Mia Jaffe - Photographer

I began my journey with horses over a decade ago as an English rider in the hunter-jumper discipline in San Diego. After about five years, I stepped away from jumping and relocated to Colorado, where I transitioned to Western riding. I started with trail riding and arena work on my lease horse, gradually building confidence and skills.

As I progressed, I began competing in Gymkhana events, including barrel racing, pole bending, keyhole, and flags. My passion for horsemanship continued to grow, and I sought every opportunity to be in the saddle. This led me to exercising horses for clients throughout northern Colorado, allowing me to further develop my riding abilities.

During this time, I met Alexis Peck, who became an important mentor and taught me many valuable skills. After several months of working with her mustang, Satchi, she invited me to try skijoring. Although I had never participated before and was initially nervous, my desire to learn and grow pushed me to take the leap.

I competed in my first skijor race in Grand Lake in 2025, where I ran in both the Novice and Sport divisions and had an incredible experience. I continued competing at Estes Park Skijor in 2026, further strengthening my connection to the sport.

While at Estes Park, I rediscovered my passion for photography. Sitting along the course and capturing riders and skiers racing through the snow reminded me of how much I love documenting powerful, fast-paced moments. Since then, I have renewed my commitment to photography and plan to attend more skijor events to continue capturing the sport and its athletes.