Wendy hugs Hola C Bright, her Ollie. Photo by Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos
Wendy Wooley, the intrepid equine photographer who saw her life change on a dime because of horses, sets some fundamental goals for her horsemanship in 2013.
So much good came rushing into her life when she decided to buy her first off-track Thoroughbred, Jag.
The longtime rules official with the PGA picked up the camera to capture her beautiful horse in action, and those images wound up capturing the imagination of the artistic director the Spielberg film War Horse.
And they also led her to meet her husband Matt Wooley, a well-known equine photographer. See the full story here.
After Jag died, and Wooley settled into a professional photography career, she purchased a white racehorse named Ollie. Followers of Wooley’s photos and From Racehorse to Show Horse know that Ollie has been no walk in the park. But he has brought her joy, and continues to challenge and inspire her riding.
Asked what her goals are for 2013, Wooley says in the comments below that it’s back to basics for them!
Wooley says, “Shortly into our training program in 2012, we lost our trainer to other commitments, so we had to go back to the drawing board.
“Of course, this occurred at a super busy time for my photography, so I had to put riding on the backburner.
Working in rhythm. Photo by Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos
“But now we’re into a new year, and we hope to practice some basic training items.
“I’m going to begin work with a gentleman who does some natural horsemanship work. I’m hoping to be able to confidently load my horse onto my two-horse trailer by myself.
“Nobody has ever taught me the proper way to load a horse and my horse knows that! He totally takes advantage of me.
“His nonsense will soon end! LOL! Being able to load him will open up all sorts of doors for us, such as making it easier to attend a dressage clinic or two.
“I also think that working on riding basics will be good for both of us. My goal in riding Ollie is to obtain new tools for my arsenal in dealing with his nervousness, so I can build up his confidence.
These are broad goals and very attainable!”
OffTrackThoroughbreds.com would love to update readers on the horses featured here in the past. If you have an OTTB featured in this blog, and would like to update readers on his or her progress, please send an email to: susansalk1@me.com.
Thanks for featuring one of the very special people in my horse world. Wendy has inspired and (indirectly) instructed so many of us just by being her wondrful self, which translates beautifully through the magical comaraderie of social media!
Check out http://www.josealejos.com and http://www.equestriancoach.com for Jose’s trailer loading video filmed by Bernie Traurig. Jose is the real deal and will be able to solve any training problem you have. Good luck!
Great article. I love the part about going back to the basics. I have learned so much in the retraining of my Ottb. The journey has become the important thing and each breakthrough feels so amazing. Each little thing we accomplish is worth more than anything.
I’ve been following Wendy’s blog since Jaguar Hope was the star attraction. Ollie has been a challenge but Wendy has the patience and the work ethic that will get him squared away with her NH plans and her goals. Good to hear the NH plans are stilll “cooking.” Thanks for the update, Susan, and keep up the good work Wendy!!