Wild Race, oil on canvas, 24x48in
Available: K. Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ
$5700 Framed
 
I wanted to create a painting that captured the wild spirit of the American West. To me, the West is freedom: a mix of old and new, mountains and prairies, wide open spaces, and big skies. In this piece, two Spanish Mustangs race each other across the wide open prairie of South Dakota.
 
The Spanish explorers and conquistadors reintroduced horses to North America beginning ca. 1500. Those first horses were small, scrappy, and very hardy. They survive today and are known as Spanish Mustangs or Spanish Colonial Horses. These original Spanish horses also contributed  to the modern breeds: Andalusian, Lusitano, American Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, American Paint Horse, Rocky Mountain Horse, Florida Cracker, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Azteca, Chincoteague Ponies, Choctaw, Sugarbush Harlequin Draft, and many more. Some of the flashiest colors in modern horses come from these Spanish lineages, including the Paint, Pinto, Appaloosa, Pony of the Americas, Palomino, and other breeds.