My fondness for horse art grows with each passing post and artist interview, not to mention I’ve always had a thing for the offbeat.
Here is a collection of the stranger side of horse art, each artist showing us their vision of the mighty equine animal.
Some unconventional, some breathtaking and some are just downright weird.
Name
Sherri Mash
Website & Places you can find my work online
Studio website: www.sherrimashphoto.com
Blog: www.theeccentriclady.blogspot.com
Etsy Shop: The Eccentric Lady
Follow Sherri on twitter: @sherrimash
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I have been taking photographs since I was a young girl growing up in Southwestern Ohio.
My parents and I traveled all over the United States in our trailer for 3 weeks each year. That is when I became hooked on photography.
There has been a great deal of discussion around the horse color section in general (especially the rare colors post).
I encourage discussion, and in fact, I’d like to open the floor and hand out soapboxes. I want to provide accurate info about color genetics, but I need good source material which backs it up (& that I can link to). I’m asking my readers to leave me a comment (or write a guest post) that helps me make sense of the equine rainbow.
Equine genetics is not an easy or exact science, we are dealing with Mother Nature here. I appreciate that there will be conflicting information & views. I respect anyone who wants to share what they know and I hope everyone else will do the same.
Horse cultures can be found in all corners of the globe and it’s important that we preserve them. The onslaught of mechanization during the 20th century redefined our relationship with this noble animal. We want to celebrate all horse cultures of he world, even if we find some of them disagreeable.
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The Alter Real breed is also called the Royal Breed of Alter and comes from a small town in Portugal called Alter do Chao. These animals display many characteristics of the classic Iberian horse.
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Name
Jamey Lee Balester Lopez
Website & Places you can find my work online
Fine Art America: Jamey Lopez where prints can be purchased.
Facebook Group: Fine Art by Jamey Lee Balester Lopez
Follow Jamey on twitter: @jlbstarnchristo
Here is my e-mail for commission work: jleelopez@sbcglobal.net
Where I am
Inland Empire, Ca
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I grew up in Huntington Beach, Ca (Surf City), most of my life. I lived in the same house on 5th and Orange from birth to seventeen years old.
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A quick note about an upcoming exhibition for one of our featured artists Ophelia Keys.
Opens on Thursday July 2nd with celebration (come for wine and nibbles) and the exhibition runs through the month of July.
To be held at the lovely Evelyn County Estate, Kangaroo Ground.
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Back
Backing must be done quickly, in a perfectly straight line and with no hesitation.
Back Cinch
A second girth on the western saddle used to keep the saddle from tipping during quick maneuvers.
Flying Change
When a horse changes their lead with both front and hind legs in mid-stride.
Head Set
Refers to the height and angle of the horses head while in motion.
Jog
A slow trot that has a two-beat gait as diagonal legs hit the ground at simultaneously.
Lope
A slow canter that has a three-beat gait and can have a right or a left lead.
Neck Rein
Turning a horse by applying pressure from the reins on one side of the neck or the other.
Stock Seat
A generic term used to describe most disciplines of western riding.
Tom Thumb
A Pelham bit used on western bridles.
Tie down
Used to control the position of the horses head while riding. (Also called martingale)
Western
A style of riding characterized by a larger saddle with a pommel and a horn.
Best-Fit
A class which judges how well a horse has been cleaned up for the show.
Cutting
A class in which the horse and rider cut (or separate) one cow from a heard. Scoring is based on the teams ability to anticipate cow movements and keep them away from the herd.
Halter
A class which judges the animal by their confirmation & movement based on official breed standards.
Horsemanship
A class which judges the rider on their seat, position and poise as they complete a predetermined pattern.
Pleasure
A class which is judged on the horse as they go through their gaits on the rail. Horses are judged on their manners, disposition and smoothness of gaits.
Reining
A class which puts horse and rider through a series of patterns designed to mimic a herding horse at work. Scoring is based on the perfection of each movement.
Roping
A class in which horse and rider jump after a released cow on cue, chase the cow, rope it and bring it to the floor. Scoring is based on maneuvering and time.
Showmanship
A class which judges the handlers ability to show their horse in-hand.
Trail
A class which puts horse and rider through a series of obstacles designed to test agility, manners and teamwork.
This is just the beginning, the rabbit hole of western horse show terminology goes much deeper. We’ve sub-dividing categories like crazy & learned a lot in the process.Please feel free to comment anything we’ve missed in the basics & check out some more terminology.
Name
Shelley Paulson
Website & places you can find my work online:
Website: www.shelleypaulson.com
Blog: blog.shelleypaulson.com
Fine Art Equine Photography: www.essenceoftheequine.com
Flickr: Shelley Paulson
Follow Shelley on twitter: @shelleyp
Where I am
Buffalo, Minnesota, USA
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
One of my favorite quotes is “All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl.” I grew up riding horses and am still in love with Maggie Sue, the only horse I have ever owned.
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Image from doublebug
I’m doing a little (late) spring cleaning and putting together a few collections of images I stash away during my routine posting.
Today it’s all about cross country courses, perhaps one of the more grueling aspects of the eventing circuit.
The jumps are big and the course is usually fast, a combination that makes for some pretty amazing shots.
I put together some of the more amazing cross country shots to share.
Name
R. Anthony Harrison
Website & Places you can find my work online
Website: www.rahstudio.com
ebay: Rahstudio
Where I am
Vancouver, BC Canada
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I’m a self-taught artist / art lover who has to create. It’s not something I think about.
I’m arranging sushi on my plate before eating it. Sometimes snapping cell phone photos first.
Heads Up Buyers – The person who placed the ad is a proven scammer & similar ads have been found for the same animal under different names. The ad I’ve left up for reference & discussion because the scam ads tend use the same descriptions & photos. The people who asked me to place this ad are in no way affiliated with The Equinest, I’ve removed any contact info for them & urge everyone to read the comments for more information.
If you are interested in adopting an animal for minimal cost, why not check out a rescue or two?
Recently I was contacted by a horse owner who has an unfortunate situation and needs to find a good home for his Friesian gelding. He is offering Ebony free to a good home with the assurance the animal will be well cared for.
Ebony is a loyal horse, willing, placid and cheerful. He is people oriented, highly intelligent and possesses an uncanny ability to retain knowledge. he can be ridden both Western and English disciplines.
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