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Friday, September 13 2013 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Through the Camera Lens: A first person account of photographing the mysterious Graveyard of the Atlantic

By Dani Moritz

 

These are the photos of the four stallions Debra photographed that morning.  All photos by Debra Garside

These are the photos of the four stallions Debra photographed that morning.
All photos by Debra Garside

Nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” Sable Island is most well known for the number of wooden ships its dense fog and frequent storms have claimed long ago. But, centuries worth of shipwrecked vessels upon its surrounding shores are not the only thing this island is famous for.

 

On this Canadian island, you will also find upward of 400 wild horses – which are believed to be descendants from the horses that came to the island with settlers in the mid-1700s. What you won’t find are very many people. With less than a half-dozen permanent residents, few visitors are allowed to step foot on the island.

 

Debra Garside, of Water Valley, Alberta, is one visitor who has been allowed to frequent Sable Island – and through her visits she has managed to capture the spirit of the wild horses through the lens of her camera.

 

This is a first hand account by Debra of a day photographing Sable Island and the horses who roam its lands. Debra’s words describing her adventure are in italics.

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An Early Start

 

Debra’s day begins early – as she prepares for her journey. The island is not easy to photograph. The dense fog, the troublesome terrain, the constant threat of the howling wind all could be detrimental. Yet, Debra must always make the best of what Mother Nature hands her.

 

My alarm goes off at 4:00 a.m.  I crawl out of my sleeping bag and peer out of the second story window of the Canadian Coast Guard staff house. The yard lights glow diffusely through the dense fog and everything is covered with heavy dew – another typical early morning on Sable Island. 

 

I wonder what this must have been like for the early mariners, with no modern navigational equipment. Over 300 ships were wrecked on this island and many lives and much cargo were lost. The station, where I am based, was part of a facility that was established on this remote island back in 1801 to help save crew and cargo of the many ill-fated ships. The island was dubbed “Graveyard of the Atlantic” and even to this day the turbulent weather in this area strikes fear into the hearts of sailors. Remnants of the renowned Andrea Gail (“The Perfect Storm”) touched these shores not so long ago.

 

I sleepily descend the stairs, enter the austere kitchen and begin preparing breakfast. I want to be well fuelled for what I expect to be another strenuous day of hiking the sand dunes and heathlands. I had prepared lunch and my camera gear the night before, so that my morning departure from base would be swift. While the weather did not appear favourable for photography, experience reminds me that this can change at any moment, especially on Sable Island where the easterly winds are unrelenting.

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Her Journey Begins

 

It is not terribly long before Debra’s subjects appear. With a wide range of genetic origins, several types of horses can be spotted. Debra says some resemble Arabian breeding, others of old European bloodstock and some resemble Thoroughbreds. However, all the horses appear to be bays, browns, palominos, chestnuts and blacks – as horses of color were bred out long ago as they were considered inferior by the island’s early settlers. On this day, Debra was fortunate to find four of these beautiful stallions.

 

I pull on my waist waders and river walkers (water-proof pants and hiking boots), don a rainproof jacket and hoist my 35-pound camera backpack up onto my shoulders. I have my 70-200mm lens and Nikon D3s ready in hand, as horses can appear over a sand dune at any moment. Sunrise has been muted by the persistent fog, but optimistically, I head out across the wooden walkway of the compound, past the meteorological equipment and out towards the west gate. I then follow a horse trail that leads me past the station’s wind turbines, close to where the Artic Terns have begun their seasonal nesting. As soon as the Terns are aware of my presence the sky above me fills with squawking, aggressive birds, determined to send me away. I hurry my way across the heathlands as quickly as possible to avoid attack. Once out of bombing range, I relax my pace a little and start to focus on the world around me.

 

I pass by a freshwater pond full of blooming water lilies and surrounded by iris, pearly everlasting and beautiful grass-pink orchids. I feel slightly guilty about not taking the time to photograph these little Sable Island gems, but I must stay on task. I have come here for my third expedition, now a seasoned Sable Island visitor, with high expectations of the type of wild horse imagery I wish to capture, and every moment from dawn until dusk must be used productively. At a cost of $300 per day for accommodation in the staff house and a $13,000 charter flight to get to the island, this is serious business.

 

Less than one mile from base, I come across a group of four bachelor stallions. I am thrilled, as the young bachelors are often the most active and interactive of the social groups. Two blacks, a bay and a chestnut – they were making their way along the dunes near the south shore. Keeping a discreet distance, I followed along in the fog waiting for an opportunity.

 

The boys stopped for a moment at the site of an old wooden crate and each took turns scratching against it. There are no trees on the island (save for one stunted old pine), so items to scratch upon are highly regarded. This did not hold their interest long, however, and they headed over the next dune and down onto the south beach. Again I continued my pursuit, staying just far enough away so as not to influence their behaviour. 

 cover4 copy

The Perfect Shot

 

As Debra’s journey continued, the perfect moment arose. In that moment, she was able to capture what she had been searching for – the untamed spirit of the Sable Island horse.

 

Beachcombing on Sable Island is an adventure in itself. Sitting at the convergence of three major currents, including the Gulfstream, the island’s tideline collects all manors of sea-borne debris, both natural and man-made. One of these treasures (at least by equine standards), is the peat encrusted rhizomes (roots) that break off in chunks and are taken out to sea and then eventually brought back by the tide. These salt-soaked clumps are left strewn upon the beaches and are a natural mineral lick for the horses.

 

The bachelors quickly spotted one of these treats and trotted anxiously over to it, and began voraciously licking the salt with great enjoyment. The sun was just starting to burn off some of the fog and a little warmth pushed away the morning chills. But, this peaceful moment did not last long. One small treasure shared by four young stallions was just not going to work. Soon they started nipping at each other trying to establish a pecking order. This in turn escalated into a foray of serious knee-biting and evasive action, and soon the two most dominant stallions began spinning their way along the shoreline in mock battle.

 

This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Shooting hand-held, I ran parallel along the base of the dunes, doing my best to keep up with the action. The fog co-operated for once, and rolled back out to sea, allowing a beautiful diffuse light to envelope the scene. I ran, paused and took shots and then ran some more, my adrenaline level kicking into high gear. The horses reared up, striking with their front feet, and barred their teeth in display of dominance. They carried their performance down the beach until a large group of grey seals, hauled out on the beach, blocked their path and the action ceased.

 

Almost instantly, calm was restored, and the four bachelors walked away in single file, towards the inland ponds for a drink. I suddenly realized what an amazing opportunity had just been bestowed upon me. My hands started to shake, partly from the exhaustion of running heavily laden in deep sand, and partly from excitement. An element of fear crept in as well. It had all happened so quickly that I had not had the time to adjust my camera settings while on the run. I always start out with my camera set on aperture priority, and a fairly forgiving ISO (digital equivalent of film speed), but running and shooting hand-held is always a roll of the dice, and I was not sure if I had made quality shots.

 

I sat down on a piece of driftwood, poured myself a cup of tea from my thermos, and with unsteady hands began to scroll through the images on my LCD screen. Yes, I had done it! The images were sharp and the beautiful pastel tones of the morning light were there. I knew right then that this would be a pivotal moment in my career as a nature photographer.

 cover5 copy

Adventuring on a remote island surrounded by a herd of majestic, wild horses is something most of us only experience in our dreams. But, through the images that Debra has captured, we, too, can relish in such an adventure.

 

Sidelines Magazine hopes you have enjoyed Debra’s story and images and we hope that, perhaps, her tale will inspire your own adventure. For more information about Debra and Sable Island, visit her website at www.sableislandhorses.ca.

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Tagged under: alberta, Debra Garside, equine photography, Graveyard of the Atlantic, horse-magazine, horses, Sable Island, sidelines-magazine, Water Valley, wild horses

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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 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
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
Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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