• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tortoise Productions, Inc.

  • Blog
    • Oot & Aboot
    • Tips & Tricks
  • Galleries
    • Portfolio
    • Our Photography in Use
  • Stock Photos
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Oot & Aboot / Sleigh and Cutter Rally

Sleigh and Cutter Rally

February 21, 2012 by Holly Leave a Comment

Every year in Minnesota, if there’s snow, you can count on there being at least one Sleigh & Cutter Rally in the area. This year there were two that I was made aware of. The first was on January 29th on the Eagle Valley Golf Course in Woodbury, MN. The second was a week later (Feb 4th) on the Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo, MN. I didn’t attend the second due to lack of snow and too many other possible photographic activities that weekend, but I did make it to the first.

Equipment Carried: Nikon D300, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 2x teleconvertor — Equipment Used: Nikon D300, 24-70mm, 70-200mm

Before going to an event like this, one needs to consider the weather conditions, and exactly what you plan on doing to obtain your photos. As it was in the low 30’s with a mild wind, I knew to dress warmly – especially my feet as I’d be doing a lot of standing around. I also knew I’d be getting some shots that were low(er) to the ground, which meant lying or kneeling in several inches of snow. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the bath mat I usually use in such situations. An old rubber-backed bath mat is excellent for keeping you off of damp (or snowy) ground that will cause you to be uncomfortable while shooting and dirty/wet when you move to your next location.

I arrived on the site before the main “parade” began and had time to check in with the organizers, other photographers, spectators and horse owners. I also made use of this time to get some intimate portrait shots of the horses before and while they were harnessed up to the sleighs and cutters.

LunchRed Tuft (Mane)Jingle All the Way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I moved out onto the golf course to find that “perfect” spot. As it turneComing Round the Curved out, the perfect spot was right next to where the judging would take place. So I set my white balance, settled in and waited for the first sleigh to go by.

One thing to remember when photographing horses – in any capacity, whether they are harnessed or not – is that they can be unpredictable animals. I was forcibly reminded of this this day. As I was photographing the teams going by, a horse pulling a cutter decided that he wanted to take a “shortcut” from the curve I was standing on, to the other side of the course. And I was (kinda) in the way. All I know is that suddenly the horse I was busily photographing was getting bigger and not turning the way I was anticipating. While taking one LARGE step backwards I dropped my camera from my eye and witnessed a cutter with a very concerned driver passing less than a foot away from me. (I’d show the photo taken just before I lowered my camera, but it’s rather out-of-focus) This was the point at which I decided that perhaps this was a good time to change my position on the course.

I moved away from the judging area towards another curve and settled in on a relatively snow-free patch to photograph the rest of the teams.

Moving AlongFancy

The location turned out to be great as, in addition to having a curve, there was also an area where the teams paused before going before the judges. This allowed for some different shots.

Waiting (to go before the judges)Matched Set

And, of course, I played a bit….

Interpretation

There’s not much I enjoy more than photographing animals in motion, and this day proved very much worth any discomfort I had (cold toes!).

I hope to get out to more Sleigh & Cutter Rallys next year – but for this year, I think I’ve had enough of snow and cold.

Bring on the warmth of summer!

— Holly Kuchera

 


• Date: Sunday, January 29th, 2011

• Site: Eagle Valley Golf Course, Woodbury, Minnesota
• Time spent at the site: 2 1/2 hours
• Images taken: 369
• Possible keepers: 86


facebookShare on Facebook
FollowFollow us

Filed Under: Oot & Aboot

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

All photographs and content on this site are Copyright (c) 2010-2020 Tortoise Productions, Inc.

 

Site Map

  • Blog
    • Oot & Aboot
    • Tips & Tricks
  • Galleries
    • Portfolio
    • Our Photography in Use
  • Stock Photos
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Please contact Tortoise Productions, Inc for image licensing and usage.

Image Tag Cloud

2010 2015 2017 action activity animal autumn beargrease canine cold dog dog sled editorial equine fall hands horizontal horse human Marathon minnesota mn monochrome motion mushing nature outdoor outdoors outside polo pull race racing sled sled dog snow sport TCPC team trail transport transportation Twin Cities Polo Club wildlife winter

© 2023 · Tortoise Productions, Inc. · Powered by Imagely

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT