Interested in your own photoshoot with your horses, dogs and family? Fill the form in below and I will be in touch.

At the beginning of the year I posted on social media that I was looking for a sponsored rider for the 2020 season. I posted a form and got over 100 entries, it took me hours upon hours to whittle it down! There was some amazing entries from people of varying competition levels.

When I was younger I entered numerous sponsored rider searches and was never selected, I wanted to select someone like me who would have been absolutely thrilled. I wanted someone with potential, who looked like they were on their way up in the equestrian world and mainly someone who loved their horses. I think I made an excellent choice with Phoebe, when I finally got to meet her for the first time I loved her winning mentality and passion for her horses.

After having to reschedule due to Covid, we finally got to meet in June for our first photoshoot and at the end I asked Phoebe a few questions. I hope you enjoy this interview learning a little more about Phoebe and her two horses Vince and Fletcher. 

How long have you been riding?

“I’ve been riding for 12 years”

Who was your first pony and what was he/she like?

“Primrose, a little dark bay Welsh A who was really naughty”

Phoebe’s grandad shouts ‘very naughty’ in the background and proceeds to tell me that Phoebe’s mum also rode Primrose when she was a child, which was the start of all things horsey. What an amazing story that both Phoebe and her mum to learnt to ride on the same pony!

How long have you had Vince and Fletcher?

“I’ve had Fletcher since February 2018 and I’ve had Vince not long, only since April last year (2019)”

Tell me what you’ve competed with Fletcher?

“We’ve competed up to 90cm, we went to the British Riding Club national championships last year and got 6th individually. We also did the Pony Club Championship and went to the nationals in Lincolnshire show jumping.”

“We’ve done a bit of everything with him, we’ve had a go at the workers, dressage and show jumped.”

“He’s a cross country machine and he’s the one that gave me the eventing bug.”

So are you hoping to bring Vince on to event?

“We did a lot of training last year with him while competing Fletcher. Next year we will do BE on Vince, we want to do the grassroots Badminton qualifiers”

“Vince has come from a 3 star rider, his dad is one of Mark Todds horses and his brother was in the Olympics in 2012 so he’s got good lines. He’s come a long way, he was a handful.”

Biggest horsey achievement?

“Coming 6th at the nationals last year, it was a really good weekend”

Who is your rider inspiration?

“ Erm probably Oliver Townend, I’ve met him three times and even rode XC with him when I was younger!”

“When I was 11 I was at Pony club doing the XC and he’s was there with his youngster coming through the water and I’m like ‘oh my god what’s this man doing I am trying to have my picture taken and he’s in the way.”

Phoebe’s grandad continues to tell me how he asked Oliver to hang on a second while they just had a picture and when Oliver asked if he wanted him to get in it, Phoebe’s grandad not realising who it was said “oh no you’re alright”. Then once they realised they did then get pictures together!

Her grandad also tells me Phoebe’s never really had rider inspirations, she’s more concentrated on her rivals.

This is where Phoebe’s winning mentality comes in – “You either win or you’ve lost, there’s red rosettes and then there is irrelevant. It’s more rivalry that drives me and I have competitions with people in my head. I only compare with people my level.”

Have you ever tried Showing?

“I started showing with Marcus who was my first proper horse. We did workers and the flat”

Phoebe’s grandad here lets me know that she got bored of it very quickly!!

“I did the showing to get me into the workers, then once I did the workers, I wanted to do the eventing. We did get reserve champion at NW champs in the riding club horse class, I was only 12 in a class full of adults.”

Have you ever done a puissance?

“Only at the yard at the annual yard show. Grandad won it last year at 1m30.” 

Did I mention that Phoebe’s grandad also rides, how cool would it be for your grandad to win the yard puissance!!

Do you ever get nervous?

“Grandads done a good job stopping me from getting nervous. With Fletcher being nervous would be the worst thing. I don’t really get nervous but I do get disappointed in myself if things go wrong, I want to be the best at everything. Its a good but a bad trait at same time. “

Have you been riding during lockdown?

“Yes loads! We hired an arena the other day with Vince, there was a puissance wall he jumped and we ended up jumping round the 1m course. He’s fearless when it comes to cross country, with fillers and everything.

“At first with cross country, I think he was scared and grandad kept saying you need to trust him because he needs to trust you and now we have this partnership we’re onto a winner. He doesn’t bat an eyelid at anything now and he’s incredibly bold. The feistiness in him, I think thats where the boldness and braveness comes from. “

I hope you enjoyed this blog! You can find Phoebe on Instagram phoebebrophyeventing 

Make sure to give her a follow and keep an eye out for her on my feed with future photoshoots and on the eventing circuit next year!

Jessie x

If anyone here has ever lost an animal, you’ll know the pain I’m about to talk about. In the last 18 months we lost 3 dogs, we always knew we’d lose them close together because they were similar ages. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make it any easier, does it?

We lost Lady first, a little cavalier who spent her life surrounded by labradors and was probably ‘more Labrador’ than cavalier in the end. A sassy little diva she’ll be forever known as, we lost her age 12 last year.

Last September we lost Beauty, this one was always going to be the hardest and my tears start to fall as I sit and write this. It is still so raw. You see, I used to be scared of dogs, I’d scream and hide behind my mum if a dog even came near me.  I had to have plastic surgery as a child as I was bitten by a dog in the face, missing my eye by a few centimetres. I don’t actually think that’s the reason I was so scared, I have an extremely distinct childhood memory of being chased on a bike by a dog, with my uncle running behind me begging me to stop. I have no idea how long I cycled without the dog actually chasing me, I just did not look back. Getting a dog when I was aged 7 seemed the obvious solution for my parents. So this little puppy arrived and she used to make me cry on a daily basis as she bit my school socks (the ones with the holes in, ideal for a puppy really). But of course, who can’t fall in love with a labrador puppy and before long I was a dog-loving child with all my fears gone.

I can’t really find the words to describe Beauty, whatever I say would be an injustice. She’s left a lasting legacy and well, look at me, working a career involving dogs and I can’t imagine my home will ever be a Labrador free place again. She was 14 when we lost her and although a great age, I really would do anything to have her just a little longer.

Then during lockdown, we lost our lovely Daisy, she was Beauty’s best friend and we knew she would never want to spend long on this planet once Beauty had gone. She was the kindest soul I have ever met, I know people say things like that about their own dogs but truly she was. She was my 11th birthday present and will remain the best birthday present I’ve ever received. My mum got Fudge and Bear as we knew there would come a time when Beauty, Daisy and Lady would pass and Tinkerbelle would be left on her own. Daisy would let the puppies hang off her ears, bite her face whilst never once snapping; she was like their mum really. She was 12 years old when we lost her and it felt like grieving for all 3 of them once again.

I couldn’t bear it really. I sat and cried and looked at pictures and laughed as we recollected memories. I knew I had to do something so that’s where ‘Daisy Day’s has originated from, consumed with grief and needing something to concentrate on. I put everything in place during lockdown and launched the project as lockdown started to lift.

I am lucky to have so many photos to remember them by and this year alone two horses have passed away before we have had the chance to do their photoshoot. I know people think ‘oh we’ll get round to it’ and they never do and then it’s too late. Owner’s with a horse or dog that is reaching the end of its life due to old age or terminal illness can enter to be selected for their own Daisy Day, a one-hour photoshoot capturing beautiful keepsakes to treasure.

One horse/dog will be selected each month, where they can have their own photoshoot in their favourite place. The only requirement is a £30 donation which will be donated entirely to ‘Oldies Club’. After the session the owner will receive a mounted 9×6 print and 6 digital images for social media. I absolutely love older animals and I am hoping we can raise money for charity, get pictures for owners to treasure of their animals and for me personally it’s keeping Beauty, Daisy and Lady’s memory alive.

If you want to enter your dog or horse for their own ‘Daisy Day’ click below and fill in the form. 

When coronavirus hit the news at the beginning of January, my friend expressed her worry that it would hit England. This was a concept that I completely dismissed. I never in a million years thought I would be sat writing this blog post 7 weeks into lockdown, with no idea of when this madness might be over.

Overnight I lost a jam-packed event diary, something I was so looking forwards to and proud of. People are no longer booking shoots as they don’t know when we can get out shooting again, not forgetting the financial implications it’s had on people.

As the government introduced furlough, grants and schemes for the self employed, I quickly realised I was about to receive 0 support. To qualify you needed a full year of accounts, something I did not have as a small new business. What a daunting prospect and there’s been a few times I’ve wanted to sit and cry about it, but how can I cry when the picture is bigger. People are losing their lives, so I started looking at what I had to be grateful for.

We’d survive, I still had some part time work, my fiancé was still working and my parents are incredibly supportive people. All those little things I have been meaning to do but hadn’t got round to, I suddenly had an abundance of time to do them all.

I started working through a list of things to do and found a different kind of passion for my business. I realised how much I had been neglecting my business, how much more I could invest in myself and my business. Most importantly, I fell in love with learning again.

I surrounded myself with other small businesses through instagram and groups on Facebook. I started listening to podcasts about business, photography, mindset and motivation. I finished my Training Barn course, I bought the Hair of the Dog Summit and most importantly I invested in a business mentor.

I shot images of my Nellie and my horses, I enjoyed my time at the farm and my daily walks. I came up with plans, blog ideas, photoshoot ideas, a new project and I made a conscious effort to try and show up on social media everyday. I feel super energised and excited to return to events and shooting but in the meantime I am just enjoying this strange peace and period of planning.

So although coronavirus has had a massive negative impact on my business financially, it also might just have brought my business a new lease of life and gained me a new perspective. I am hoping I can get back shooting in June, so if you are interested in a summer photoshoot please get in touch.

Introducing Me