Metzli and her mare Kick It N The Sticks aka Tennessee are a pair to behold. I was so excited when we were planning the session for the Heart Horse Project and she was open to trailering out to Red Sands, because that has been a bucket-list location to photograph at since I moved to El Paso in 2021.

Metzli has had Tennessee since she was six months old – their partnership is seven years strong! She found Tennessee on an equine website when she lived in Oklahoma. Something about that young weanling just clicked and before she knew it, Metzli was making the four hour drive to meet her new horse! She says it was love at first sight. Nowadays, they do everything together from parades to trail riding to barrel racing to carrying the flag at events.

She was born into the horse world, joking that she probably learned how to ride before she could even walk. Her dad had horses all throughout her childhood and taught her how to ride. Her mom and grandmother bought her her first horse.

When asked how her heart horse makes her feel, Metzli said that Tennessee is her whole world and that they have a special connection. Tennessee is standoffish towards other people, but protective of her.

She has so many favorite memories of her and Tennessee – one being when they went to a Halloween parade dressed as skeletons. They were such a hit! Kids crowded around to pet Tennessee and she wasn’t phased a bit by the crowd or the noise. I can attest to this – we had a family come up asking to pet Tennessee while we were at Red Sands and she took all of the attention in stride. Of course, the best memories are of them just spending time together.

How did Metzli know that Tennessee was her heart horse? “I felt a weird connection with her, it’s hard to explain or put into words, she was a funky looking weanling with no prior handling, I put a halter on her and loaded her into my horse trailer and she trusted me since that moment and I knew then we were gonna be together forever, partners in crime.”

I love a good love story, especially if it’s between an equestrian and their heart horse.

I have a few spots remaining to finish up my 2022 Heart Horse Project.