The Heart of a Horse Story

The Heart of a Horse

“You occasionally see one, and it’s the thrill of a lifetime.  But mostly all you ever see is a cloud of dust after they are gone.  It’s their stubborn ability to survive that makes them so remarkable.” - Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Johnston

This painting was inspired by the story of a mustang stallion called Spirit and the heart of a horse who yearns for freedom. Read below for the story of Spirit.

Spirit is a Kiger Mustang stallion, whose original name was Donner.

His parents were captured by the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon.  This meant that Spirit was born in captivity.

He has beautiful colouring, wide-set eyes and a multicoloured thick mane and tail.

Spirit became famous because Dreamworks Animation chose him when he was a colt, to be a model for the animators working on a film called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

They selected him because he was such a beautiful example of the Kiger Mustang breed.

The film tells the story of the old west “from the heart of a horse”. Spirit is a strong mustang who eventually becomes the leader of his herd.  He protects his mother and the other horses from danger.

But storms and mountain lions were nothing compared to a new type of predator that Spirit discovered in the hills.

One night Spirit comes across some chained up horses, and cowboys sleeping nearby.  When the men awoke and saw how magnificent Spirit was, they captured him and take him to a US Cavalry Fort.

Once there, Spirit meets ‘The Colonel’, who is mean and vicious.  He gives orders that Spirit must be tamed, however, Spirit resists all attempts to tame him.  The Colonel ties Spirit to a post without food or water for three days to weaken his spirit.  Once the stallion is weak enough, the Colonel sits on his back and boasts that any wild horse can be tamed.  Spirit finds the strength to throw him off, and in anger and humiliation the Colonel tries to shoot him.

However, a Lakota Native American, named Little Creek, who had also been brought to the fort and tied up, manages to escape and saves Spirit and they both escape from the fort.

They both meet up with Little Creek’s mare called Rain and the other natives, who decide to capture Spirit for themselves.

When they get to the Lakota village, Little Creek tries to tame Spirit by being kind to him but Spirit does not want to be tamed by anyone.  Little Creek ties Spirit to Rain to try and teach him to not be wild and Spirit falls in love with Rain.

Little Creek realises that Spirit will never be tamed and decided to let him go.  As Spirit is about to leave, the Colonel and his men storm the village, so Spirit turns back to help them.

The Colonel shoots Rain and she falls into the river.  The Colonel then tries to shoot Little Creek, but the stallion charges at the Colonel and his horse so that the shot misses.  He then tries to help Rain but they both go over the waterfall and Rain is injured.

They both survive the fall but the Cavalry capture Spirit again as he won’t leave Rain’s side.  They take Spirit and leave Rain to die.

Little Creek helps Rain and promises to free Spirit.

Spirit is forced to work on the railway pulling a steam train.  However, he sensed that the railroad was going to destroy his homeland and so he breaks free and frees the other horses.  As they escape there is an accident with one of the trains and it causes an explosion which sets the forest on fire.  Spirit becomes trapped as the chain around his neck gets caught on a fallen tree.  Luckily Little Creek saves him and they both jump in the river.The next day the Colonel and his men find Little Creek and Spirit and chase them through the Grand Canyon where they get trapped on one side of a gorge.  Spirit won’t give up and makes a jump that gets him to the other side of the gorge.  The Colonel is so amazed at the heart of the stallion that he accepts defeat.

Little Creek and Spirit return to the village to find that Rain is now better, so Little Creek sets them both free after naming the stallion, Spirit Who Could Not Be Broken.  Spirit and Rain return to reunite with his herd.

Story originally by Jeffrey Katzenberg

The Story of Eternal

Eternal

24 x 28 inch Oil and mixed media on canvas

“The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears” - Arabian Proverb

This painting is the second in my ‘Freedom’ series.  I was inspired by the story of pegasus and how he represents the freedom that we all value.  Our connection to myths and legends, I believe, is that they touch a deep need inside of us, which is very often mirrored in the thing that we love, or what we perceive to be beautiful.

Read on for the story of Pegasus:

Pegasus was an immortal, magical, winged stallion in Greek mythology.  His father, Poseidon, was the god of the sea, horses, storms and earthquakes, and his mother was the snake - haired Gorgon Medusa. 

Pegasus was capable of creating streams of water wherever he struck his hoof.  The two famous ones were both called Hippocrene, the most well known one is on Mount Helicon; the sacred place of the Muses.

Athena, the Goddess of War, tamed Pegasus with a magic golden bridle, and when a hero called Bellerophon asked for her help she gave him the bridle and Pegasus knowing that it was from Athena let him climb on his back to ride him.

One day Bellerophon was accused of something that he didn’t do, and was given a seemingly impossible task of killing the Chimera, which was a fire-breathing monster with the head and body of a lion, a goats head on his back, and a snake for a tail.

Bellerophon climbed on the Pegasus back to use the winged horse in the battle.  Bellerophon was able to fight the Chimera from above because Pegasus could fly, and he repeatedly stabbed the monster from above with lead tipped spears until it was dead.

Bellerophon and Pegasus went on to complete more challenges and battles together, including a battle with the Amazons.

Bellerophon began to feel that he should not be with the mortals on earth, but deserved to be with the Gods on Mount Olympus, so one day he decided to fly to Olympus with Pegasus.  As they flew higher and higher, Zeus (King of the Gods), became very angry at Bellerophon and sent a horsefly down from the mountain.  The horsefly bit Pegasus, causing him to buck in pain which threw Bellerophon from his back.  Bellerophon fell back to earth and was killed.

Pegasus carried on flying and reached Mount Olympus.  He then served Zeus for many years by fetching his thunder and lightening bolts whenever he needed them.

On the last day of Pegasus’ life, Zeus rewarded him for his loyal service by making him into a constellation in the sky to live forever.

Today Pegasus is a symbol of freedom.

The Story and Inspiration of King

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” ~ Viktor E. Frankl

This first painting in my Freedom series was inspired by a lion called Jon.  I was so moved by his story that I felt compelled and inspired to paint a lion. Being an eternal optimist, I love happy endings, and so painted the ending that I wanted.

Read below for Jon’s story.

A lion called Jon who was rescued from a travelling circus in France.  He was being kept illegally in horrific conditions.  When he was found, he was so badly emaciated that he was almost half the weight he should have been.  He had also been de - clawed, had so many missing teeth, and bore deep scars on his body of his abuse.  He had spent 13 years in a cramped cage with the travelling circus, and had been used for illegal purposes.

Jon was rescued by the Born Free Foundation, One Voice a French animal rescue charity, and French wildlife rescue centre Tonga Terre d’Accuil.

Whilst recuperating at Tonga Terre d’Accuil, Jon improved physically and mentally and came out of his shell as he grew in confidence.  He played, felt grass beneath his feet for the first time, became vocal, and after operations on his teeth, was able to start enjoying his food and gain weight.

Sadly Jon didn’t make it to his new permanent home at a sanctuary in Italy.  He died after a short illness because of his appalling condition.  Thankfully he knew peace, care and love in his final 18 months.

This painting is how I like to imagine Jon - beautiful, majestic and free as nature intended.

The Story of Milk and Honey

MILK AND HONEY

40 X 30 inch Oil and Mixed Media on canvas

“In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.” ~ Helen Thompson

In June 2023, my Mother died after a short illness. I had taken care of her all throughout the time that she was sick, and so I chose to put my painting on hold. Because I had brought her to live with me, it meant that we spent every day together, and it is one of the most precious things that I have done, as we laughed so much, reminisced about funny stories from the past, she told me stories from her childhood - some of which I had never heard before, and most importantly I got to ask her every question that I had ever wanted to know. I will forever treasure that time, and will always be grateful that I had the privilege of looking after her. After she died, I felt completely lost and heartbroken, and for a few months just couldn’t get my head around the fact that she was gone. Gradually though, I realised that the people left behind after a death, have to honour the person by continuing to live, especially because my Mum loved life and didn’t want to die. So I began to paint again. This painting was the first painting that I painted after her passing, and it reflected how I felt at the time…..looking back fondly and a bit sadly at the past, but heading to the future with hope and gratitude. The hummingbirds symbolise the spirit of a loved one being near (my Mum loved birds, and they always remind me of her), and also hope and freedom, and the bumblebee is a personal symbol which reminds me of my childhood. This painting to me reflects memories of the past and hope and optimism for the future with the freedom to create the life that I want.

This painting was inspired by a book called The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble

The book tells the story of a young girl who shares a deep and special bond with horses, and seems to have a deeper understanding of them than most people.  Finding comfort in them in a way that she does not with the people in her own village, she eventually becomes one and is wild and free.

I believe that as humans we connect with the animal kingdom in such a way that fulfils a deep need within us.  Horses in particular give us a sense of freedom when we ride them, but also just by looking at them.