Meeting Kyrsten & Yellow | A Palomino Ranch Horse with Personality

Summer Kick Off Classic Horse Show Series | Batavia, NY

Kyrsten and her palomino gelding Yellow are the kind of pair that are hard to miss.

Yellow, whose registered name is HandsomeNHancock is a 9-year-old AQHA palomino with foundation bloodlines tracing back to Hancock, Poco Bueno, and Skipper Deluxe. He was bred at Rocking A Ranch in Wisconsin and now lives at Greystone Farms in Akron, NY, where Kyrsten rides with Joe and Brenna Stoelting.

Together they compete in ranch riding and are interested in exploring reined cowhorse, though they also enjoy the occasional bop around the trails, even if Kyrsten jokes that she’s still learning to love trail riding.

Personality-wise, Yellow might be one of the best described horses I’ve heard about. Kyrsten calls him a “sensitive gangster.” Think nerdy skater boy in the corner reading Harry Potter… but don’t start none, because then there won’t be none. And honestly, that description fits him perfectly. Yellow loves attention and is absolutely a ham, which made him the perfect horse for the black background portraits we created together using my traveling studio setup. Being able to bring a mobile studio to horse shows allows riders to step away for a few minutes and create something a little different, portraits that really highlight the horse and their personality.

Yellow clearly understood the assignment.

Kyrsten first met Yellow when he was owned by a former friend and kept at Greystone, and over time he became much more than just another horse in the barn. Quite literally, everything. Like many horses, Yellow has a way of reminding you to check your emotions and ego at the door. Whatever energy you bring, he’s going to mirror it right back. But at the same time, every ride with him feels special in its own way, whether they’re working in the arena or heading out for a ride together.

I first met Kyrsten and Yellow while photographing the Summer Kick Off Classic Horse Show Series at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia, NY, and over the years they’ve become one of those pairs I always look forward to seeing when show season rolls around.

And of course, one of the highlights of creating these portraits might have been watching Zac doing his absolute best to get Yellow’s ears up, which Kyrsten said was one of her favorite parts of the whole experience.

Honestly… same.

Please enjoy a few of my favorite moments I have captured of Kyrsten and Yellow over the last few years.