Located in Harrison, 3 Dog Farm lives up to its name with three sweet dogs greeting every visitor. However, meeting puppies wasn’t my goal on the days I was there. I was there to meet Billy & Howie, the much-beloved horses of Sue. Sue had contacted me about photographing these handsome boys in order to create some equine artwork for her home featuring her favorite horses.
 
Horses photographed on the drive of 3 Dog Farm
 
 

Meet Billy

 
Billy the Kid, known as Billy, is a 19-year-old registered paint quarter horse. He is a beautiful overo chestnut paint.
 
Billy joined the family when Sue’s daughter was 13. For the next several years, she and Billy were quite the team. Eventually, Sue’s daughter headed to college and Sue began riding Billy.
 
The word that comes to mind when thinking of Billy is “dignified”. He is cautious in new situations but will investigate them.
 
He’s very chill, calm, and a big fan of grazing and snacking. He also loves to hang out with his person.
 
Billy has a brand. And has the letter “U” in his markings.
 
But one of Billy’s coolest features is his unique eyes. He has one blue eye. And one eye that is 1/4 blue and 3/4 brown.
 
 
Horse Eye that is a mix of blue and brown
 

 

 

Meet Howie

 
 
A little over a year ago, Sue decided that she wanted to make the move to dressage. Unfortunately, Billy has a stifle injury that makes him not the ideal candidate. Thus, Sue was in the market for a performance horse.
 
Enter Western Hills, also known as Howie. He is a 4-year-old bay thoroughbred with a wonderfully thick and long forelock.
 
Sue calls him her pandemic purchase as she got him at the beginning of the pandemic. Howie is an off-the-track thoroughbred who hails from Florida.
 
In his life, Howie has raced 9 times. He finished last or next to last for every race except for one race. That exception was a maiden race which is an event for horses that have never won a race. Howie actually won the maiden race.
 
Like most 4-year-olds, Howie is full of energy. He is a goofy boy but tends to take cues on how to act from his more dignified older brother.
 
He is currently in training in Charleston with Anne Zaharis Dressage and is doing quite well. Howie made a special trip to 3 Dog Farm for the day for his photography session.
 
 
According to Sue, Howie has “made his way into my heart. Super Sweet guy!”
 
 
 
Off-the-Track Thoroughbred Horse Portrait in Chattanooga Tennessee
 

 

Creating Equine Artwork

 

After photographing Billy & Howie, the real work began. Once the images were edited, Sue and I met to go through the images from her photography session and design her custom equine artwork.

In this case, we were creating a beautiful collage of images to be mounted over a bed in one of the bedrooms. We were also looking for an image to create a statement in the living room. With more than 40 images to sort through, we had our work cut out for us selecting the best ones for Sue’s end goals.

One thing that people are concerned with is not knowing exactly how things will look until they are actually on the wall.

Luckily, Ride the Sky Equine Photography has the ability to create mock-up designs of various images to see exactly what those images would look like on a specific wall in her home before we ever ordered a thing.

Once we figured out the best images for her purposes, we were able to look at a variety of sizes and design layouts to figure out exactly what best suits Sue’s end goals for her home.

We customized her images to go with the decor she already has in her home. With choices like framed and unframed canvas, framed and unframed metals, and framed mounted or matted prints, there is an option to suit any home, any lifestyle, and any budget.

 
Framed Portrait of Horse

Ready to Create Equine Artwork of your Favorite Horses?

 

If you are interested in learning more about you can create your own custom equine artwork featuring your favorite horses, you can find out more information here.

Betsy Bird of Ride the Sky Equine Photography spends her days doing insane things to make horses look at her. Clearly, she’s desperate for attention. When she’s not celebrating the stories of the amazing horses in her clients’ lives, she invests time and energy into perfecting her equine photography skills and growing her business, hanging with her favorite rescue dog, Nitro, and planning her next big adventure. She also tries to spend some time educating and entertaining her fans and potential clients by blogging and posting on social media about whatever catches her fancy at the moment. 

Betsy is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with the organization Professional Photographers of America (PPA). The CPP designation is held by fewer than 2,000 photographers nationwide and is a hallmark of consistency, technical skill, artistry, and professionalism. Ride the Sky specializes in on-location photography for equines. Ride the Sky also has the option of bringing the studio to the stable. Based in Chattanooga, TN, Ride the Sky Equine Photography works on location in Tennessee, North Georgia, and beyond.

These photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.