{"id":219086,"date":"2025-12-31T02:04:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T02:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/219086\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T02:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T02:04:22","slug":"best-of-2025-top-photographers-favorite-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/219086\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Of 2025: Top Photographers\u2019 Favorite Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chronicle is lucky to work with talented photographers from across the country and across the globe. There are a group of artists, however, who we turn to more than most for coverage of horse shows, dressage and eventing. We asked those photographers to share with us their favorite captures from the past year, and why those images stuck out from among the millions (literally) of frames they shoot in those 12 months. Here\u2019s what they had to say:<\/p>\n

Amy Dragoo<\/p>\n

When Germany\u2019s Michael Jung\u00a0won his record fifth Defender Kentucky CCI5*<\/a>\u00a0aboard FischerChipmunk FRH in May, Amy Dragoo was there to capture the elation shared by the rider and fans alike during his victory gallop.\u00a0She had trouble deciding between two frames, taken moments apart, one of which focuses on the rider and the other of which focuses on the fans\u2019 arms reaching out to him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Above and below: AK Dragoo Photography Photos<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cEven months later I can\u2019t decide which of these images, taken seconds apart, I like more,\u201d she wrote. \u201cOne tells the story of the event, the other tells the story of the experience of being a fan. On one hand\u2014no pun intended\u2014the arms direct the eye to Micheal Jung and FischerChipmunk\u00a0FRH in their victory lap around Rolex Stadium after winning the Defender Kentucky CCI5*. On the other, the extreme reach of the many hands demonstrate the hope of making contact with a legend of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Ryback<\/p>\n

This image captures Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames Singclair competing in\u00a0the Longines League of Nations Ocala<\/a>\u00a0at the World Equestrian Center\u2014Ocala (Florida), where she helped Germany earn second place behind the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Andrew Ryback Photography Photo<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like about this shot is the preparation that went into making it,\u201d Ryback said. \u201cTypically, we walk a course prior to the start and choose our shots based on the course\u2014but this shot was planned before the pond was even completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with both course designers, Alan Wade and Bobby Murphy, as well as the ground crew to perfectly place our camera and make sure we got this incredible shot. Obviously it\u2019s not something that I can shoot with the camera in hand, so I had to set up a remote camera and constantly adjust the settings as the sun set over the ring. I\u2019m most proud of all the teamwork that went into this shot, from the course designer, to the ring crew, to the athletes jumping the water element (clear!) and our team for making sure the shot was captured.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan Stickle<\/p>\n

Dressage photographer Sue Stickle is always where the action is, whether that\u2019s a CDI5* during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (Florida), the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (Illinois) or U.S. Dressage Finals, or a local dressage show. Her favorite images of the year weren\u2019t about the most prestigious wins, but the human stories behind the sandbox smiles.<\/p>\n

\"\"SusanJ.Stickle.com Photo<\/p>\n

Texan\u00a0Brooklyn Loff competed Havana CCW in the junior\/Young Rider first level championship at U.S. Dressage Finals<\/a> in Wilmington, Ohio, with a Texas-sized posse cheering her on, including from left: Brooklyn\u2019s grandma Shirley, her grandma Cherie, her father Jason Loff, her mom Holly Loff and her trainer, Andrea Adkins of Cadence Ranch in Hutto, Texas. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to see the camaraderie\u00a0and support from family and friends,\u201d Stickle wrote of this image.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shannon Brinkmann<\/p>\n

Laura Kraut and 9-year-old Emeraldo rose to the occasion to jump a winning round the Prize of St\u00e4dteRegion Aachen 1.50m CSIO5* at CHIO Aachen (Germany)\u2014\u201cin the wildest, windiest weather I have ever witnessed for a jumping contest,\u201d Brinkman recalled<\/p>\n

\"\"Shannon Brinkman Photography Photo<\/p>\n

\u201cThe class was on hold due to bad weather, so I barely had time to run out as they sent Laura into the huge stadium\u2014then booming wind and rain\u00a0increased its power as Laura and Emeraldo tackled each fence with fantastic style,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone was wildly cheering upon conclusion, including me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsey Long<\/p>\n

California-based photographer Lindsey Long shot her favorite image at one of the venues she visits regularly, the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, shot in March during the $100,000 WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular and featuring Normandy, an 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Blackjack Farms and ridden by professional Jamie Sailor.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lindsey Long Photography Photo<\/p>\n

\u201cHer expression and presence are always striking, and I usually want to zoom in on her as tight as possible,\u201d Long said. \u201cBut for this one I took the opportunity to include more of the atmosphere of the grand prix ring. The flags and palm trees with mountains in the distance are defining features of the venue, and the lavishly decorated jumps made the foreground equally beautiful. I felt that the resulting photograph appropriately conveyed the scale and \u2018spectacular\u2019 quality of the sport, the venue, and the horse in this moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tina Fitch<\/p>\n

West Coast-based photographer Tina Fitch traveled cross-country to help colleague Shannon Brinkman cover the Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill in October. When she was walking the cross-country course and saw a pair of giant brush, keyhole corners, artfully made into extravagant topiary animals, set up at Fence 7ABC, the Chesapeake Beasts and Bay Bridge, she saw an opportunity for a truly unusual shot.<\/p>\n

\"\"Where spectators saw this fantastical beast, photographer Tina Fitch saw something more. Photo Courtesy Of CrossCountryApp<\/p>\n

Executing her vision required the help of multiple people, including buy-in from officials and the assistance of Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill Photo Manager Charlie Mann.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing what can go into making your vision come to life,\u201d Fitch said. \u201cThis year, the back of the crowd-pleasing owls was open, and I saw a great opportunity.\u00a0I never imagined I would get permission to place a remote camera in the jump, but Charlie Mann, an amazing photographer himself and the photo manager for the Maryland CCI5*, went above and beyond to help me accomplish this. In addition to his and my team\u2019s help, my mother happened to have the lens I needed to make this shot a reality. I\u2019m so grateful to my photography community!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia\u2019s Sophia Hill and her Thoroughbred Humble Glory jump through the keyhole corner at Fence 7A, officially the first of the \u201cChesapeake Beasts,\u201d en route to finishing sixth at this year\u2019s Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. Tina Fitch for Shannon Brinkman Photo\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chronicle is lucky to work with talented photographers from across the country and across the globe. There…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219087,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-219086","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}