She paints, draws, sculpts, does three dimensional work called decatauge. She carves wood, designs clothing and jewelry, plays the guitar and the piano, loves to dance and makes leather hat bands.

Buster is best described as the quintessential American cowboy.

She also draws and paints, etches glass, paints on porcelain, is a good dancer, and has played the piano since the age of nine. She does the artwork for all of their video covers. What a surprise!

Wylie’s observations are significant, especially when the link between artistry and the love of horses is considered. “Horses were a hugely powerful influence on my life when I grew up. I hope that comes out in my music.”

Diane has been an avid equestrian since Western trail riding as a child with her family's Quarter Horses. She later fell in love with Spanish horses through her heart connection with her Spanish Arabian, Bold Brahim (Jesse) - a relationship that eventually sent her to Spain to explore the heritage of his grand sire, Sidi Brahim. And, that special Spanish journey later landed her in dressage training with Olympian Rafael Soto at the Real Escuela Adaluza del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez, Spain.

The spirit of horses and designing for people who love and admire them . . . bliss!

Like most of the Natural Horsemanship clinicians, Richard has made some very good videos and I think the trailer loading portion of his video, Foundations, is the best I have seen on that subject.

Of course, when I interviewed him for this book, I asked about his artistic ability.

I knew of none despite our friendship of many years. I have even done clinics together with Richard.

So, I was surprised when he told me that he has always been a singer, was involved in four part harmony as a schoolboy, and was a guitarist.

He said, “yes. I am a drummer and I play the guitar. I still play in a band. I’ve written several books. I draw pictures.”

There you are!

I knew that she was obsessed with horses as a little girl and that this obsession had never subsided. I knew that her mother loved mules because, thirty years ago, I had bred two of my mares to one of their family jacks in Northern California in order to produce the first two mules we raised.

I knew that Meredith had moved to Colorado in 1980 and had devoted her life to horses and mules. She is probably the world’s leading mule advocate and has produced videos, poems, stories, books, photographs, drawings and TV shows all about mules. Jasper, the cartoon mule of song and story, was her idea.

So, I really didn’t need to ask if she had any artistic talents. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave anything out. But, I nearly did. I learned that her showplace ranch in Loveland, Colorado, is what it is because she designed the architecture and the decor.

Horsemanship and art: it’s inseparable.

I told her how many of the people in this book emphasized dancing, including the men, as a prerequisite for skilled horsemanship! “It involves rhythm and coordination necessary to be a good rider,” I said. “Yes,” she responded, “and understanding horses requires an intuitive personality.” She’s right. Great horsemanship requires sensitivity, awareness, compassion, and communicative powers that not everybody possesses. In order to be an effective Natural Horsemanship clinician one must also be a gifted teacher, a counselor, and a coach.

Ernie has authored and illustrated four popular books about vaquero horsemanship and livestock handling - El Vaquero (published in 1989), el Buckaroo (published in 1995), Riata Men (published in 1999), and California Cowboy Inventions (published in 2003).  He has also illustrated several other books and publications, and he has been published in numerous newspaper and magazine articles regarding horse training methods, rawhide braiding, western art, etc.

As has happened so often when people were interviewed for this book, when asked if she has any artistic talents she promptly replied no. Yet, with persistent questioning I learned that she played the flute, the piano, and the guitar, sang in a choir, loves to dance, took a course in photographic art, and does fine photography. She also confesses a love for Southwestern art, visits cowboy museums and Western art and cultural centers as often as possible and hangs out in art galleries. Dr. Sharon Spiers, wisely, combined her lifelong passion for horses with a distinguished career in academia.

When Dave was a junior in high school, his dad bought him a leather stamping tool kit for fifteen dollars. In the late sixties he made his first saddle and has been in the business ever since. While he was competing in rodeo, some other contestants asked him to make chaps for them and today Dave is best known for his chaps. At first his best customers were rodeo contestants, but after Ray Hunt ordered a pair, everybody wanted Dave’s chaps, including many entertainment world celebrities. So he is kept busy. But, he still has time to ride his Quarter horses with his family. “Horses are my life and my hobby,” says Dave Thornbury. Dave still trick ropes professionally at entertainment events.

Oh, yes, the art connection: Sharon Madere draws, paints, sculpts, loves dancing, has a fine art collection, has sung competitively, studied drama, writes poetry, and has done interior decorating. There you have it: the nurturing instinct, animal lover and artist, the necessary ingredients.

Web Address:
www.fivehorsestudio.com
Phone: 817-300-4121
Email: info@fivehorsestudio.com

Holly, specializes in equestrian Art, as well as family portraits. Is there any way she can list a link to her facebook page on your site? She has always had a passion for Art and began her career under the tutelage of well-known artist, Ray Quigley.

Additionally, she has illustrated 4 children's books for me:

Tails of Sweetbrier, Charlie the Horse, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes. Here is the link to her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holly-Bajaj-artist-and-illustrator/150161485036527?sk=photos .