My vet, Dr. Judy Batker of Country View Veterinary Service, makes a semi-annual trip to Haiti to work with the horses who provide transport to tourists up and down the Bonnet a L'Eveque mountain in Milot, near Cap Haitian in the Northern territory. Through her work with Equitarian Initiative, and with the help of Christian Veterinary Mission, Dr. Batker has helped educate a number of people in Haiti.

Dr. Batker had spoken a few times about her trips to Haiti, but it was during a presentation at the 2015 WDCTA Annual Banquet and Awards Conference that I came to know the situation a bit better. She showed images of the horses, the people, and the significant needs of both. Although the need is decidedly great, her message wasn't one of despair or hopelessness. There was much hope and even some humor (regarding the Haitians' reaction of surprise at her nonchelance when she was kicked by one of the horses); she is educating them and they are interested in doing the best they can with the resources they have.

Something tugged at me while listening to her talk about these tough little horses. I realized that while I wasn't in a position to do anything financially, I really had a chance to do something bigger and more important with the skills I've acquired over my 15 years as a photographer: I could show the world what this looks like, and they could in turn see how they could help.

I have to admit that I have two reasons for wanting to go: the first one, of course, is to bring back better images than what currently exist. That sounds both judge-y and obvious at the same time. Judge-y because it's a bit unreasonable to expect the doctors and other team members to remember to take amazing photos while at the same time performing their services, and obvious because if I can't do better, I should be thinking about a different profession. More than that, though, I feel obligated to bring back images that are useful, images that tell the story of the Haitians and their horses so effectively and succinctly that people are compelled to think not just about the immediate needs or these beings, but maybe a sustainable solution. There has to be one. This has to be a solvable problem.

The second reason, selfishly, is to be reminded that I have a better life than I care to admit. I will always struggle financially and may never have/be/do what I want in my really very privileged life, but I will always have some kind of food, some kind of shelter, and horses (not necessarily in that order). The Haitians probably have those things too, but I'm pretty sure I have more freedom of choice than they do. It's a thing to remember that one can be happy almost without regard to circumstance, and to experience that concept first-hand is an effective way to remember.

Now, the hard part: Some very lovely people have set up a fund to allow me to make this trip free from most of the financial worry. There are many expenses - airfare alone is nearly $1000 - and without these wonderful people, this would not be possible for me. There are no words to express how grateful I am for this opportunity (I can't even type this without tears!). If you would like to donate, you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/7rh3ty6k. Any funds that don't go toward my expenses will be given to Dr. Batker to use as she sees fit for the Haitian people and their horses.

When I return, all images (and hopefully video) will be released to Dr. Batker, Equitarian Initiative, Christian Veterinary Mission, and the Haitian Ministry of Tourism. It is my biggest hope that I can, even in a small way, improve the lives of people and horses who have limited access to resources I take for granted.