Lesley Deutsch of Blue Fountain Photography was responsible for the beautiful pictures in Cowboy Dressage: Riding, Training, and Competing with Kindness as the Goal and Guiding Principle, the book I wrote with Eitan and Debbie Beth-Halachmy. Previously I published interviews with Eitan and Debbie on this blog; today we will get a snapshot of Lesley’s background as a photographer and horsewoman, her experience with Cowboy Dressage, and how she has been instrumental in exporting the discipline.
Q: Could you give us a brief summary of your role as a photographer?
Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely go anywhere without my camera, so when I went to watch the first Cowboy Dressage show held at Ranch Murieta in 2013 (the very first CD schooling show was actually held at my old ranch, Blue Fountain Farm, in 2012), I spent the day absorbing the event, and taking lots of photos. It was after this that I was asked by “8” and Deb to be the “Official” photographer for the CD events, and eventually for the Cowboy Dressage Books.
Read the second book, Dressage the Cowboy Way, by Jenni Grimmett, DVM
Q: What about as a trainer/rider?
When you’ve been around the horse world long enough, you have the opportunity to be a part of a lot of wonderful things. My first love as a rider and trainer was show jumping – I helped represent the US in competition in Mexico, competed in Grand Prix events and won many championships with my Thoroughbred, “Moses”. I then trained and competed in Dressage for awhile, most notably with my black, Hungarian Lipizzan stallion, “Siglavy XI-6” (Jozsef).
Things really got interesting when I first met my neighbour of about 6 years, Joe Wolter, and was introduced to the world of Ray Hunt (Think Harmony With Horses), Tom Dorrance (True Unity: Willing Communication Between Horse and Human) et al. I was able to add a lot of powerful insights to my training through them.
Of course, the most recent addition to my experience as a trainer and rider was meeting Eitan and becoming involved in Cowboy Dressage. I saw this as a way to bring together all the teachings I had been a part of, with the addition of the soft feel that I had always been looking for.
Q: How did you first become involved with Cowboy Dressage?
In April of 2011 I had Eitan come to my ranch, Blue Fountain Farm, to do one of his first Cowboy Dressage clinics. It was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with “8” and Deb. From there we had the first ever CD schooling show in 2012, many hours of photo shoots at their Wolf Creek Ranch, CD shows at Rancho Murieta, clinics at the V6 ranch, and eventually a CD clinic here in Scotland. Through CD I have had so many incredible opportunities, both equine and photographic, over the past nearly 10 years now.
Q: You moved to Scotland several years ago. What led to that move?
I moved to Scotland in 2017 as part of a family move. I never thought I’d be leaving my ranch, which I had built 25 years before, but the amount of work involved in a busy equine facility was starting to become too much. The thought of starting something new, in a new country, although daunting, was exciting at the same time. I was also excited to bring my love of CD to a place where it had not been before.
Q: Tell us about your life in Scotland (I am ENVIOUS!!).
I could write a whole book about this………..but I won’t. Scotland is a very special country, and I couldn’t be happier that I moved here. CD was very well received here, and I was quickly working more than I had planned to. But, in doing so, and in travelling all over Scotland, into England and over to Ireland to teach, I’ve seen amazing country side and met wonderful people. I live a 3-minute walk from the beach in a small town, instead of out in the country. And I love it!
Q: What at the pros and cons of living abroad? In Scotland specifically?
I have to say that I find absolutely no “cons” with having moved here – I LOVE IT! It was very difficult to get my visa to move here, and there were a lot of hoops to jump through to get settled once we were here, but living here is a dream.
Q: Is there anything you miss about the US?
I hate to say this, but not really. Social media allows me to keep in contact with people back in the states, and, in fact, several people have come to visit me here in Scotland. The lifestyle here is so relaxed, safe and friendly – what’s not to like?
Q: What is your emphasis now, training/teaching horses and people or photography?
Our months of lockdown here due to COVID allowed me the opportunity to re-assess my lifestyle. I decided that I was working too much. I have gone into further “semi-retirement” and now teach only 1 – 2 days a week. Every morning, I walk 5+ miles on our local beaches with my sister, Becca, and my dog, Ella, and take way too many photos, but I love it. I am delving more and more into teaching myself more about my camera and photography. I plan to attend a photo workshop next year (it was canceled this year due to COVID) to the Shetland Islands for a week.
Q: Does Cowboy Dressage still figure in your training and teaching? How so?
Cowboy Dressage will always be a part of my teaching. People, and especially their horses, love learning that Soft Feel can be a part of any riding discipline. I love seeing the light bulbs go off in people’s minds when they “get it” for the first time, and the subsequent “smile” on the horses’ faces as well.
Q: From your perspective as an expat, what do you think Cowboy Dressage has to offer to horse people outside North America?
For places like Scotland and the rest of the UK, there is a small, but very active group of Western riders. They have loved learning the basics of soft feel and of riding the CD courts. For many of the English riders, they learn the same things, but in different tack. I find that CD offers everyone different (and sometimes better) information on riding their horses, which they can then put into their own overall “bag of tricks”, just as I did, to enhance their time with their horses.
Q: Do you have a horse? If not, do you miss having one?
I do not own a horse anymore, which was quite a strange feeling at first. I do find though, that after 40+ years of horse ownership, not having one now has allowed me the freedom to pursue other activities……… and it’s nice to not have vet bills anymore!
Q: Are you planning a trip to the US once COVID travel restrictions have relaxed?
No. I am happy to stay here and travel locally to explore all that this amazing country has to offer.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Can’t think of anything!
Related interviews:
An interview with Cowboy Dressage founder Eitan Beth-Halachmy
What was I thinking? (An interview with Debbie Beth-Halachmy)
Dr. Robert Miller & his wife Debby share their take on Cowboy Dressage
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