For those of you who knew me during my equestrian career, you will be interested to know I have finally painted a horse!  

For 20 years, I was a coach and trainer working with hunters and jumpers and their riders.  I owned Sunridge Equestrian Centre here in Kelowna and the 24/7 schedule kept me from painting for nearly 18 years.  Many young equestrians grew up in my barn, learning the fine art of navigating over a 1000 pounds of horse around a course of fences from cross-poles to 4 feet tall. We held shows there twice a year and many teenagers got their first job in my stable.

I sold the barn in 2005 and retired from coaching in 2006.  I miss the horses and the students but I do enjoy having the time to paint and travel.  Many of my former students and their parents have seen me at the Lake Country Art Walk shows and asked if I had painted any horses.  I must admit, I had been avoiding the subject.  Horses to me are all individuals with their own unique personalities that must come out in a painting, just like a portrait.

I flirted with the subject matter, including cows in several of my paintings over the last year.  Then came the call.  A good friend wanted me to paint a picture of her daughter and her horse as a surprise for her daughter (who is all grown up and married!).  I agreed.  It is good to step outside of your comfort zone as an artist and this was the push that I needed.

For those of you who were at Sunridge in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, here is my painting called “At the Ingate”. See if you can figure out who it is and where it is!  And yes, this is also my first self-portrait.