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Sunday, May 07 2023 / Published in Sidelines Feature, Sidelines Spotlight, Weekly Feature

Matthew Donohue: Coming Back to Horses Through the Lens

By Shya Beth

 

Matthew Donohue has traveled across the world with a camera in hand. From his teenage years of exploring the world from behind the lens while growing up in the States to packing and moving a world away to South Korea, and later working throughout the Middle East as a photojournalist, Matthew’s current occupation as an equine photographer has brought him full circle.

While both horses and photography were a part of his life early on, horses stayed behind while photography became his full focus. Matthew grew up in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, known to those in the horse world as horse country. “We called it ‘Barbaro-Land,’” Matthew said, in reference to the famed racehorse whose home stable is located nearby.

“When I was a youth, my friends and I would ride our bicycles to the old farm in the beginning of the neighborhood where we would spend time and feed the horses, and this memory has always stuck with me,” Matthew explained. “When I was a bit older, I would shadow my cousin, an equine veterinarian, and watch as he did his checkups and other veterinarian duties.”

While Matthew’s interest in horses were piqued, it wouldn’t be till much later in life that he would devote his time and artistic skill to the horse.

 

A World Away

Photography found Matthew, and the first time he had a camera in his hand was thanks to his high school art professor, Terry Newitt. “I wasn’t too happy at the time, and he gave me a tool to express myself—to be a storyteller, a documentarian, and a student of life and humanity,” Matthew said. “Once I left the country for South Korea, the camera had become a way I could explore different stories by combining my photography with the written word.”

Matthew graduated from the prestigious Pratt Institute in 2004 with a B.F.A. in Communication Arts. After a few years of working within advertising and design, a phone call with a college friend ended up changing his life forever. “I was 27 years old, lacked motivation and needed a change,” he explained. “After a long and expensive phone call to my friend from college in Seoul, South Korea, I dropped everything and moved to the opposite side of the world.”

Within three weeks, Matthew was living just south of Seoul, teaching English. It was a spur of the moment decision, and one that Matthew looks back on fondly. “It was one of the greatest choices I ever made in my life!” he exclaimed. “It was inspiring to be so far from home in a beautiful culture.”

Of course, Matthew brought his camera along with him, and soon enough found work with local, expat-focused magazines as a photographer. After living in South Korea for two years, Matthew moved again, this time to Kuwait in the Middle East. Writing a monthly column for their largest national magazine and teaching photography, it was during this time that Matthew felt he finally had found his calling in more serious photography and journalism. “I lost my uncle in the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983, and I always wanted to see that part of the world. All I did in this time was read, write and photograph. It was the words of Hunter S. Thompson and Anthony Bourdain that spoke to me on this ‘Gonzo’ part of my life as I traveled to Jordan, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, East Africa and Lebanon.”

 

The Equine Focal Point

After moving back to the United States and living in Brooklyn, New York, Matthew was all set for a trip in 2012 to Syria to cover the war when he found out that he would be a father. No stranger to life-altering changes, Matthew swiftly canceled his trip, packed his bags and moved to Long Island to be a dad.

It was after his move to Long Island that horses found their way back into his life. “I would drive around exploring my new home, seeing farm after farm, and I started introducing myself at different stables,” he said. “I felt this was now the right moment to pursue a passion that stayed latent since I was a child. What I didn’t realize at the time was that not only would I find joy again through the horse, my muse, but I was going to make lifelong friendships on land and through the sea—another interest of mine. Meeting people along the way like Juan and Jorge Vasquez, who have become family, and people like Susan Fuller-Roetman—the names go on—have been instrumental in my career and life with horses, then and now.”

Matthew’s photographic skills lend well to the horse world. From photographing polo matches, dressage, barrel racing and horse racing events, Matthew has been blessed to work with many different people from different backgrounds, and he enjoys every moment of it. While photographing at the National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2022, Matthew found the opportunity to photograph some of the greats of the horse racing world—Tapit, Birdstone, Justify, American Pharoah and Maximum Security, to name a few.

Capturing monochrome or multicolored images featuring powerful moments in equestrian sports to soft, gentle moments between a girl and her horse, each captured image tells a story. Full of action and adventure, show jumping has become a large part of his professional work, and for the last three years, Matthew has been a part of the Hampton Classic Photography Committee. One of the most prestigious show jumping events in the United States, the Hampton Classic takes place every year in The Hamptons, New York, close to where Matthew resides.

Matthew is grateful for the life experiences he’s had that have led him to this moment. “When I look back on my life, the camera has given me an immense amount of opportunities to see the world and life at a different angle,” he said. “In a way, I’m writing a visual journal of my life that I will be able to leave behind for my daughter to look upon and make her own choices as to how to navigate this crazy, beautiful existence.”

 

For more information, visit matthewdonohuephotography.com

 

Double D Trailers Info

Tagged under: horse-art, Jorge Vasquez, Matthew Donohue, matthewdonohuephotography.com

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Entrigue specializes in equestrian social media and rider management! We help equestrians handle the daily posting to Instagram and Facebook, handle boosting and engagement ads, and can help trainers and barns maximize their sponsorships, keep websites up to date, and PR! Your barn is a business too and as a rider or barn your digital hoof print counts!

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Yay for June! We have another great edition for yo Yay for June! We have another great edition for you all that we can't wait for you to read. Up first are Evan and Ashley Donadt a dynamic duo that has won the hearts of many! Stay tuned for many great stories like this by following us on Instagram and Facebook or subscribing to get your very own copy of Sidelines Magazine!

What happens when a horse-crazy equestrian girl meets a never-touched-a-horse-before guy? If you’re Ashley and Evan Donadt, it might just be the beginning of a happily-ever-after that includes a solid dressage program and extremely popular social media channels featuring good-natured humor and horses.

Ashley, a lifelong equestrian, began her horse experiences with the local 4-H club, progressed to lessons with the local dressage trainer when she was 10, then her own pony when she was 11. Conversely, Evan grew up in Massachusetts, without any horse experience to speak of. The odds of them meeting were fairly low, until fate landed them both in Southern California.

Evan knew from the start that spending time with Ashley meant spending time at the barn. In fact, Ashley told him straightaway, “The horses come first always; you’re going to be second!” Evan wasn’t deterred, and instead found the loophole: spending all his own free time with her at the barn.

Read Ashley and Evan's full article in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! You can also click the link in our bio. Don't forget to subscribe to get your very own copy delivered right to your door! Thank you Evan and Ashley for allowing us to share your story!
📸Portraits by Jeni Jo Brunner

#sidelinesmagazine #sidelines2023 #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
As we head into June we wrap up our May women entr As we head into June we wrap up our May women entrepreneur, edition. We were so lucky to be able to feature so many amazing women within the Horse industry. We have one more to share with you, and if you missed any of the women entrepreneur stories head to our website for all of our past issues! Enjoy! 

Hurry Up and Wait” is a familiar saying at hunter-jumper competitions. Unlike other disciplines, where 
riders are assigned specific ride times, hunter-jumper riders typically must check in with the starter at 
the in-gate throughout the day to determine when they will show. In 2019, Emma Fass decided to put 
her computer science background to use in the show industry and created RingSide Pro to allow riders 
to be “ringside” wherever they are.
Throughout high school, Emma competed at horses shows on her horse Son Of A Sailor, aka Ernie, 
oftentimes trailering Ernie into the show for the day with her mom. “That was stressful because we 
didn’t know how the show was running until we got there. Even once we were on the show grounds, we 
struggled to find information. It’s a hike to the rings and the speakers in the barns tend to be 
unreliable,” Emma said. “I would think to myself, There’s got to be a better way.”

For more information, visit www.ringsidepro.com

Read Emma’s full story at sidelinesmagazine.com, and never miss an edition of Sidelines magazine by subscribing. 

@ringsideproinsta @emmafass 
📸Photos by Kirsten Konopnicki, kkonophoto #Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
The June issue of Sidelines Magazine is here!!! G The June issue of Sidelines Magazine is here!!! 
Get ready to meet the cutest, funniest and very talented equestrian couple from California - Evan Donadt and Ashley Donadt. Thanks Jeni Brunner for the great cover photo! 

Evan is a Tik Tok and social media star, along with several of their horses and ponies. So get ready to laugh, and also be inspired by their relationship and Ashley's dressage goals - she's headed to the top! You will love them and their story will make you want to follow them on social media! 

We also feature hunter-jumper rider Will Baker who has a new farm near Ocala, Florida, complete with a cute donkey (and lots of amazing horses of course), equestrian artist Jan Lukens of Jan Lukens Fine Art (if you were a fan of Gem Twist you will love his paintings!), talented Texas dressage rider John Mason who has a great story, hunter-jumper rider Addison Reed who is now showing in the Grand Prix, and we catch up with the amazing Kate Egan and her larger-than-life horse and her story about how she won a car!

Former eventing groom Courtney Carson tells us about her new career, eventer Nicole Zardus shares her story of retraining racehorses for the eventing and foxhunting world, and we catch up with the very talented rider Luke Jensen who is now a professional rider for North Run's Missy Clark and John Brennan. Don't miss Luke's touching story about the horse Jamaica! 

We feature Robert Crandall in our Unbridled column, along with our great columnists who share their wisdom: eventing with Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing, dressage with George Williams, hunter-jumper with Rob Jacobs R.L. Jacobs and sports psychology with Margie Sugarman. Also enjoy the Show Time pages from The FEI World Cup Finals and the American Equestrians Got Talent competition. It's another great issue!!

Don't forget to visit our website and order a subscription - one year for $14.95 - you can't beat that! In the meantime, enjoy the June issue. Link in bio! 
#Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
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