White horse stands on a russet-colored hillside during golden hour with mountains in the background.
A serene black and white portrait of someone in a flowy dress standing with a majestic white horse in a pastoral setting.
A beautiful white horse and companion stand together at sunset on a golden hillside surrounded by tall grass.

This winter I was on the hunt for some beautiful, horse friendly, locations in the Peak District. I'm so lucky to be based only an hour away from the heart of this beautiful landscape, and with winter being a quiet time for us equine photographers, it is a window of opportunity to get creative.


When client portrait sessions aren't so busy, I've got time and space to dream up ideas and check things of the bucket list. There's mud everywhere, it's cold and wet, and it's just simply not the best time of year to have a horse. But I love the magic of winter... It probably helps now I don't have a horse of my own, but I mean the cold frosty mornings, the beautiful sunrises, pastel pink skies and the quiet that's in the air before everyone goes about their day.

A beautiful white horse stands with its handler in brown winter attire on a hillside with dried vegetation.
A woman in a long brown dress stands beside a majestic white horse on a rustic hillside in warm evening light.
A majestic white horse stands with its handler amidst brown autumn hills during golden hour.

Shoutout to Emily for braving wind and sideways hail at times during this shoot. When I wanted something a little western themed, I knew she was my girl - her wardrobe is epic!


So we sourced a western bridle, and her welsh mare, Jet, pretended to be a quarter horse for the morning, and we met at this beautiful location on a weekday morning so it was nice and quiet.


I love this location, it's got heather and woodland, stone walls and views, so it's full of variety in a really confined area. This is definitely a location I'd recommend to clients if they want something a little different. Especially in summer when the heather is bright purple, it will be totally stunning!

A beautiful white horse and figure stand together in rolling countryside hills during golden hour.
Person riding a white horse through golden hills during sunset.

After using the open moorland section, we did an outfit change and headed into the woods. I think what I love the ost is that it feels like we're in a national park in America, but we're literally on the doorstep. It's amazing what you can do with a creative idea.


I've now scouted a handful of amazing locations up in the Peak District to use with clients if that's something they're up for, something a little more adventurous with their horses. A lot of my clients come back numerous times, so being able to offer something totally different to previous shoot locations is a big plus for me.


If this location has inspired you to get some of your own images like this, please get in touch using the methods below. This location looks amazing all year round, including late summer when it turns bright purple with heather.

Ready to go for it and get gorgeous images like this for yourself?

Call me on 0795810155, or use the button below to fill in the enquiry form and lets start planning your dream portrait session.

Figure walking with two white dogs on a sunlit hillside during golden hour, set against a rugged landscape.

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