Posts Tagged ‘painting horse
April 11th Paintings!
On April 11th the ponies got to work on some new paintings. I regret it taking me this long to get them up on the blog!
It turned out to be another gorgeous day – the perfect kind of day for painting. This time I made sure to have time for all three of the boys to paint.
Minnow painted several new mini paintings to be sold in the shop as well as two new canvases.
"Purple Haze" by Chincoteague Minnow
I can picture the purple haze of an evening sunset washing over Assateague Island, where Minnow was born 18 years ago. This painting has a peaceful calmness about it, and I bet Minnow was remembering his days on the island when he painted this.
Purchase this painting in the shop.
"Magical Shooting Stars" by Chincoteague Minnow
The burst of gold streaks across the night sky as a shooting star passes overhead. It lights up the darkness as Minnow and his Chincoteague Pony brothers stand grazing in the pasture. The ponies close their eyes and make a wish on this magic shooting star, a wish for more carrots and a mountain of grass. Because after all, isn’t that what any pony would wish for?
Purchase this painting in the shop.
Next up to paint was Boomerang. I really regret not having the video camera set up for his painting session because he had me laughing the entire time. See, the most recent trick that I’ve taught Boomer was to smile. Sometimes when the ponies learn new tricks they have it on the brain, meaning they begin to offer it a lot because they are sure that’s what I want them to do.
So when I handed Boomer his paintbrush dripping with paint, he began to try and paint WHILE smiling. Only smiling and holding a paintbrush in your mouth is easier said than done. Needless to say his painting technique was a little less than organized, but I couldn’t help but laugh at his silly antics.
So since Boomer was having a little difficulty containing his excitement at the thought of painting, I decided to let his big brother Blitz finish up the canvas he had started. Sort of a collaborative effort. I also wanted to make sure all the boys had time to paint before it started to get too dark.
It always amazes me when the boys paint – how differently each of them approaches it. Blitz learned to paint by watching Minnow out his stall door. Minnow truly was his teacher, I was and am merely the “tool” they use to get their paint. But even though Minnow has taught Blitz to paint, their styles are so drastically different.
I consider Minnow to be more of a “Jackson Pollock” style painter. In every sense he’s an action painter. Paint flies all over, one minute he’s stroking the brush up and down and the next he’s swirling it around on the canvas. You never know what to expect when Minnow puts his brush to canvas.
Now Blitz, he’s what I would call an OCD painter. He picks up the brush, eyes half closed, and meticulously strokes the brush in a sweeping up and down motion – on one section of the canvas only. Try to take the brush from him mid-stroke and he won’t have it. He’s not ready for more paint until he’s satisfied with the number of strokes he’s made. His whole process is very methodical, almost like he’s painting a fence.
Blitz added his own “fence painting style” strokes to the canvas Boomerang started and they produced this really neat collaborative painting…..
"Ocean Blue" by Chesapeake Boomerang & Chesapeake Lightning
Boomer and Blitz may not have grown up on Assateague Island like their ancestors, but that doesn’t stop them from dreaming of the deep blue ocean. It floats around in their thoughts, a longing to dip their hooves into the salty waves as they crash along the beach. Perhaps someday they will get to experience the ocean, but until then all they can do is paint what is in their dreams.
Purchase this painting in the shop.
And of course, Ammo the Dachshund was there to clean up the mess after a beautiful day of painting.
Spring 2011 – New Pony Art
We’ve been waiting and waiting. Waiting for that perfect day, when the weather is warm, the sky is blue, and there is nothing we’d rather do than drag out the paints!
On Monday it reached 75 degrees, and on our small farm in Eastern PA – that meant that it was time to paint again. Winter always seems to drag on here. If the ponies had their way they would be painting ALL YEAR ROUND. Blizzards, Thunderstorms, Hail – nothing could keep them from making those magical strokes. Especially Minnow.
Me on the other hand, I hibernate in the winter. The cold is bad enough (there is no easy way to keep your hands warm when you have to hand sopping paintbrushes to an eager artist), but the lack of daylight is really what does me in. Trying to paint with the boys when it’s cloudy & grey out really does nothing for the “creative mood”. And the thought of dragging out the paints, the easels, the supplies (most of the time in the dark) in the dead of winter just sort of puts a halt to our creative juices. Although I have to admit the thought of standing in the middle of a blizzard (white snow all around) while Minnow paints a masterpiece does sound like a beautiful picture – I might just have the come out of hibernation next winter for that one! 🙂
But needless to say, I for one am glad to put the cold behind us. As I stepped outside on Monday morning I knew that I had to drop everything and make time to paint with the boys. Painting usually becomes an all-day affair for us. The set-up takes time, and preparing canvases before hand is necessary. Luckily this time I had a few ready-to-go canvases thanks to a some color suggestions on our Facebook page a few months back.
Several hours later I was at the farm enjoying the wonderful day with my favorite ponies (and a cute little dachshund). Minnow painted three amazing canvases and few little mini paintings as well. Unfortunately my beautiful day started to becoming windy pretty quickly, and as paint began to blow in the wind and I chased runaway paintbrushes – I had to cut short our session. Sadly Boomerang and Blitz had to sit the day out – as they nickered from the pasture in hopes of joining us. Sorry boys, today was Minnow’s turn, but don’t worry, there are plenty of magical days left to paint some more.
"Sun Flare" by Chincoteague Minnow
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You might need sunglasses, because this painting is brilliant! I think Minnow was dreaming of warm summer days in the sun when he painted this. That, or he was trying to convince me to buy him a new pair of sunglasses for beach season.
"Silver Lining" by Chincoteague Minnow
visit the SHOP
Behind every cloud there is a silver lining. Magical things happen when you give the talented Minnow a paintbrush, and this masterpiece is no exception. Just when April showers come rolling into the farm where the ponies spend their days, Minnow can’t help but see the silver lining amongst it all. Or maybe he just knows that rain makes the grass grow! 🙂
"Retro Pony" by Chincoteague Minnow
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My little ponies, scrunchies, MTV, Pac-Man, and Leggings – do you see it? I think Minnow took a trip back in time when he painted this Retro 80’s tribute painting. He may not have been born yet, but I can see him now….pink hair & leg warmers, every little girl’s dream pony! Minnow keeps the 80’s alive with this fantastic painting for all the retro fans out there!
Keep on the lookout for more paintings to come from the boys. I have a feeling they are going to be even more spectacular this year!
P.S. check out Ammo the Dachshund’s Blog for a recap of his day of painting with the ponies!
Boomerang the Roping Pony
You might remember that for my Birthday I wanted a lariat so that I could learn to rope. To my surprise my husband had already gotten me one – before I publicly announced on the blog that it was on my wish list! I had no big plans for the rope, it was more just for fun and a good way to desensitize the ponies to new things.
I spent the last few weeks roping things around the farm, fence posts, traffic cones, dachshunds, I even tried to rope the neighbor’s dog that escaped (unfortunately my attempt was unsuccessful – although we did end up catching the dog). Then I started roping things in and around Boomer to get him used to it.
Then just a few days ago I decided to try it while riding him. I wasn’t surprised to find that it didn’t faze him much, and I began using clicker training to teach him that the rope was a positive thing.
My first few attempts to rope while mounted were pretty pathetic. Boomer tolerated me while I roped his face, a couple of legs, and tail. I’m still not quite sure how the cowboys manage to the throw the lasso, hold the extra rope, and steer the horse at the same time. It’s not easy!
Anyway, here’s a few video clips of my first attempts at TROTTING and roping.
I could definitely use some more practice! Although I’m very happy with Boomer’s attitude towards it. Maybe soon we’ll work our way up to cantering! Yeehaw!
Horse World Expo – Highlights
While at the Horse World Expo, competing in the Extreme Cowboy Race wasn’t the only thing I did. There were lots of things to see and do, and even more to learn. I wish I had seen EVERYTHING, but it just wasn’t possible. Here are a few things I got to experience that you might find interesting.
Cowboy Mounted Shooting was a pretty popular demo to see. And don’t worry, they said that all the horses had their ears plugged and they don’t use LIVE ammunition.
I also got to watch the spectacular night show, Theatre Equus. My favorite part by far was Guy McLean, who flew his horses here all the way from Australia. I didn’t get to learn much about his training methods, but none-the-less his demonstrations with his horses were AMAZING.
He had a horse that could canter backwards. Seriously.
USDF Young Rider Championships - Super Hero Pas De Deux - Kyley & Megan
We also got to hang out with our friends from El Brio Vanner, home to Odd Job Bob, the star of the movie – The Greening of Whitney Brown. El Brio Vanner is actually right down the street from our farm in PA, and I grew up taking riding lessons with one of their trainers. We always have fun reminiscing about pony camp days and playing with Breyer Horses. 🙂
We also spent some time at the Dr. Cook’s Bitless Bridle booth, as they were excited to learn about Boomerang competing in the Extreme Cowboy Race in one of their bridles.
Our Horse Trailer
Surprisingly I bought nothing at the expo, as much as I wanted to. I think my biggest temptation would have been one of the horse trailers. Swoon. Any horse trailer dealers want to sponsor a couple of trick ponies? We’ll take it all over the country! haha. Our little old rusty maroon trailer has seen better days. And man wouldn’t I give anything to have a tackroom! At least it’s still a step up from my childhood horse trailer……
My Childhood Horse Trailer
Yes, that’s my first pony, Oreo Cookie, in the back of our “Horse Trailer”. We were on our way to a show. It’s a wonder I have any friends! haha
Well we had a great time at the Expo, and hopefully we’ll be back again next year! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed sharing in on the adventure with me!
Extreme Cowboy Race 2011 – Preliminary Round
6 weeks ago I decided to do something I’ve never done before. I knew it would be hard, I knew it would be stressful, I knew it would make me stronger.
Last weekend I competed in Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race.
In the 6 weeks leading up to the competition Boomerang and I trained intensely. We took western lessons, I transported him to every arena in our area that I could so that he got used to new surroundings, we practiced new obstacles, and tested our abilities to focus in stressful situations. But I knew going into this that there would be elements we couldn’t prepare for. The unknown was scary.
We arrived at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg PA on Thursday. I had never been there before as a “participant”, and let me tell you, it’s a scary scary place for a horse.
Winding halls lined with stalls, electric “garage” doors, echos, loud noises, carts, dogs, and people – everywhere.
Boomerang handled everything pretty well. Immediately I began schooling him in the indoor arenas every chance I got. I wanted him to be comfortable with his surroundings before the preliminary race on Saturday. The indoor arenas at “schooling time” were an obstacle in and of itself. Not only did LOTS of horses and riders attempt to use them at the same time, but there were teams hooked to carts, horses being lunged, as well as the horses that freaked out as soon as they entered the arenas. Navigating around in them was an obstacle in and of itself. The only thing that I couldn’t prepare for was the noise of a cheering crowd. As the days went on I saw many horses freeze in fear or bolt in any direction possible after hearing their first round of applause. I’m not gonna lie, it made me nervous. I had no idea what Boomer would do when we had to walk into that arena on Saturday. Would he bolt, would he buck, would he refuse to listen to my commands, would I be able to regain control?
If you follow along with the Painting Ponies on our Facebook Page, then you already know what happened. But for everyone else, here is the video of our preliminary round in the Extreme Cowboy Race:
If you look closely in the beginning of the video, you will notice what did happen when the crowd applauded for the first time – Boomer had a little “fear reaction”. But at about 0.34 seconds you can see what I did to refocus him. I asked him to halt, and when he listened and stopped moving his feet I clicked and rewarded him. And that’s all it took to remind him that listening to me was much more worth it than worrying about what the crowd did. 🙂
Our preliminary ride actually put us in 2nd place out of 23 riders and earned us a spot in the Finals on Sunday (where only 11 were chosen).
I was so proud of Boomer. Our ride was far from perfect. I almost fell off when he spooked at something in the beginning of our lap around the arena, my roll backs were a little disappointing – considering Boomer can do them soooo much better, I could have cantered the barrel pattern, my sidepassing started a little sticky, and my keyhole pattern could have been done WAY faster. But it doesn’t matter. I accomplished something. I rode against (and beat) several professional horse trainers, I did western reining patterns in english tack, I rode in a Dr. Cook’s Bitless Bridle (we were the only pair to ride bitless), and I competed in my very first Extreme Cowboy Race.
Craig Cameron (the announcer and organizer of these events) and his crew were impressed to say the least. I don’t think expected what they saw, heck I didn’t even expect it.
But it really didn’t matter what anyone else thought. It mattered that in a mere 7 minutes I had managed to challenge the relationship I shared with my pony, and we came out the other end victorious. I felt like if we could accomplish this, there’s not limit to what we can do. Not only did I teach Boomer some of these western maneuvers in a mere 6 weeks – but I did it without spurs and without a bit. yeah!
You can see more photos from our first round on the Painting Pony Facebook Page, and check back tomorrow to hear all about the Finals!
