I would like you to meet Dorothy.

I am Rachel Flynn, fine art equine photographer based in West Gippsland, Victoria, and this is one of the most personal projects I have ever undertaken. Whilst there is a great debate on whether wild horses should remain wild or domesticated, this project isn’t about that. It is to bring awareness to their beauty and adaptability and that they deserve a more humane way to be managed.

When I saw the on-ground culling plans from our government I could not sit back and do nothing. These horses deserve better.

With this in mind, The Australian Brumby Project was initiated as my way of giving back to the horse. My personal thanks to those horses that have changed my life and taught me invaluable life lessons.

There have been many Brumbies over the years that have been captured and trained to be ridden; and this project is about some of those horses along with wild horses that live free. 

Whilst some domesticated wild horses have a ‘happy ending’ there are many who go through an extreme transformation to get there. Dorothy is no different – she was trapped by Parks Victoria as an 8-year-old heavily pregnant mare with a weanling colt at foot and foaled not long after capture.

She then made her way to the Victorian Brumby Association where she started a long and slow recovery process from a near-death experience.

Once she returned to full health, she was selected for the Australian Brumby challenge and trainer Mat van der Horst was selected to start her under saddle. On completion of this event, Mat chose for her to returned home with him.

Some time on Bridget Zimmerling was looking for her next mount when the opportunity came up for her to lease Dorothy. Bridget and Dorothy went on to train for many varying disciplines such as adult riders club, extreme cowboy challenges, trail riding, and liberty work.

Dorothy is a lovely mare who is very connected to Bridget, and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them.

“A horse’s eye is a window to their soul”

A horse is poetry in motion

The Australian Brumby Project is an ongoing celebration of the beauty, resilience and spirit of Australia’s wild horses. If you have a rescued Brumby or a horse with a story worth telling, I would love to photograph them as part of this project.

Rachel Flynn Photography offers fine art equine portrait sessions in West Gippsland, Victoria and travels Australia-wide for destination sessions. Every horse deserves to have their story told through art.

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