A Sunset Session with Dales Ponies in Downeast Maine
Foals change almost daily.
If you’ve raised one, you know how quickly it happens. One week they’re wobbling around the pasture on impossibly long legs, trying to figure out how their body works. The next, they’re racing across the field with confidence, discovering just how fast they can go.
That stage doesn’t last long.
I have been photographing the Dales Pony mares and foals at DownEast Dales in Prospect, Maine for the past few years. With every new breeding season, I am invited back to document this exciting time. What began as a relaxed evening for this sunset session, later became part of a feature in Horse Illustrated.
But the real reason these photographs matter has nothing to do with publication.
It’s because they captured a moment in time that will never happen again for those foals.
As a photographer specialized in equine photography in Maine, this is something I see over and over again. Foalhood passes quickly, and before owners realize it, the tiny horse they watched being born is suddenly grown.
Photographs are one of the few ways to hold onto that stage.
The Foal Stage Passes in a Blink
When I stepped into the pasture that evening, the mares were grazing calmly while the foals wandered around them, exploring the field and occasionally getting a little too adventurous before circling back to their mothers.
Some were curious and bold, trotting closer to see what I was doing. Others stayed tucked safely near their dams, watching everything from a distance.
Foals are constantly learning about the world. Every sound, movement, or unfamiliar object is something to investigate.
Watching them move through the pasture, you could see how quickly they were growing into themselves. Their legs were still a little too long for their bodies, their coats still soft and fuzzy, and their curiosity seemed endless.
It’s a stage that feels like it should last longer than it does.
But within months, the baby fuzz disappears, their movements become stronger and more coordinated, and suddenly they no longer look like babies at all.
Every Foal Has Their Own Personality
One of the things I enjoy most about photographing foals is how different they all are.
Some are fearless and immediately come forward to investigate the camera. Others prefer to stay near their mothers, watching carefully before deciding whether they want to join in.
During this session, a few foals spent their time trotting across the pasture, occasionally kicking up their heels in quick bursts of energy. Another preferred to stay close to the mare, quietly grazing beside her and occasionally stretching her neck to see what the others were doing.
Those small personality traits are exactly what owners remember years later.
The curious foal.
The playful one.
The one who was always glued to their dam’s side.
Photographs taken during this stage capture those early glimpses of the horse they will eventually become.
The Bond Between Mare and Foal
One of my favorite parts of photographing foals is capturing them at liberty. There’s something about the way a mare and her foal move together that is impossible to fake. You can almost imagine a lead rope connecting them, the mare guiding, the foal following, but in reality there’s nothing there at all. It’s only the bond they share, strong enough to hold them together, moving in perfect harmony across the field.
It’s one of the most breathtaking moments in time that I get to witness and photograph, and I don’t take it lightly. The connection is invisible, yet completely visible. Every step, glance, and subtle gesture tells a story of trust, guidance, and relationship.
To capture it, I spend a lot of time lying in the grass with my lens, waiting. Nothing is forced, nothing staged. Foals wander, explore, pause, and return, and the mare is always there in perfect rhythm with them. It takes patience, but those are the moments that become the images that stay with people long after the session ends.
A Session That Became a Publication
Later, when Horse Illustrated contacted Sheila Enchos of DownEast Dales about featuring her ponies, she mentioned that she already had photographs she loved and asked if the editors would be willing to review them.
Five of those images were selected for publication in the March/April 2026 issue for the article “Dales Pony” by Julie Maddock, photographed by Jennifer Bechard Photography.
Seeing images from a liberty session appear in a national equestrian publication was an incredible honor. It reinforced something I have always believed, when horses are given time and space to simply be themselves, the photographs that result are the most meaningful.
Often, the quietest moments become the most powerful images.
Why Foal Photography Matters
Foalhood is one of the shortest chapters in a horse’s life.
Within a year, the little foal that once fit under their mother’s belly will already be growing into their frame. Within a few years, they’ll look completely different.
Many owners intend to photograph that stage but get busy with daily routines at the barn. Before they know it, the moment has passed.
That’s why sessions focused on mares and foals can be so meaningful. They preserve the beginning of a horse’s story.
Years later, those images bring people right back to the early days, when their horse was small, curious, and just beginning to discover the world.
Capturing the Beginning of Their Story
I photograph horses for owners and breeders all throughout Maine and across New England.
Foal sessions are some of the most rewarding because they capture a stage that passes so quickly.
Watching a young foal discover the world, grow, and learn is one of the most special experiences in the horse world.
Having photographs of those early days means you can revisit them long after the foal has grown, remembering their curiosity, their playful energy, and the bond they shared with their mother.
Horses grow up fast, but the memories of who they were at the beginning never really leave us.
If you want to hold onto those moments, I would love to create a session for you that preserves the beginning of your foal’s story. Contact me https://jenniferbechardphotography.com/contact
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