The Equinest archives

The Horses of Francisco de Goya

Horse art on Saturdays seems to have become a habit and every week I look forward to seeing which artist is next on my list to use.

A Little About Francisco

Francisco de Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker who is considered among the last of the old masters in some circles and among the first of the moderns in others.

He was also a court painter for the Crown and a chronicler of history.

Overtaken By Darkness

Francisco clearly had a sinister side and he battled mental illness late in life. As his sickness progressed he entered a dark period where his art centered on witchcraft, war, nightmares and the loneliness of mental instability.

The horses he painted reflect this darkness in him and are often shown in battle or the bull ring.

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Horse Artist Interview – Anne West

Name
Anne West

Website & places you can find my work online
website: www.westhorseart.com
Facebook: Anne West Horse Art
Follow Anne on twitter: @AnneWest

Where I am
I live is beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. It is quite a horsey place, with the Santa Ynez Valley and its many equestrian facilities and breeding centers right over the hill.

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, although I only recently returned after a 28 year absence. I spent several years in the military flying helicopters, and about 10 years in Silicon Valley in technology management.

My career in art is relatively new. As a child, my younger sister was the artist and I was the musician. I never could draw, or so I thought.

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Horse Pictures From Albania

Albanian Flag
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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African Wild Ass – Breed of The Week

African Wild Ass

Image from Rklawton

The African Wild Ass is thought to be the ancestor of the domesticated donkey of today. They are native to the dry areas of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

A Big Talker

Interestingly this member of the Equidae family lives in small family groups, not herds. However their bray is incredibly loud and they can communicate with each other from up to 2 miles away.
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Horse Artist Interview – Laura Barber-Riley

Name
Laura Barber-Riley

Website & places you can find my work online
Website: www.laurabarber-riley.com
Blog: laurabarber-riley.blogspot.com

Where I am
Darlington, County Durham, UK

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I grew up moving about every few years due to my father’s career in the Armed Forces so I am not really ‘from’ anywhere! We lived in many different locations across England and even spent a few years living near Washington DC in the US. I moved up to the North East of England to attend university and have ended up remaining here ever since!
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Shadow Horses

Shadow Horse

Image from red betty black

Shadows, we all have one, but it usually only hangs around during the daytime.

Bright Idea

In my never ending quest to find horse pictures for this site sometimes I run across images that I will actually build a post around. This is one of those cases.

Here are some interesting perspectives of the equine animal, all in the shadows.
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Horse Artist Interview – Judy Wood

Name
Judy Wood

Website & places you can find my work online
Website: www.judywoodartphotography.com
Blog: judywoodartphotography.blogspot.com

Where I am
Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I have always lived in Saskatoon, a small city person by upbringing but with a lot of “country” and nature in my life experience.

I think I was born loving art and horses, but it took a while for the two to come together in my life and work.

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Horse Job – Racetrack Manager

Group of men standing with a horse at a racetrack

A racetrack manager is a position that doesn’t usually work directly with the animals. Although the animals are their primary concern, this position is generally more administrative in nature. Similar to any stable manager. This position is more of an HR tool and often used to ensure that those who work with the animals are of quality.

This is generally a salaried position and can be found at most racing establishments. Those interested in this position should have a history in management and administration.

A Good Communicator

This is a position which benefits from good communication skills, a knowledge of horseflesh and the ability to manage a large staff of people.

The ability to work with a wide variety of people under large amounts of stress, leadership qualities and the ability to effectively to maintain a gaming license are all strong points of a good racetrack manager.
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How To Fit A Saddle

A lot of people probably don’t even know that they should fit a saddle to their horses back, much less how to do it. But it’s an important part of horse ownership because an ill-fitting saddle combined with the weight of you in it can cause a whole host of problems for your horse.

Preventative Measures

Better to be safe in the saddle now, than grounded due to a sore back. Here is a quick and informative video with tips for fitting a saddle properly.
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