a grand passion

"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion"

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can visit Ernie, pictured above, and the 12 other beautiful horses of Icssoma Farm.
For more information visit the Well Trained Horses website and Icssoma Farm blog.

For more photography visit joyhamel.com

cheers!
joy

my daughter, the photographer

While volunteering at the stables a few weeks ago, my daughter and I had a fun playing with the horses and taking photos. While I was in the arena with 4 amazing horses, Ernie, was right by my side walking with me like an old friend. It has been a fun game of mine to see which horse will wear my hat. I’ve tried many but have never succeeded until now. My daughter, Montana, camera in hand snapped this great shot!

Steppin Out by Montana Hamel & Joy Hamel

Of course Ernie would be the one to wear the hat, anytime I have my camera that horse lights up! He loves to be photographed and he knows how handsome he is, its like he was striking a pose as soon as I placed the hat on his head. I am so proud of my amazing daughter for capturing such a great moment, even as I was yelling.. MONTANA TAKE THE PICTURE!! She managed to pry herself away from photographing the cat, just in time to get 3 frames of Ernie in the hat.

Limited Edition Fine Art Prints

We have decided to offer limited edition fine art prints of this photograph for sale via Well Trained Horses. 50% of the proceeds go directly to helping rescue horses, like Ernie. The edition is limited to 25 prints selling at $100 dollars each. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist (and her mother).

Win this Print!

You can also try to win one of these prints (and other GREAT prizes) via Well Trained Horses, A Raffle for Rescue Horses. Tickets are 5$ each find out more info at Well Trained Horses.

Horse rescue, photography, & California Northern

A few months ago I submitted some of my photography work to California Northern. It takes a while to get responses, editors are VERY busy folks!

Imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago, the editor contacted me about publishing some images I captured while volunteering at a local horse rescue.

I have always loved horses and when we moved to the north bay my daughter fell in love with horses too. So we looked around and found a wonderful horse rescue called Well Trained Horses, located at Icssoma Farm in beautiful west Sebastopol. We booked a lesson and I was hooked.

My daughter and I started volunteering on a regular basics, in exchange for riding lessons. Our experiences at the stables have grown to so much more than just riding lessons. We have found a new family, been emotionally healed, and bonded with 13 of the most amazing horses I have ever be blessed to spend time with.

Of course as a photographer, I couldn’t wait to photograph these majestic beasts!
They all have a story... some are sad tales, some just needed a place to call home.

Susan Jan is an amazing trainer and mentor. The horses actually light up when she is around. Taking care of 13 horses is no easy task, the economical challenges alone should make you cringe. Don’t even get me started on the amount of muck!

This is why the publishing of these two photographs of Ernie and one of Bluff is so important to me. Exposure for Susan and her cause. Well Trained Horses runs on donations and the support of a fantastic group of volunteers! There is always plenty of work to go around. If you want to help, monetary donations are fantastic, we can also use donations of supplies, tack, feed, and hard work!

Cheers,
Joy

For more information on Susan Jan and the horses at Icssoma Farm please visit their website
www.welltrainedhorses.com

See more of my equine photography in issue #3 of California Northern