Golden Reins

Ella Schleter
Aug 4
3 min read

A girl, her horses, and a paddock of possibility

Blonde woman in a brown cowboy hat leans on a horse in a sunny field, calm and reflective.

This shoot came about after I put a call out on my Instagram stories looking for a horse owner who might be interested in getting creative with me. I connected with Elle through a mutual friend and after a handful of messages back and forth, we locked in a date.

As she sent me photos and little 'day in the life' glimpses, I found myself mentally packing up my life and gallivanting to the countryside, convinced I was destined to be a farm girl. Do I have a background in farming? No. Will I get lost in a wet paper bag? Absolutely. But that didn't stop me from romanticising for a little while.

If you've ever driven through the Grampians region, you'll understand how lucky we are to have such beautiful landscapes just a stone's throw from home.

Standing in a paddock photographing horses with one of Victoria's most iconic backdrops behind felt like one of those quiet little milestones you don't realise you've achieved until you're right there living it.

Black-and-white close-up of a woman in a cowboy hat gently facing a horse, holding its bridle, calm and intimate.

I made a promise to myself this year that I would get out more - out of my own head, out of Warrnambool, out of my comfort zone and out of my own way. And these images show a collection of moments where I consciously realised that I had achieved that goal and kept that promise. And it was a really wonderful feeling.

It helped that the weather was absolutely glorious. Not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind. The sun was beaming down on us from a crystal clear blue sky and after a string of cold and wet days, this kind of weather always seems to energise you and make you feel alive.

After all the rain we've had, the paddocks and tracks were very muddy so I was thankful I had prepared for the occasion with my overalls and boots. These boots have seen a thing or two over the years and possibly one too many adventures as my socks were soaked when I got back into the car. I think it might be time to retire them.

Elle, however, was the cleanest farmer I've ever seen. I was at least expecting some dirt under her fingernails but she somehow wrangled 3 horses, two young kids and also me, all with a perfect manicure. Admittedly, the manicure was in preparation for a fashion event she had later on that day but still a rural wonder woman in my books!

After a late start (my fault) and a quick outfit change mid-session, we wrapped up in just over an hour. The outfit change involved swapping horses and about 6 seconds after changeover, Fox decided that wearing a harness simply wasn't on his bingo card for the day and broke free, taking off across the paddock like wildfire. Poor Frank could only watch his brother with envy while remaining firmly tethered to reality.

Smiling woman in a brown cowboy hat and denim rides a horse outdoors, with sunlit trees blurred in the background.

Elle, thank you so much for having me on your beautiful property, I loved every second of it and my daydreams will take me back here one day I'm sure! Thanking my lucky stars, the wonderful connections I've made through my photography and the power of social media for helping bring this to fruition.