Heart Horse Feature: Brianna + Moana | Indianapolis IN Equine Photographer

Heart Horse is a horse and rider portrait series that features 40 horse women and their heart horses, where they share their history together. At the end of the portrait series, there will be a gala to feature stories like this, their one portrait from their session, and to raise money for Epona Healing with Horses. The date is TBD as this project is still ongoing. 

Moana (pronounced Mona), aka Sunnybend Vanda Moana is a 24 year old Clydesdale. She’s a large mahogany bay, has a blaze, with four white socks to the hocks. She was previously trained with Zukowski Meadowview Farms (zmfarabian.com) and Hill View Arabians 

Brianna describes her favorite memory with Moana in her own words. “The first time I was able to compete at our National Clydesdale Show, it was 2015. I'd never shown at that level of a breed show before, but it had been something I'd been dreaming of for years. I'd never shown in an arena that large, or for a crowd that big. I was so nervous. It felt like a huge deal for the both of us, as we'd fought through soundness issues for several years leading up to this and a 300 mile move had taken us away from the only trainer that we'd both adored. 

I was taking the knowledge I'd gained from that barn and was attempting to do it on my own. We doubled down on workouts and gave each session new intention. If we were going to do this, I wanted to be as prepared as we could be. We rode all summer, before or after work, in the early hours before the sun came up or just as it was setting in an effort to beat the heat. 

The weeks passed and I wondered over and over if I actually knew what I was doing. The evening of the English Under Saddle class arrived. My sister drove down to help be my pit crew, my husband was there to assist, and my In Laws were in the seats of the Coliseum for moral support. It was so hard to focus because I felt like everyone was expecting me to do well. There were nice horses lining up for the class and I was so sure that I didn't belong. I managed not to be the first in line, as I was fully expecting Moana to refuse the gate. We'd never been able to see the inside of that ring before and I was prepared for her to be just as overwhelmed by it as I was. 

Deep breath, leg on, two clucks for a trot.... And in we go. We went from the chute that was 85 degrees and what felt like 80 percent humidity, to a brightly lit air conditioned arena. Moana hit the wall of cool air, sat down on her haunches, and proceeded to trot one of the best entrances of our lives. That gave me the boost of confidence that I needed. She wasn't nerved up, she was a rock star and because she was confident and ready for the challenge, so was I. 

I smiled and nodded to the judge and we rode that class like it was ours, like we'd been doing it all our lives. As we lined up for the placings, I knew we'd had a good ride, but I also didn't care about where we placed. Moana has spent years teaching me different things, and that class was another lesson I just learned. 

Have a little faith in yourself and have fun, everything else will follow. They announced the placings, and somehow we remained in the top two. They called for second place, but it wasn't our number. We'd won. We did it. As we took that victory lap around the ring, that I'd found so intimidating just minutes before, I remember thinking to myself that this mare that chose me years before was a once in a lifetime horse, and I was so blessed to call her mine. It's something I'll never forget.

Moana and I first crossed paths when I was 14 and she was 2. Handled only for basic care, she was a little much for my young and naive self to attempt to turn into a 4-H project, especially as a first year member. I didn't grow up with horses, but started taking lessons as soon as I could and as much as my parents could financially allow. 

Through the grapevine at work, my mom found an opportunity for myself and my sister to get some hands on horse experience. A fellow nurse needed help showing her horses, and in exchange, us kids would learn the ins and outs of daily care, as well as fitting and showing. Us girls leaped at the chance. I spent the first two years with a mare named Chloe. She was a gorgeous blood red bay, and Moana's half sister. 

Moana, being quite young and very green, was my back up horse. Chloe was later sold to another family and I was devastated. I adored Chloe and had put a lot of work into her, but we just couldn't afford to buy her when she was offered for sale. It was a rough lesson to learn. The day Chloe left for her new home, Moana stretched her neck out from her stall and nuzzled me, begging for pets. I began to devote all of my effort into her from that day on. 

A year later, the breeder, who became a family friend, took notice of my work with both Moana and around her farm. After discussing it with my parents, she approached me with a deal - I work at her barn, caring and maintaining it and all the horses for so many hours, in exchange for Moana. By this point, my heart had begun to heal, thanks to the mahogany bay mare who begged for scratches, and I leaped at the chance. Two years later, the breeder signed over her papers to me, and Moana became mine. Twenty years, a move to another state, a goal, a marriage, two children, and a million adventures later, she still resides in my barn, and greets me every morning with a nicker.

Moana is a teacher. She's spent her life teaching me things I didn't know I needed to learn. Sometimes those were related to her care, but most were about life. Our partnership allowed us to bring home several breed level championships. She is the epitome of versatile, challenging me to take her to that level, but also being the true example of a gentle giant for youth handlers. 

When I aged out of 4-H, she was leased by another five kids before retiring. She loved every minute of it and they all took home many blue ribbons and championships with them. Now, she's doing her part to introduce my daughter to what horses can teach us about life. A stifle injury and significant ringbone keeps her from the show ring, but her patience and gentle nature make for the perfect ambassador of not only the Clydesdale breed, but for horses as a whole.

Moana has two Top Five and two Top Ten Clydesdale World Show titles from 2015 and 2018, respectively, in addition to six National Titles under both English and Western saddle.”

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Bethany Quinn is the photographer behind Bethany Quinn Studios where she helps modern women feel more confident in their own skin through boudoir and equine photography sessions. We encourage you to grab a glass of wine or sparkling cider, hang out for awhile, and check out more that the blog has to offer! 

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