can remember.
“I was raised around them and was riding before I could walk. My parents had a small acreage and are horse enthusiasts themselves and took me out with them when they went riding. Over the years I have ridden different disciplines (jumper, little bit of Western, Saddleseat, and finally Eventing), owned my first horse, and loved more horses than I can even count.”
Kelty is now saving up to buy a horse. She sold her first horse when she went to University and has been waiting for the day when she could afford to have another horse. Since then, she has leased and loved many other horses but is eagerly anticipating that day when she has her own, once again.
Although horses are her first love, she admits that photography has been a passion of hers for almost as long as horses have been. “There is something very special about being able to capture and freeze a moment of time and to be able to revisit it again and again in the form of a photograph. While we mainly photograph weddings we also do shoot family sessions and portraits - including horses! I always love it when my horse friends ask me to capture them with their horse as it gives me an opportunity to be around these majestic animals.”
Coburn, who hates having her own photo taken, captured the shot of Amy and Cowboy Junkie on one of her expeditions to Bedrock Training Centre where Amy and her partner Kelly Hoerdt operate a large stable. “Amy had spent the day showing us how to care for race horses and informing us about all the different equipment. What really impressed me the most about Amy was that you could see the genuine love that she had for each and every one of her charges. Painstaking care was given to each one and it was obvious that the horses loved her back.”
“I just took a few steps back and let her interact with them as she would normally and it didn't take long before I was able to capture this sweet moment between Amy and Cool Cowboy.”