Danish Paint Horse Championship 2022


I got to capture the Danish Paint Horse Championship 2022. Read more about my experience in the western world and enjoy some of my pictures from that weekend.

Social Media can open doors. That happened to me when I met Jeanne Olsen, owner of Dream Performance Horses, in 2022 in a Facebook group. After I took pictures of her foals in the spring, she asked me if I might be interested in working at the Danish Paint Horse Championship. 


I was a little bit back and forth on it. Mostly because I am not into competitions, but also because up till then, I had zero touchpoints with the western world. I would say those are two excellent reasons to decline. 


Well… I said yes anyway. I was curious: What if I liked it? What if I learn something new? What if I spend a weekend with fantastic people? A lot of “what ifs”. But what shall I say? The answer to all of them was “yes”. 


So, there I was. Standing in the middle of the arena, knowing nothing about western riding or the competition rules. I only knew that I had my camera and could take pictures of horses. And so I did. I’m pretty sure I was the happiest girl around. My approach was to capture the typical competition pictures, as well as some behind-the-scenes emotions, mixed with some more artsy pictures. This strategy gave me a lot to learn. I had to be patient in my observations and fast in my reaction. 


Here are some of the pictures I took that weekend. I am looking forward to capturing more events like this one. 


This is where the magic happens
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Close up portrait of a horse with a white face and black mane wearing leather bridle and tack.
A black and white paint horse illuminated against a wooden wall in dramatic lighting.
A horse and rider in western attire inside an indoor arena during competition.
Close up view of a white horse wearing competition number in an indoor arena setting.
A judge in western attire observes competitors in an indoor horse arena.
Detail shot of western riding attire and saddle on a paint horse during competition.
A competitor with their horse displaying a red ribbon award in an indoor arena.
Side profile of a brown horse wearing blue competition ribbons and show tack.
Close up detail of western riding tack and rider's hand on brown horse's neck.
A brown and white horse practices walking across a wooden platform in an indoor arena with handler.
Close-up of a chestnut horse's face wearing a white bridle with rope details.
A horse and rider in western show attire preparing for competition in an indoor arena.
A paint horse carefully steps across a raised wooden platform during training.
A paint horse and handler in western attire share a quiet moment in the arena.
A competitor with number tag leads a chestnut horse in a competition arena.