All the Pretty Ribbons

I was looking through my studio at past works..some finished..some not, and came upon this unfinished pastel painting of a friend's Standardbred mare. Katie was acquired as a two year old filly to be trained, not to race, but as a pleasure driving horse. Many people don't realize that Standardbreds can make very good pleasure horses. This little lady was full of spit and vinegar and very forward moving (fast, that is). Katie was a challenge to her owner..several mishaps..some serious and some not, but she became a strong competitor in the regional pleasure driving shows. It was determined a while ago that she'd fractured her pelvis in an accident and never quite recovered. Last year her owner made the decision to put her down and she was buried on the farm. This was done from one of the last photos I took of her, quietly standing in the barn after a schooling session in the ring, waiting for her reward... to be turned out to pasture with her buddies.