Gallop – Running horse clip art set in three different colors and two matching web background images. For an addition fee I can customize the graphic to whatever color, size, or add graphic to a marketing design — business card, letterhead, postcard, ad, etc.

Related articles

• Horse Clip Art of Appaloosa Mare and Foal (alove4horses.com)
• Horse Clip Art – Rearing Arabian Horse Graphics (alove4horses.com)

To Benefit Equine Assisted Therapeutic Riding Centers

Message from Lisa Miller…

I became interested in documenting foal births in 2010 after a friend of mine mentioned she had two pregnant Thoroughbreds. I thought it would be fun to document a foal birth through photography, and even though the idea of hanging out in a cold barn in the middle of winter didn’t thrill me, the idea of being present during these births did.

I knew very little about horses and even less about birthing a horse, but for some reason I was really excited about documenting this. So when the time came for the first birth I was there and I did exactly what I’d set out to do, photograph the birth of a foal from the moment the water breaks until the foal starts to nurse. It was an amazing site to behold! Even more amazing was that the next day, as I sorted through the hundreds of images, I found two or three incredible shots of the moment when the mare and the foal first connected. It was electric how the images jumped off the screen and hit me like a lightning bolt between the eyes! I knew I had to do something with these images…but what?

The Foal Project by Lisa Miller

A few weeks later it was time for the second mare to give birth. Once again I managed to be there to document the event. The highlight of that evening: when I had to put my camera down and give a pull on a very large baby that had trouble getting out. I can’t tell you how it felt to facilitate the birth of that foal in the photo above. Her name is I’m A Bird, and she’s a beauty! Once again, the next day I was sorting through hundreds of images and sure enough, two or three images jumped out at me. They were of the same thing: that amazing moment when the mare and the foal first connect. Wow. I was stunned! These photos were breathtaking! And so The Foal Project was born. I didn’t know for whom, or for what, I just had a name and knew The Foal Project was going to help someone! I also knew I wanted to do a gallery show and maybe a book, but one question remained: Who would benefit?

As the summer progressed and my photography studio’s wedding season moved into full swing, The Foal Project lingered in the back of my mind. Foaling season for Thoroughbreds was over, but I could not stop thinking about documenting more births. I knew if I could just get the work done, the purpose for it would follow.

I met some great people over the summer who put me in touch with other great people and I started to line up locations to photograph births during the 2011 foaling season. When I asked these same people who could benefit from the money I could raise by completing this project, I learned about Therapeutic Riding Centers.

Therapeutic Riding Centers help children with autism and other challenges, as well as veterans with issues like post- traumatic stress disorder, through horse-related activities and therapies. I’ve always been an advocate for children, but I also wanted to do something in honor of my parents, both of whom are veterans (USAF). Doing something to support Therapeutic Riding Centers seemed to be the perfect fit!

So that’s how The Foal Project was born, and this is where I stand.

It’s now mid-March 2011 and the foaling season is underway. I’ve photographed several births so far, and I hope to make it to as many as possible over the next few months.

From there, I will choose one or two images from each birth showing that beautiful, energized connection between the mare and foal. I’m hoping to have a gallery show ready by mid-summer and it’s my intention to display and sell these images to raise money for Equine Assisted Therapeutic Riding Centers. Prints will be available for purchase at the shows as well as on-line, and a photo documentary of the images in a book form will also be created. I can see this show being used for other special events, and I really hope it will grow from there!

If you:

• know of an Equine Assisted Therapeutic Riding Center that would benefit from this project,
• would be interested in having me photograph any foal births,
• know of a person or business that would like to help sponsor The Foal Project, or
• simply would like more information,

please send me by email at: studiodiluce @ gmail . com (remove spaces)

Donations for The Foal Project are welcome! Any help toward paying for gas, tolls, image printing and other related expenses will be greatly appreciated!

UPDATE: First showing of the Foal Project will be held at the ROOT FARM, rootfarm.org, a local Equine Assisted Therapeutic Riding Center in Vernon, N.Y. at their open house on May 7th. More dates to follow!

Please check out Lisa’s website at Lisa Miller, Photographer studiodiluce.com

“Heart” Horse Poem by Monte Baker

I talked to a friend just the other day

who’s got lots of opinions and plenty to say.

We discussed what we both like to see in a horse

his requirements and mine were different of course?

He likes a clean throatlatch and a long skinny neck,

and prefers that their hocks are set close to the deck.

Short backs and hard feet and clean slopin’ shoulder,

and a gaskin that looks like it swallered a boulder.

He likes a short face and a big ol’soft eye,

and says these are the horses he’s likely to buy.

And when he’d completed his lengthy discourse,

on all of the attributes of the quality horse,

he asked my opinion, and where do I start?

And I said that I…just want horses with heart.

I said I want heart above all the other.

I don’t care if he’s Smart Little Lena’s full brother.

Or just how much money that his grandmother won,

o r whether he’s roan, palomino or dun.

But give me a horse with some grit and some try,

and some heart and some guts and that’s one that I’ll buy.

And I’ve found it’s the same with a woman or man…

the good ones won’t quit you when the shit hits the fan…

Someone emailed me this horse poem and I thought that I would share it with you. I tried to find the poem’s author online but could not. If anyone know more about the author, Monte Baker, please leave a comment below. Also post a comment on what you think about this poem. Is heart what you look for in a horse?

P.S. More horse art like the one post at the top of this page at my horse ecards site. When was the last time you sent a friend or love one an ecard about how much they mean to you?

Art and Photographs of Horses on RedBubble.com

I just discovered RedBubble.com and all the wonderful horse art they have to view and to buy. Page after page of delightful horse pics and art. Many of which you can buy on greeting cards, tee shirts, or prints.

Equine Art and Photography Group on RedBubble.com dedicated to those on RedBubble that specialize in equine art.

Horse Wall Art at RedBubble.com

Some of my favorite horse art and horse photos…

Horse Photographs

Might and Power Artist: meerimages; Photo of a white horse leaping into the air.

The sky’s the limit Artist: Squealia; Photo of a white horse jumping clouds in the sky.

Playtime Artist: Hazel Moore; Photo of two horses at play in the spring.

Wanna Piece of Me? Artist: Gene Praag; Photo of Wild horses in Utah’s west desert.

Run For the Money Artist: Deri Dority; Horse photo – A push for time after turning the last barrel. St Paul Rodeo. Sorrel horse with woman rider – action shot.

The Storm of Passion: Collaborative Effort of Geno Praag & Sande Elkins Artist: Sande Elkins; Horse photos combined to create a dramatic image.

Horse Art

Equilibrio
En la playa
Both by Chelin Sanjuan

Thunder n surf
Evening Star
Gentle Giant
All by heartco

Lusitano
By BarbBarcikKeith Horse art – 9√ó12 watercolor enhanced colored pencil.

Fuego By Melissa Mailer-Yates; Horse art – Enormous Dutch warmblood. The painting is soft pastel

Painted Horse art by LinMorin

Grey Horse in Coloured Pencil Artist: Laura Barber-Riley; Horse art of a grey horse with flying mane.

Friends Artist: Laura Barber-Riley; Horse art of a shiny bay horse and a women standing in shallow water.

Art from the Horse and Rider Group

Horse Business Tip: Let these wonderful horse photos and art inspire you to check out the photos you have of your horses and consider using some of the best ones to make some postcards to send out to your business clients to remind them about your horses, horse products or services.

Check out my past articles on Printing for Less and Color Printing Pros. Both offer great full color printing. I have been pleased by the printing I had done by both of them.

Sites with Short Stories, Poetry, and Writings about Horses

I just discovered the RedBubble.com site and did a search for the word “horses” and found…
93 creative works under Writing and 106 results under Journals. Wow, that is a lot of horse stories, writings and poems to read and enjoy. I know that I will be visiting there as often as I can.

RedBubble.com – Horse Writings

RedBubble looks like a great place to find art, design, photos and writing, as they have a community from over 50,000 talented people (and it keeps growing). And you can buy these artist’s creations on greeting cards, t-shirts, and beautiful prints for your walls.

RedBubble is a fairly new site that has only be online since February 2007 and already they have shipped over 95,100 items to more than 70 countries. You can sign up at RedBubble for free and upload your work, join groups and share your creative creations with the world.

I only had time to check out a few, but here are some horse writings/poems I liked…

For The Horses- Lest we Forget Author: bushdrover; Word Count: 270

Mid Morning Ride Author: Outdoors2; Word Count: 219

The Stallion
Jen Whyte Author: Jen Whyte; Word Count: 87

The Kiss Photo Artist: Dawnsky2 (horse photo with poem) Poem THE KISS by Sally Omar

Discover more wonderful horse art and writings…

• Horses T-Shirts
• Horses Wall Art
• Horses Journal Entries

Cholla the Horse artist in Grand National Art Show and Sale April 4th April 12th

Reno, NV artist, Cholla The Horse, has been invited to participate in the prestigious annual Grand National Art Show & Sale. More than 500 pieces of western & equestrian themed art will be displayed from over a 100 Artists From Around the World (sorry, but most will be human and not equine).

Cholla the Horse artist

Youtube Video of Cholla the horse artist painting. 15,231 hits posted 7 months ago!

This show is a not-to-miss-event for the serious art collector, art gallery that is looking for artists to represent, or for the individual who wants the opportunity to see superb Western & Equestrian art. Artists from Europe, Russia, South America, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, and all over the U.S.A. will have their work available for viewing and for purchase at the Cow Palace.

There will be a wide variety of media and styles ranging from monument sized sculptures to small pencil sketches, and prices from $90 to $110,000 at this Western/Equestrian themed art show. This will be one of the most prestigious and successful western/equestrian themed art show and sales anywhere.

Artists participate in this show on an “Invitation Only” basis. Each artist, and each piece of artwork being submitted, has been specifically selected to offer you an unparalleled selection of Western & Equestrian art. This show has been a great success for 8 years and this 9th year looks to be the most exciting, largest, and best ever.

Summery:

Show Event dates: April 4th trough April 12th

Location: Cow Palace, San Francisco (Daly City), California

Description of event: Grand National Art Show and Sale. This is a world-class international art show. Renown esteemed artists from all over the world, from our neighbors in Canada, and from throughout the U.S.A. will be sending in equestrian and Western themed original pieces for display in our large gallery setting.

Discounted Hotel Suite Accommodations Available. For additional information, contact the Cow Palace in Daly City (San Francisco), U.S.A., at cowpalace.com, Phone: 415-404-4100

Show Coordinator Deena Barton, deenabarton (at) yahoo . com (remove spaces and add @) Phone: 951-675-2944

Renee Chambers (Cholla’s Humane), Renee (at) ArtistisaHorse . com (remove spaces and add @) Phone: 951-675-2944, Nevada, USA 775-544-8106, www.ArtistisaHorse.com

Horses and books in my mailbox; what a delight!

It is not often that I experience excitement at the opening of my mailbox. But this morning as I pulled out the mail I caught sight of an image of a cowgirl* astride a brown horse with three wild horses running before her – a bay, a black, and a dappled gray. Yes, the sight of horses, inked on paper, can make my heart beat faster. I didn’t name my site, A Love for Horses, for nothing.

I then looked at the return address on the package and saw the name, Linda Hines, an author, and knew the package held a treasure of books. I couldn’t wait to get the package open to check them over.

Books – I love books, always have from the time of young childhood when my mother would sit with us on the bed and read until we or she fell to sleep. Books containing artwork and poems have always been a top favorite. So I was delighted when I flipped through the two books and saw both laced with black and white artwork by a multitude of wonderful artists and quotations and excerpts of poetry and prose from 18th and 19th century authors: Goethe, Lord Byron, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, among others.

Even as I have grown a custom to reading books on the computer screen, I still adore the good old paper versions. I love the heft of books, the feel and smell of the paper, even the sound of my fingers flipping the crisp pages. So many positive emotions evoked from past books that just the lifting of a books is pleasurable to me. OK, you may say I have an book addiction. I confess that I own about six large bookcases filled with books and magazines.

Linda Hines sent me her first two books, Alteza, The Metairie Saga, Book One and Phantom Suns, The Metairie Sage Book Two. My horse art, “The Enchantress” is used on the cover of “Alteza”. Some of the cool black and white horse and cowboy silhouette artwork in these books are from EZArt Graphics.

The first book:

Alteza, The Metairie Saga, Book One
by Linda Hines

How passionate the Nineteenth Century! When daring ideas sparked modern innovations; discontent sparked European revolutions; and need for inspired leadership spurred Thomas Carlyle to ponder the qualities of “Great Men.” Yet the American frontier had its own visionaries ‚Ķ and the Metairie Saga is a tempestuous tale of their daring spirits, devoted hearts and forbidden desires.

Inspired by Goethe’s “Dream no small dreams,” this exciting new series often parallels cultural and historic European events, while literary details enhance and inspire its pages. Surviving Chicago’s Great Fire, Galen Metairie returns to Alteza, his family’s cattle empire in the Territory of New Mexico. But can the love of his young bride surmount the bond her mysterious husband and his brother’s wife still share? Or will a ruthless renegade prove a greater threat? Because if Moor is involved, the issue is never cattle or land or even wealth; but vulnerabilities ‚Ķ and one man’s power over another man’s heart.

*Artwork on the package: The artwork may actually be a depiction of a cowboy with long hair, but my first thought was cowgirl, I guess I automatically put myself in the saddle. But you can be the judge (leave your guess in the comments). This same artwork is also in the book, “Alteza” in black and white on page 209.