Custom Clothing Article and Cover in May 2013 Paint Horse Journal

Recently I wrote an article for the Paint Horse Journal about creating your own show clothes with James Saubolle of Elite Show Horses, Heather Lynn Meyer and Suzi Vlietstra of Hobby Horse Inc. I also took the photos with several Youth riders. The Journal published one of my photos on the cover too! Below are the photos and article. You can read the article HERE.

JEH Equine Reproduction Specialists Photoshoot

These photos are from a commercial shoot I did for JEH Equine Reproduction Specialists. The vet clinic has the latest and greatest in equine breeding technology, so it was really neat to learn about their business. Many of the photos from the shoot have been used in articles I wrote for The Reiner and the Paint Horse Journal, and JEH made brochures, billboards and even a calendar using the photos. Here are some photos from the shoot.

Livestock Publications Council Awards Contest--WINNER!

In 2011 I wrote an article for the Paint Horse Journal  about social media for equine businesses. I'm excited to tell y'all that my article won first place in the Marketing Article, Association category at the 2012 Livestock Publications Council Awards Contest as part of the Agricultural Media Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 7. It's such an honor! Here's a press release from APHA about all the awards the association won at the contest. Below is my article.

Happy Anniversary Abigail Boatwright Communications!

One year ago today, I packed my office up at the Paint Horse Journal and said good bye to my assistant editor job of nearly five years to become a full-time freelance writer and photographer. It was a scary decision, but one I felt God led me to make and He has shown His guidance a lot in the last 12 months. I'm so thankful for the projects, clients, experiences and support I've received and I am excited about what the future holds.

If you're interested in a recap, a few of the highlights from this past year include:

Publications: It's been a pleasure getting to write for multiple publications. I continued to write features for Paint Horse Journal, Paint Horse Connection and Paint Horse Racing. After attending the AAEP convention in San Antonio last November, I began writing more technical health articles for APHA and other publications--something I'd previously shied away from because medical is a tough area to write about. These topics have really stretched me as writer. In February I traveled to Amsterdam with a horse transport company and wrote a story for the Paint Horse Journal about it. Last August I began writing for the National Reining Horse's The Reiner, doing both event coverage (reining--my favorite event!!) and feature stories. I wrote for Haslet Style, Wise County Style and North Texas Magazine in 2011, getting some experience in lifestyle magazines. In September I became a regular contributor for Western Shooting Horse magazine--my first newsstand publication. In fact, I got to interview Chris Cagle last week for WSH--I never thought that type of thing would happen to me! In January, I began writing for the American Quarter Horse Journal--a publication I interned for in college and it's been a pleasure to work with them again. Recently, Horse & Rider magazine asked me to write an article for them. It was almost full circle, because Horse & Rider was one of the very first magazine subscriptions I ever had at 8 years old--and now I write for them. That publication is also on newsstands with a greater circulation than any magazine I've worked with before. I'm set to cover some horse events for Quarter Horse News later this summer.

• Future plans--I love every magazine I write for, and I'm excited to share the articles I have coming down the pike. I hope to write for even more new publications in the future. In the next year, I hope to write for other genres--women's interest, travel, lifestyle and even more equine publications.

Social Media Clients: Social media was initially a big facet to my freelance career, and it's grown so much in the last year. I started with launching Salon Friends' social media presence, photography and public relations from the ground up, and began working with D. Jones Tailored Collection doing social media, photography, newsletters and blogging. I worked with Tara Wilson Events for several months after creating a social media marketing plan, doing blogging, press releases and pitches and social media. I've done social media marketing plans and training for several businesses, and in the last few months I've launched social media programs for Breaking Bread the Healthy Way and Veritas Life Adventures. I also recently began blogging, social media and e-newsletters for the legendary Les Vogt.

• Future plans--I love every social media client I have. The variety of industries is exciting and I'm learning so much about each of their businesses. I've taken classes to enhance the skills I bring to my clients. I hope to improve performance on all platforms for my clients and perhaps gain a few new businesses.

Writing Clients: One area I've really enjoyed exploring since I've started freelancing has been writing copy. I worked with photographer Kari Crowe on her bio page and I wrote bios for the Salon Friends stylists and service team. I wrote press releases and menu descriptions for Panama City, Panama, hotel Tantalo Hotel/Kitchen/Roofbar. I wrote several press releases for the American Paint Horse Association this summer. I recently wrote all of the web copy for Breaking Bread the Healthy Way's new website. I've been working on web copy for Les Vogt as well.

• Future plans--Copy is a fun aspect of my job. I enjoy working with clients to make the words they print match their brand and goals. I am excited to see what businesses I work with in the future.

Photography: I've done portraits for a while, and after leaving APHA I've worked with quite a few more portrait clients. Capturing relationships between families and people with their horses is so rewarding to me. I even got to photograph a wedding in Australia in March. Unfortunately, I'm behind in blogging these sessions, but you can see them on my proof site. :-) I've done corporate photography for JEH Equine Reproduction Specialists (used on billboards, calendars and brochures), D. Jones Tailored Collection, Salon Friends and Breaking Bread the Healthy Way. My photos have appeared in Western Horseman-- a huge magazine that I've always wanted to work with. I've shot event coverage photos for APHA's marketing department. My photo was the cover image for the AAEP Convention Wrap-Up (published by The Horse--wow!!). My photos will be appearing in AQHA's member magazine America's Horse later this year.  I earned a third place award at the 2012 American Horse Publications Seminar Awards competition for a Paint Horse Journal cover photo I took in 2011. I've worked a lot on my techniques and processing and I've invested in better equipment in the last year.

• Future plans--Photography is the area I'm most focusing on improving. I am shooting another wedding in 2013 and I have more portrait clients this fall. I'm doing event coverage and editorial photography in the next few months. I hope to expand my repertoire of genres and improve in every area.

What does the next year look like? I'm not sure. I've got several areas I'm working to improve. Now that Zach and I are based back in DFW (we were mainly set in San Antonio from November--June) I hope to grow my business even more in this area. The future is exciting! Thank y'all for your support--I never thought I could be my own boss, but now that I'm here, it's amazing what I've been able to do. I hope to always improve and I work hard to learn something new every single day.

Paint Horse Competition of the Future - April 2012 Paint Horse Journal

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the American Paint Horse Association. To commemorate this milestone, the Paint Horse Journal has run articles that take a look back--and more importantly, look forward. I wrote an article that shared predictions from industry professionals on the state of Paint Horse competition. I think it's really interesting, and I hope you do too.

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Miss Mareners article in July 2012 Paint Horse Journal

Miss Mare-ners was probably my favorite article idea that I pitched and wrote while working at the Paint Horse Journal. The articles are about a horse advice columnist that gives advice to worried and annoyed horses from around the country. Miss Mare-ners appeared twice while I was at APHA and I got to bring her back for a third article this summer. Miss Mare-ners wouldn't be half as great a character--or article series--without awesome illustrations by APHA's Dave Clowers. Laren Dubin has been the perfect source for a wacky topic like a horse advice columnist. I couldn't have done it without either of them and I'm grateful that APHA let me bring back my favorite horsey character--pearls and spectacles and all. I'm excited to show y'all this article. I love it and I hope you do too!

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International Horse Shipping article in June 2012 Paint Horse Journal

Earlier this year I had the coolest opportunity. I got to visit Amsterdam, and on the flight over I was a groom for Nedpoint. Flying with horses beats the pants off flying normally, and the story I got from the trip was one-of-a-kind. During the trip, I also got permission to take photos of the transport facilities that have not been previously allowed. My story appeared in the June 2012 Paint Horse Journal. Let me know what you think!

Suspensory article in April 2012 Paint Horse Journal

I've got a crop of articles to share with y'all this week. I wrote an article for the Paint Horse Journal about suspensory ligament injuries in Western pleasure horses. Prior to researching this article, I didn't realize this type of injury occurred in horses outside of high-impact disciplines such as reining. Writing this article was an eye-opening experience. I hope you enjoy it!

You can read the full PDF of the article HERE.

Cover photo for 2011 AAEP Convention Wrap-Up!

I am so honored to have my photo chosen as the official cover image for the 2011 AAEP Convention Wrap-Up. You'll recognize the photo as the one I use on my website and business cards--my little bluebonnet-stomping baby is one of my favorite photos! Thanks so much to The Horse for using my image!

December 2011 Paint Horse Journal

My final article in a 3-part series about breeding is right here! After writing this series, I think I would be prepared if I had a mare that was in foal. :-) Click HERE to read the article in depth.

November 2011 Paint Horse Journal

Here's part 2 of my three-part foaling series! Thanks for stopping by!

Gohorseshow.com Veteran Article

Wounded Warriors Presentation Uses Horses to Honor Veterans full article


I've worked with Dan Files on several articles. I wrote a profile on the disabled war vet and devoted horse owner for the Paint Horse Journal that you can read HERE. Dan is a very special individual, so when the opportunity arose to write about a ceremony he was involved in that honored other veterans, I jumped at the chance. Gohorseshow.com was kind enough to publish my article, and I'm happy to share it with y'all today.

Magnetizing

I was walking around the NRHA Futurity a few weeks ago and stumbled upon a collection of magnets on a door. Because the photo was a flashy Paint, I had to take a closer look. :-) To my delight, they were from the Paint Horse Journal... and the photo was one I took! Such a pleasant surprise and I'm honored APHA chose my photo for advertisement. :-)

So here it is:

Happy Holidays from APHA

Loving this video from APHA. If you look closely, you can see several photos I took while I was there!