R-Bac Photography

Hmm, May of this year...I guess this qualifies as delinquent blogging. I'd like to blame my hatred of writing, lack of people skills, and pretty much anything else I can think of but the truth is it comes down to pure laziness. Its been a great year for photography, with a pile of new doors opening up for me, and I've chosen not to get past FB posting to talk about it. Bad me...
This evening finds me back at Spruce Meadows, day one in the books with a media lunch and general networking opportunities. The weather was pretty drag and overcast today, but since no-one was competing, the loss was minimal.
I took the opportunity to photograph a subject that I find fascinating for no apparent reason-the role of cell phones in todays equestrian world. Go to any horse show, gymkhana, rodeo, dressage show, you name it, and you'll find riders on their phones while with their horses. Distracted riding?
Possibly. A friend of mine told me that a clinic she attended promoted the use of cell phones/smart phones by the riders as it apparently taught the horse patience. I'm not sure if I agree with that, but I'm also old, and may have a somewhat jaded view on what is acceptable anymore.
So, I found it interesting to see my friend and uber-competitor Lynn J. making a practice run with Ernie today, and wouldn't you know it, she had her phone bolted to her ear for the majority of it!!

At least Ernie seems happy!
So, I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for more examples. Shortly After this, I found last year's Grand Prix champion Olivier Philippaerts sitting by the fountain near the F.E.I. barn. Check this out...

Good thing he's got a groom to deal with all the pesky annoyances of show jumping!!
Anyway, call it an obsession or whatever you like, I find it to be an interesting twist to today's modern horse person, and I plan to get more shots depicting this in the future.
It's a great week to be back at Spruce Meadows, more to follow!