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Tuesday, August 31 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Shelli Breidenbach: Equine Minimalist Photography

By Shya Beth 

If you’ve ever looked inside an equestrian magazine or gazed at a horse show poster, there’s a good chance you’ve seen one of Shelli Breidenbach’s eye-catching equine photographs. From having her work featured at events such as the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Central Park Horse Show to an ongoing collaboration with Ralph Lauren, Shelli’s work is unparalleled in capturing the minute details and keeping the focus on her magnificent subject. Now, her work has joined a decades-old collection of equine art that has graced the Hampton Classic Horse Show’s poster.

Living and working in New York, this former-fashion-photographer-turned-equine-fine-art-photographer had a different career altogether working in finance on Wall Street. Perhaps Shelli would have continued working in that sector if it hadn’t been for a family trip to South Africa that introduced her to a world she knew little about — photography.

“I knew nothing about photography before South Africa,” Shelli said. “I did, however, have an overwhelming love of animals. Africa was life-altering on so many levels. It gave me an even greater love for the power and the presence of wild animals, taught me the necessity of respecting your distance and their natural habitats, and gave me an overall greater need to appreciate and care for our environment.”

When Shelli returned to the United States, she immediately left the field of finance and learned as much as she could about her newfound love of photography, as quickly as possible. Shelli met up with friends within the fashion world who introduced her to the world of fashion and portrait photography, and she maintained a studio in New York City for several years before moving full time into equine and fine art photography. 

Jumping Through the Lens

Although Shelli didn’t compete in equestrian events until adulthood, she always found ways to ride and spend time with horses as a child. “My mother has a very old pair of my rust-colored riding breeches in a shadow box frame somewhere in the house—so I guess you could say I’ve been riding for a while!” she said “I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the presence of these animals.” 

Shelli loves the never-ending process of building a relationship with a horse, and the significant amount of trust it takes. “For me, it would not be possible to be a successful equine photographer without being a rider. Horses have taught me so much, and continue to do so.”

With 20-foot square, hand-painted linen drop cloths in the background, Shelli’s photographs have a life of their own. “I feel that the old saying ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ sums up my change from fashion photography to fine art equine photography,” she said. “I still like fashion and portrait photography, but I love equine photography. I’ve always said that I have the best job in the world—being with horses is never work; it’s an honor and a privilege.” 

Shelli calls her style equine minimalist photography, and the name fits as she prefers to photograph horses on their own without tack, focusing fully on the shapes and forms of her subject. Since moving fully into the equine sphere, she has honed every detail of the process, from the color of her painted backdrops to the positions of each horse and lighting.

From Photography to Fabric

Although Shelli is a world-renowned photographer, she’s also known for another artistic avenue—equestrian-themed fabric. “It really began with my own desire to find an equestrian-themed fabric that fit my family’s lifestyle. There isn’t a room, sofa or rug that’s off limits to muddy kids or dogs in our home, and even the occasional mini horse,” Shelli said. “I wanted to create a modern equestrian vibe with the performance capabilities of an indoor/outdoor fabric. My partners at Savel helped to make that a reality with Sunbrella Fabrics, and I’m very proud of it.”

There have been many highlights in Shelli’s career, and the moments that stand out the most to her are photographing some of our country’s most accomplished show jumpers—twice: once during the peak of their career and again as they retire to happy lives in grassy fields. Laura Kraut’s Cedric was one of those horses. “Speaking as one of that combination’s biggest fans, there can be no greater reward than to have a few minutes at the end of a beautiful career to say, ‘Thank you for all of the years that you’ve given us and all of the memorable moments you’ve given our sport.’” 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hampton Classic Horse Show was canceled in 2020, the year that Shelli’s photograph was supposed to be used as the featured artwork. One of the most prestigious shows of the season that signals an end to the summer days, the Hampton Classic’s annual equine art chosen as the official poster is an iconic part of the event. Decades of established artists of different mediums have had their work featured, but only three photographers have ever been featured in its history.  

“I’m very proud of the work, and to be one of three photographers the Hampton Classic Horse Show has ever worked with is an honor,” Shelli said. “It really is a wonderful way to showcase the elegance of the horse—in a classic and beautiful way.” 

For more information, visit shellibreidenbach.com

Art Of The Horse is the world’s first equine art platform and is the premier source for all things equine art.

artofthehorsegallery.net

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Tagged under: equine photography, minimalist photography, photography

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Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! W Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.
 
Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.
 
Kaiman (Dark Pleasure x Gribaldi) earned high scores at his stallion testing and in the young horse classes. He's also the sire of a Licensed Oldenburg stallion. Kaiman's first North American foal crop is arriving now and they are gorgeous!
 
If you're looking for top international bloodlines please check out our 2023 stallion collection, now available fresh, frozen, and by the dose.

Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.

Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.

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@iron_spring_farm 

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

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Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
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It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
Standing at Ryan Pedigo Sport Horses, in California

For more information, you can contact 
🖥Ryanpedigosporthorses.com
🖥Ryan.p.f@hotmail.com
☎️(714) 357-2714

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

@ryanpedigosporthorsespf_

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #sidelinesmagazine
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