Kaitlyn Windfeldt-Marino + Riley - University of California, Davis


I had the pleasure of photographing Kate's senior portraits at UC Davis before she headed off to her next adventure in Pennsylvania attending the University of Pennsylvania to fulfill her dream of becoming an equine veterinarian. It was an absolute MUST to include Riley, her 16 year old quarter horse gelding, who has been there for Kate for the last 10 years of her life.


Like many girls, Kate grew up horse obsessed even though there weren’t any equestrians in her family. After 7 years of working for local trainer in exchange for saddle time, Kate's parents finally agreed that she could finally commit to her own horse. They spent months driving all over California searching for the “perfect” horse. Riley was a failed reining prospect that a pro barrel racer was using as her husband's ranch horse. He didn’t have a name, but he had a lot of personality. Kate's grandfather purchased him for her as her 12th birthday gift. Riding and caring or Riley also led Kate to discover her passion for veterinary medicine. Kate and Riley have competed in gymkhana, barrel racing, and rodeo, but have also done a lot of trail riding, beach riding, cattle sorting, mounted shooting and more.


After getting her Associate's degree at the local community college, Kate then transferred to UC Davis to earn her Bachelor’s in Animal Science. Riley, of course, came too. While at Davis, she participated in many horse activities including (but not limited to) becoming a riding instructor, working at the equine inpatient unit of the hospital and the NICU, doing research with the OTTB pharmacology herd, and doing production internships breeding and foaling out mares at the breeding barn.


It was extremely important to Kate to capture special memories during her session. We started out with their fine art session in the barn aisle way of the barn at the Equestrian Center at UC Davis and then found at open shaded area for Kate and Riley to wear their stoles and graduation caps. These are some of my personal favorites! After that, we loaded up and drove to the iconic redwood grove just minutes away! One of the MUST HAVE photos for Kate was of her and Riley in front of the UC Davis sign. Kate had taken a photo in front of that sign when she was accepted into UC Davis, so it was appropriate to capture this moment here before she moved on. After one more stop at the Horse Reproduction Barn, we ended our session back at the Equestrian Center. It was an extremely hot afternoon/evening, but we had a blast capturing all of these moments.


Best of luck to Kate and Riley in their new home in Pennsylvania! We are so excited for them and their new adventure!

Brown horse profile portrait series showing progressive views of equine face and neck against dark background.
Woman in gray sweater embraces and pets a beautiful brown horse outdoors at sunset.
A brown horse performs a series of galloping movements against a black background in a sequential motion study.
A young girl in a flowy gray dress stands beside a majestic bay horse against a dark background.
A bay horse stands with someone wearing a black cowboy hat and red lace top in an outdoor setting.
Equestrian portrait series showing tender moments between a horse and rider at sunset.
A heartwarming moment between a brown horse and someone wearing a coral top and hat in warm golden sunlight.
A horse and handler walking together under shady trees in a park setting.
A chestnut horse with white socks stands in a dusty arena while being trained on long reins with handlers nearby.
A rider in western attire stands beside a bay horse in an outdoor setting during golden hour.
Brown horse wearing competition number receives affectionate pat during sunset photo shoot.
A western-themed photoshoot with a brown horse wearing decorative blue and gold tack.
A bay horse poses with someone in western attire and rodeo sash on a dirt path.
Close-up series of horse ears with graduation tassel decorations showing class year 2025.
A beautiful bay horse stands next to someone wearing western attire and a championship sash.
Eight horses silhouetted against a sunset sky appear in a series of connected images.