Benji the Nokota Mustang | Project 27

Eagle, WI

Every horse-crazy little boy and girl dreamed of seeing herds of wild horses and maybe even taming a wild mustang themselves. Getting to meet a real mustang from a Nokota herd and capturing these incredible portraits was such a privilege! Every horse and rider portrait session is special, but this one was part of a project about “heart horses” and that’s exactly how I would describe Linnea and Benji’s relationship

For Linnea, the dream of bonding with a wild horse really came true when she fell in love with Benji. She was first drawn to a video of him and when she went to see the herd in person, she thought she’d never find him in the middle of an insane blizzard! Soon enough she spotted him mid-roll in the fresh snow and said “when he stood up he looked like every hair had been individually frosted.” How breathtaking that must have been!

Benji and Linnea hit the ground running with a deep bond once they got home. Despite being frosty to everyone, Benji always runs up to the gate when Linnea drives up. he knows he will find comfort, community, and trust in her — all things that are so vital to a mustang used to living in a herd. Linnea also finds a huge amount of comfort in Benji’s presence. After a long, stressful day working in a busy Emergency Room, Linnea knows she can count on Benji to bring joy and unconditional love to every meeting.

Linnea noted that her favorite thing about Benji is his curiosity. He loves following around barn cats and lesson kids, and exploring everything around him by putting anything he can in his mouth! When I asked Linnea how she knew he was her heart horse, she said simply, “I just know.” It really is as simple as that!