From Photo to Drawing: My Favorite Equine Silhouettes

As many of you know, in addition to my photography, I also do digital illustrations. Many of my illustrations are based off of my own photos. One of my favorite things to draw is equine silhouettes. There’s something about a silhouette that’s just so simple and yet also beautiful. Here are some of my favorite equine silhouettes paired with the photos they are based on.

This summer I visited North Country Horses in Gansevoort, NY to photograph some of the horses in the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. Here is Kate riding Eucharist. Now, not every silhouette I draw comes from a silhouette photo, but this one happens to.
This is Gabriel Lagunes exercising Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike at Saratoga Race Course ahead of the Grade I Runhappy Travers Stakes.
Exercise rider Kendrick Carmouche gives Michael Maker trainee Cross Border some affection on the Saratoga backstretch.
Bill Mott trainee Olympiad gets a bath after winning the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga this summer.
A horse looks out his stall window at the Oklahoma Track at Saratoga.
Broodmare Tea for Two stands in front of the fall foliage at Mahoney Eden Manor in Saratoga.
Anna Phillips exercises a Bill Mott trainee at Saratoga.
Broodmare Qualifying runs in the field at Mahoney Eden Manor.
Steve Asmussen trainee Max Player wins the 2021 Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga with Ricardo Santana, Jr. onboard. You can pick up a print of the illustration at Dark Horse Mercantile on Broadway in Saratoga if you’re local to the area.
Retired racehorse Doc N Roll bucks in his paddock at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield. Click here to order a print of the photo and click here to order a print of the illustration. If you order either (or any of the other Old Friends photos or illustrations) I will donate my profit to the farm.
Upset the miniature horse, the official mascot of Dark Horse Mercantile (where you can purchase prints of some of my illustrations), goes for a walk on Union Ave.
Head wrangler Tony goes to get the horses from the pasture at Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, AZ, where I stayed earlier this year. Click here to order a print of the illustration.
This illustration of Red Down South and the late Zippy Chippy of Old Friends at Cabin Creek has always been one of my favorites that I’ve done, and it was also my first equine silhouette. Click here to purchase a print of the photo. You can pick up a copy of the illustration at Dark Horse Mercantile.
This is Vallelujah with her jockey (and trainer’s daughter) Jackie Davis at the Oklahoma Track in Saratoga. Jackie was talking that day about Val’s first race earlier that summer, and I wrote a poem about it. Since then, Val has won two races, one at Belmont Park and one at Saratoga. I now own a share of Val’s half sister Mary Union Ave, who will be a two year old this coming year. You can pick up a print of this illustration at Dark Horse Mercantile.
Qualifying and her King for a Day colt, named Valentine for a Day stand in the snow at Mahoney Eden Manor in Saratoga. This is an example of where I liked the illustration better than the original photo.
Miss Munnings walks with her Always Dreaming colt, named Dreamer, at Mahoney Eden Manor. This has become another one of my favorite silhouettes. I added the phrase “Keep Marching Forward” to the illustration because I felt like it just fit.
King Congie, the unofficial mayor of Cabin Creek, looks out over his domain. I don’t like to disparage my work, but I was never a big fan of this photo. It was a dreary day and a dreary time of year, and the light was just uninspiring. Congie looks terrific, though, of course! Despite not caring much for the photo, I had a vision in my head about how cool this would look as a sunrise, and so I used it as a basis for this illustration. I like how I can take a photo I’m not particularly fond of and still make something I’m proud of from it, and I love how when I draw I can choose what time of day it is. Click here to order a print of the illustration.
My dad gives millionaire Naughty New Yorker, aka Vito, a pet at Old Friends at Cabin Creek. In the photo, Vito’s ears were back, but I used some artistic license in the illustration and made them tilt forward.
Two foals share an affectionate moment at Mahoney Eden Manor. I love how foals’ manes stick up!
A horse is walked off the Oklahoma Track in Saratoga after a workout. For the silhouette, I switched the venue to the real track. Click here to order a print of the illustration.
I took this photo a the conclusion of a polo match at the former Saratoga Polo Association in Greenfield. I always loved the photo and realized it would make a great silhouette.
With this photo of two broodmares grazing at Mahoney Eden Manor already being a silhouette, I couldn’t resist the temptation to draw it.
And finally we end with this photo of a horse and exercise rider being led out to the Oklahoma Track on one of the most gorgeous fall days I spent there. This is my most recent silhouette.

If you enjoyed these illustrations, I am offering a Thoroughbred Silhouettes calendar, which I first shared in my holiday gift guide. Many of these illustrations are included in the calendar. Click here to purchase one! This makes a great holiday gift for anyone who loves horses or horse racing.

To see more of my Saratoga area photography be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. To see more of my equine illustrations, be sure to follow @togadoodles on Instagram. All photos and illustrations in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.

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