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A Tribute to Walter Farley’s Island Stallion Series

Last week was our tribute to The mighty Black Stallion and this week it’s all about his arch nemesis Flame, the Island Stallion. This character is every bit as dynamic as The Black and the books are just as exciting.

Guilty As Charged

I have to admit that although I loved the Black Stallion books, the Island Stallion was always my favorite. The remote island setting is rather romantic and the survival story is as important as the animal’s speed & beauty. I love the books, but have to admit that the cover art on these is a step down from the originals (who’s with me?)
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More Elephant Characters of Auguste Vimar

Auguste Vimar Elephant IllustrationWhile it’s true I love horses the best, I happen to like almost anything that walks on four legs (except maybe hyenas, they just look like trouble). So last week I posted some of these amazing elephant drawings by French artist Auguste Vimar & here is part 2.

Good With a Pencil

There is no doubt that Auguste spent quite a bit of time studying elephant anatomy & his keen sense of proportion is enough to make any artist envious. Regardless of the quality of the art itself, each drawing captures both the movement & personality of each individual character.
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Updated Toxic Plants Section

Toxic PlantsAs I continue to power my way through the site looking for sections that may need attention I’m finding things I can’t wait to share with my readers again.

Section of the Week

Some time ago I began collecting lists of plants that are toxic to horses. As my list grew I even started trying to take some of my own images to use. Today I’m proud to say that I’ve contributed a variety of the images in that section.
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Unusual Horse Art Pt 6

Unusual Horse Art

Image from Heidi Pruess Grew

As I’ve been delving into the strange & unusual world of horse art I’ve been sharing collections as I go along. It was an interesting summer and I’m looking forward to an even more artistic autumn & winter season.

Artistic Challenge

Let’s face it, there are only so many ways you can represent a horse in art…however there are an almost unlimited number of art forms & techniques that give each piece it’s own panache. For each piece I tried to track down the artist & it’s current location (if anyone is privy to info about a piece, please leave it for me in the comments below so I can add it).
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What You Think is Palomino Might Not Be

Lets face it, palominos are really pretty animals. What with that golden color and those long blonde locks, what’s not to like?

That Golden Glow

Although most people think of deep, copper animals with creamy mane & tail (like Barbie’s horse) palomino shades are actually quite varied & interesting. In fact, they can range from an almost white color, to a very deep chocolate brown (all the while retaining their white-blonde locks). But interestingly enough there are a number of different color genetic combinations that create such a similar coloration it’s hard to tell them apart.
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Jockey Helmet Cams

Click to see VideoIf you’ve ever wondered or daydreamed about what it’s like to be a jockey, today’s post is for you. The two videos below put you in the drivers seat as these jockeys train with a camera on their helmet.

Although most of you are probably riders & know what the back of a horse’s ear looks like, it’s interesting to see them in a racetrack context. Not to mention it makes me want to get on a horse and have a good gallop!
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Horse Postcards

Awhile back I posted part 1 of my horse postcard collection and it’s time to take a look at part 2. It’s been a lot of fun to discover horse art in such a variety of unique places & I’m nowhere near finished.

Artistic Statement

The imagery is almost cheeky, which seems appropriate in the animal industry, but not so expected for their time period. Cheeky works for me so I thought these were fabulous & wanted to share them with my horse-loving readers. I don’t have dates for all of them, but the artwork or photography on them is obviously not from the 21st century…some of them even look like they’ve been used or (gasp) even mailed!
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A Tribute to Walter Farley’s Black Stallion Series

The Black Stallion

Image from Kissammee

There is no doubt about it, The Black Stallion is one of the best horse books ever written. Walter Farley went on to produce an entire series based around this mighty stallion, releasing them almost every other year without fail.

Tribute to A Master

If you are a horse person and haven’t read Walter Farley’s horse books, you’ve been missing out. He is truly a master of the horse book domain and every young horse lover will enjoy them, guaranteed. Here is a list of his horse books in the Black Stallion series, for each one there is a link to where they can be found on Amazon, a brief description & a look inside where available.
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The Elephant Characters of Auguste Vimar

Auguste Vimar Elephant IllustrationToday I’m going to switch it up and post about something other than horses. Although they are my favorite, I’m an animal (and art) lover in general and fancy most things with fur & four legs.

By Chance

I ran across these drawings the other day and was absolutely blown away by them. Auguste was a 19th century French illustrator, most recognized for his illustrations of children’s publications. Mr. Vimar drew other animals too, but it’s clear he had a thing for elephants & I collected my favorites to share. The illustrations below are from a book titled Le Boy de Marius Bouillabès (if anyone’s interested).
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Antique Horse

Antique Horse

Image from Jason Pier in DC

Lately I’ve been looking for more of the unusual where horse art is concerned, and recently I’ve featured everything from embroidery to fun old postcards. Since I threw my posting schedule out the window (literally) I’ve been exploring my creative side.

On The Road

One of my guilty television pleasures is Antiques Roadshow, so I decided to go on a virtual equine roadshow of my own in the hopes of finding some cool equestrian theme antiques to share. Horses have always made popular toys & the majority of what I found probably made youngsters somewhere very happy. They are very different of the bright, plastic horse toys of today aren’t they?
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Weekly Rescues Available for Adoption

This handy post is curtesy of Amy Lizee who works with J&M Acres Horse Rescue on behalf of horses in need.

About J&M Acres

J&M Acres Horse RescueJ&M Acres Horse Rescue is a non-profit rescue in Maple Ridge, BC. We rescue most of our horses from auction or from off the racetrack. Our aim is to get as many horses as we can off the meat truck and adopted into loving homes so that we are able to rescue more.
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