Horsemanship Pattern Trends with America's Horse Daily

My friends at GoHorseShow.com posted a link to one of my articles from AQHA today. America's Horse Daily published an article I wrote for the Journal about trends in horsemanship patterns at Quarter Horse shows. I'm happy to share it with y'all too! Here's the link for the full article online.

Courtney and Cade photoshoot - part 1

I can't believe I didn't post these photos before! This shoot had all my favorite ingredients: family, horses and beautiful light. It was so much fun! I've photographed Courtney and Cade every year, and these are actually from last year. It's always so much fun. I've got photos from this year to show you as well, but I'll save it for another post. So without further adieu, here you go!

America's Horse Cover - September 2012

I absolutely love this photo. The editor of

America's Horse

asked me to shoot some photos of a youth World Show competitor the magazine was featuring for an article. Andrew and his family met me in Fort Worth and we headed down to the Trinity River for some photos. It was very hot, but both horse and owner did a great job. Check out the cover for AQHA's member magazine!

Two-part Arena Series in the American Quarter Horse Journal

I've had the pleasure of writing about arenas several times for several publications since I was an intern at AQHA. I feel like every time, I delve a little deeper, and I love getting to talk to experts in this highly technical and broad field. Following are two articles I wrote for the American Quarter Horse Journal. The first talks about building your own arena, and the second talks about caring for the footing. .

Part 1

And here's part 2.

Sliding plate article in American Quarter Horse Journal

As often as I've ridden horses using sliding plates, I kind of took them for granted. Every reiner has them--it's just expected. But when I was asked to write this article for the American Quarter Horse Journal, I got to delve deeper into the history of sliders and learn exactly how they help (and can hinder) a horse's stop. Hope you enjoy!

Western and English Spur Articles in the American Quarter Horse Journal

I've just realized I've been sitting on these articles for a bit, for no particular reason. I'm happy to share them with you now. It was fun writing this two-part series  for the American Quarter Horse Journal about style, fit and usage of English and Western spurs. I hope you enjoy them too! 

And here's the Western article:

Baby Olivia Portraits

When Charlene asked me to photograph her newborn baby Olivia, I jumped at the chance to try something new and creative. I'd never shot infant photos before, so I didn't know what to expect. What I encountered was a sweet family, a mother with a zen quality I hope will rub off on me as a mom someday, and a surprisingly cooperative Olivia. It was a pleasure to capture such an intimate moment in your lives. Thank you for the opportunity.

And now for some of my favorite images!

Lynch Family Portraits

I'm making an end-of-year push to get some blog posts out to y'all, and this one was a really fun afternoon. Erin Lynch and her family invited me out to their grandparent's ranch last fall to take some Christmas photos for the grandparents. It was a sweet idea and all the cousins and siblings had a great time. Thanks for letting me capture your family Erin!

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.

.

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!

.

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.

Hoof and Leg Alignment Feature for May 2012 The Reiner

One of the seminars I attended at AAEP in November talked about leg alignment. I was totally enthralled. Lucky for me, The Reiner asked me to write about the topic, so I got to work with Dr. Redden first hand. This is a great piece about evaluating your horse's legs for proper alignment. I hope you get something out of it. I know I'll be looking at my future horse's legs much more carefully. Read in PDF format here.

Tom Balding Profile in Western Shooting Horse

It was such an honor to interview Tom Balding for this piece I wrote for Western Shooting Horse magazine. Hope you enjoy the story! To read in PDF format, go here.

Mustang Feature in April/May 2012 Western Shooting Horse

I loved researching this story for Western Shooting Horse magazine. There are so many wild horses in the United States and it was really cool to see some of them thrive in this line of work. The photos I was given for the article were interesting--have a look at the full article HERE if you want to learn why Mustangs are the preferred off-road vehicle for the Tucson Border patrol.

Queso Lena Mas Quarter Horse photoshoot

This is a very special shoot for me to share with y'all today. I began taking riding lessons at eight years old, and my life was forever changed. Throughout my childhood and high school, that riding instructor was a second mother to me and she taught me so much about life, horses and hard work. Last fall, that lady, Alice Scott, asked me to take these photos of her partner's 3-year-old reining horse Queso Lena Mas. You wouldn't know it, but the backdrop is Will Rogers Memorial Center and the horse was at a show. We only had 30 minutes, but I'm really happy with the photos of this young reiner. Hope y'all enjoy this sampling!

Acupuncture for equine reproduction - March 2012 The Reiner

I attended the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention last November and came home with a treasure trove of story ideas. One seminar I audited was about using acupuncture for equine reproduction benefits. Acupuncture is fascinating, and the benefits for reproduction are astounding. Lucky for me, The Reiner asked me to write an article about it so I got to learn a lot from several experts! Click HERE to see the full article, beginning on page 70.