Meet Candace Craw-Goldman

Equesse is very honored to feature the photography of Candace Craw-Goldman in our Ride of Your Life fundraising event for The American Cancer Society.  We had the opportunity to ask Candace some questions about her life with horses, and learn a little more about how she draws her inspiration from these beautiful animals.

Describe your childhood experience with horses…

What a great question.

I believe I must have had an equine gene programmed in me before my birth!

My very first memory in life is that of a horse. I was 18 months old and was being pushed in a stroller along a road in a Japanese village on the island of Okinawa. My father was stationed at the Air Force Base there in 1962. I saw an old wooden cart being pulled by a small grey horse. Oh my! What was that incredible creature? I was absolutely mesmerized by the sight of that magnificent animal and wanted nothing more the rest of my life rather than to be near horses.

At the age of 8, after what seemed like a lifetime of drawing horses, talking horses, dreaming horses, waiting and hoping and praying and begging my parents for a horse and running outside to the driveway on every likely gift giving occasion looking for one, I finally finally got my wish. My dad bought me a 100 dollar welsh cross pony named Hershey and my life instantly turned to bliss.

I rode that pony for hours and hours and for miles and miles (alone!) and brushed her shiny and braided flowers in her mane and fed her sugar cubes and slept on her back backwards with my face on her rump as she grazed on the clover in our backyard. I played cowboys and Indians with the boys in the neighborhood or just took off for whole afternoons by myself on the Kansas prairie. Having to move and sell this pony when I was 11 can still bring a tear to my eye, and that was 35 years ago.

I rode whenever I could thereafter, on the beach in Florida, in the woods in Germany, but not until I was 15 did I have another horse to call my own. I got an after school job and as soon as I had 375 dollars in my pocket I went horse shopping!!. The very first quarter horse mare I sat on I rode home, and she was one of the best horses I have ever ridden before or since. I fondly remember a family friend laughing at me that my interest in my mare “Money” would wane once I started to date boys. I thought to myself how utterly wrong she was, that I would ALWAYS love horses and need them in my life and I was right.

Do you recall making a conscience decision as an adult to pursue your passion for horses?

OH yes. As a young married couple with young children, we had no budget for horses and I was miserable without them. Things got better though, and when my youngest was about to enter first grade and a full day of school I started looking for a horse. Within a couple of weeks I was foxhunting in beautiful Chester County Pennsylvania!

What is the biggest impact horses have had on your life?

I have trail rode, cut buffalo, foxhunted, jumped, barrel raced, done amateur rodeo, roped, tried cowboy mounted shooting, rode in parades and learned mounted search and rescue on my horses. I am currently cart-training a miniature donkey and training an unbroken mare and her filly. The adventures with horses never end and I love having them in my life, there is always so much to learn and so much gratification and just plain pure FUN because I love to go fast on a horse!

Communicating with a horse, and having him work with you is almost indescribable. How amazing is it that you can climb on the back of a 1200lb animal and have him run or leap or jump or swim with his powerful body and be able to experience that power with him as a partner?

Looking at a tree in the path 20 yards out while cantering down a trail and deciding together, silently with your horse which direction to go around it before ever reaching the tree. That is magic. Walking in a pasture and having the horse through its back tell you there is dog nearby is magic too. Having the horse tell you the next day the same pasture has a rutting deer in it, is even more magical. Having a horse trust you when you say with the muscles in your legs that its OK to ride by something that his nature tells him to run away from as fast as possible is rather a wonderful feeling. Feeling a horse trip and having them do their best not to lose you off of their back is another amazing thing as well. These things and more, keep horses in my life.

What is the involvement/feelings of other key people in your horse-life?

With horses, you can never know everything, and that is where networking with other horse people comes into play. Everyone has bits of information to share with others that is valuable, whether or not they are equine professionals. For instance I was able to share some knowledge with my own vet about a mold that a certain type of landscape grass common in our area that makes horses sick. It is also fun to participate in horse activities with others who love these animals as much as I do.

Of course being a painter and photographer, horses play a huge role in my life as an image maker. I try hard to capture the essence of the spirit of the horse in my photographs and art work.

Do you have any suggestions/words of wisdom for women with a horse-passion?

If you cannot afford a horse of your own there are ways to have them in your life for little or no money. Most of my horse-friends would dearly love to have some occasional help around the barn or pasture in exchange for some riding or a lesson or two. I know I would!