Sparkey is a 15-year-old Thoroughbred that is 15 years young as his Mom, Alexandra, puts it. The pair rides at Switch Willow Stables in Austin, TX. Sparky’s show name is “Pantera” and he was bred by Bow-Knot Farms, Inc. He was sired by Stormy Atlantic who is the grandson of Seattle Slew and the Great Grandson of Secretariat.
Jessica got Sparkey when she was in college, and started a busy job in NYC right after that. Sadly she only got to see him sporadically. He was in great hands with the team at Fox Ridge Farm in Folsom, and Jessica was convinced that he didn’t even know that she was his owner since she didn’t see him much. During the work from home time of the pandemic, she was able to go back down to Texas and be with family for a while which meant she was able to bring Sparky to her home barn in Austin and spend some real time with him for the first time. It has literally been months since the two had seen each other and she didn’t think he would even recognize her, to her surprise when she went to say hi, he gave her a HUG! “A real hug… he used his head and neck to press me against his chest and gave little whinnies to go with it! He’ll still do it sometimes if I’ve been gone for longer than usual 🙂 It’s the cutest thing and I’ve never seen another horse do something like that!”
If Sparkey thinks you have done anything unfair, such as keep him in his stall for too long, he will let you know his opinions with a host of dramatics that is never fun. Although, he has the best heart. He does everything from his heart, he is a bit of a quirky ride, but if he knows you’re with him he will try anything from you.
Jessica actually found him by accident. A friend of hers who she was riding for found him off the track, and thought he would be a fun project. It was supposed to be a “short-term project” but she fell in love and it snowballed from there. They first met 5 years ago at a horse show.
This spunky horse raced from 2007 to 2013 and had 7 wins, 5-second place finishes, and 5 third-place finishes. He had almost $300,000 in winnings.
Jessica started riding after begging her mom for years, around the age of 7 or 8 her mom finally caved. She got her first pony at 10, and as all horse girls know, once you start you can’t stop! She says the best part of having a horse is feeling like you have a best friend to go visit every day.
Karinda K. is a Houston, TX based equine photographer that travels around the United States photographing equestrians and their horses. Karinda specializes in Outdoor Horse & Rider Portrait sessions that bring to life the magical relationship equestrians share with their horses, Senior Portraits, and Fine Art Black & White Background Portraits for those that want a piece of art featuring their very own animals. Karinda accepts a limited number of private clients each year, if you are interested in having her photograph you and your horse or an equestrian in your life, you can reach the studio by sending an email to equine@karinda(.)com or calling (832)598-8715.
Portraits for Charity was an idea Karinda dreamt up to help give back to families impacted by Childhood Cancer in memory of her husband’s sister Jessica. During the 2021 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Karinda photographed around 140 Horses, Dogs, and even Goats, and was able to donate $10,000 to Candlelighter’s Houston. These are the stories of the Horses, Dogs, and Goats that were photographed at the show, these stories complement a photographic book that Karinda is printing and donating to Texas Children’s Hospital featuring Portraits of each and every animal she photographed.
The Waiting List for Pin Oak 2022 is now open, click here to join: https://equine.karindak.com/pin-oak-2022-wait-list
If you are interested in having Karinda attend your event and host a Portraits for Charity day, send an email to equine@karindak(.)com.
