Rex Peterson is Coming to Michigan!

I'm so excited. My friend Rex, the Hollywood horse trainer, (pictured above with Miley Cyrus), is giving a clinic in Dundee, Michigan, August 22-23.

For more information:

http://www.colorfulicelandics.com/clinics.html

This is Rex's first time teaching in the Great Lake State! Spaces are
limited, so reserve early!

Impromptu Radio Interview - And It's a Small, Small World!

Here's a small world story.

As of this year, I am an avid Twitterer. I noticed one of my twitter
followers was promoting a radio show called, "Dresser After Dark".
The host was listed as Michael Ray Dresser.

Back in the day, I had known a Michael Dresser in Fairbanks, Alaska.
I worked for the Humane Society and I was on his show to promote
adoption efforts. Michael actually came to the shelter and adopted a
dog from me -- one I was considering keeping for myself! She was
very special, a black Chihuahua I named Cricket that someone had
thrown over the fence and left there. She was about 6-8 months old
then.

Michael fell in love with Cricket and adopted her. I moved away from
Fairbanks after that and didn't hear more from him.

Yesterday I looked on the website, saw his picture and thought, "That
HAS to be the same guy!"

Looked up his bio and sure enough! It's the Mike Dresser from back in
the 80's! He answered my email and said Cricket lived to be 12 years
old and he still misses her!

I'm going on his show tomorrow night! Tune in at 8:30 pm EST Tuesday and you can
hear me talk about Morgan Horses and CLifford.

http://www.dresserafterdark.com/

Today's Equine Art - Palomino Morgan

This is Roadie, a palomino Morgan. This is part of my "Heart Horse" series, commissioned in June of this year. This piece is conte and oil pencil on light green charcoal paper, about 10 x 12".

Today's Equine Art

Thistle is a chestnut Morgan stallion. This is another in my series of "Heart Horse" portraits. 11 x 15", pastel/conte/charcoal.

Today's Equine Art

Tanek, a black Morgan stallion. This is another piece in my "Heart Horse" series. This is 11 x 15", oil pencil and conte.

Today's Watercolor - Stargazer Lily

I couldn't get the colors in this to reproduce very well. This is watercolor and oil pencil on stretched canvas, about 4 x 4". Watercolor tends to roll right off the canvas so there were some logistical problems with getting the color to adhere. It was a gift for a friend's 40th birthday.

Today's Equine Art

This is Paladin, a Morgan stallion, part of my "Heart Horse" series of commissions. This is 11 x 15", oil pencil on black charcoal paper.

Giclee Prints of My Equine Art!

It turns out that Quasar has fans, and he is in demand as a print! This online gallery is really neat, because the giclee prints are great quality, very reasonably priced and you can pick the matte and frame online…. Or not! They have a wide selection of frames, including barnwood, etc, and all kinds of matte textures and colors. Here is a sample matte and frame I chose for Quasar. I also played around with framing my Percheron, below.

Here’s a link to the site!

Thanks again to all horse folks who have supported my equine art endeavor. There are more portraits to come… Stay tuned…

Clifford in the 4th of July Parade

It's been 4 years since I rode Clifford in the Drummond Island parade, but he never forgets. I trailered him down to a spot close to the starting point, where the floats and crowds were gathering along the roadside. There were plenty of horse-eating monsters there, including lots of balloons and banners and streamers galore. We expected to meet our cousins, Tess and Allen and the usual group of equines.

When I arrived at the spot, I realized I had grabbed Trudy's bridle by mistake. There is no way that will fit Clifford, at least not without a lot of oil to get the buckle unhooked and readjusted. I had my English saddle, a nice Ortho-flex that has a blue pad. But I had no bridle, so had to ride him with just his purple halter and a too-short lead rope. I decided to skip the saddle too.

I climbed on bareback and we were off. Clifford happily trotted down the road between all the horse-eating floats, eagerly looking forward to our rendezvous with horsey friends that he hasn't seen in years.



But we got to the grassy spot along the water's edge where the equine parade members usually gather, and nobody was there. "Looks like it's you and me this year, buddy," I said. I gave him a pat on the neck.

Traditionally, horses go along in front of the ambulance, and I tried to put Clifford there. But he immediately fell in behind a Charlie Brown float that was playing the "Linus and Lucy" theme song. I wondered if he remembered this tune. It was our theme song during a couple of his performances at the Novi Expo, years ago.

There were some little kids in line behind us that were carrying a sign and some balloons. When the parade started, they decided to run and shout, dashing up right near Clifford's tail. This proved too much for him and he startled. They didn't seem to notice and just kept coming! Finally I called back to them, "Hey you guys, you're scaring my horse!"

They slowed down to a walk then, but still wanted to be right on top of us. I said, "Can you stay back a little? This parade just moves really slowly."

They did fall back then and gave us plenty of room. I just didn't want anyone to get under his feet by accident, or even get whacked by his tail.



He seemed very happy to just walk along behind that float in time to the piano music. He was doing so well that I reached down to attempt to untie the lead rope from his halter. Every time I reached for it he would playfully turn his head and lip at my fingers.

Finally I ended up just dropping the lead rope and scratching his withers as we walked along. A couple of girls cried out to me, "Wow! Is he bullet proof, or what?"

"I guess as much as any horse can be bullet proof," I replied.



When we got to the end, I turned to the kids behind me and said, "Thanks, guys. You did a great job."

They smiled proudly.

I remembered my first year in the parade, some fifteen years ago, when Clifford was still a youngster. Allen Hoey was riding Barney, his grey Arabian, bareback. I thought I would never see the day when I'd be riding any horse in a parade with no saddle. It just goes to show that you can achieve the unexpected. If you persevere, one day you may surprise yourself.

Today's Equine Art

This is Quasar, a Morgan stallion, the first in my series of "Heart Horse" commissions. This is pastel, about 11 x 15"