Harecroft Horses - Tales from the Body Box - CollectA batch two!

Bonnie wrote:

Wow, that grey is amazing! It looks like real fur, the texture is spot-on there! It sounds similar to dogs too with certain colours being 'banned' for different breeds, and then sometimes allowed later on as a recognised colour! Great name choice too, I think that was the first time I'd ever seen snow in April!  And such a wonderfully fun story about the pony, glad there was a safe ending and nice that your repaint can remind you of this fun-loving shetland!

Thankyou! I think the furry dappling looks good cos it's quite a fuzzy, hairy pony breed in real life, even when at the highest level of showing they have to be 'natural state' which means no trimming of beards or whiskers or legs, manes and tails left to grow long, and not plaited.

I find colour genetics fascinating, and it's really curious - and probably very frustrating for the horse owners of a 'forbidden' colour! - how slow the breed societies have been in accepting the rule changes science tells them are logical or necessary. There's always some sticking up for the 'but it's always been this way' and 'it's tradition' side, but it's just plain wrong to exclude certain perfectly possible colours which can be backed up with DNA testing, and more and more of them are accepting it's time to update the rulebook.

I don't think any of us would have given up and gone home until that pony was safe in his own field

rogerpgvg wrote:

Hailstorm and Grandeur are so beautiful! As Lilias already said, their hair looks very real. I didn't know that there are only three colours for fell ponies. It would be great if Breyer made a dapple grey fell pony even though it won't look as good as yours. Also interesting to read that you don't think the Clydesdale looks like a real Clydesdale. Do you think the G2 running Stablemate looks more typical? Funny story about the Shetland pony. I am not so keen on the Shetland sculpt, but you've given it a great colour and it looks really like it is a runaway horse!

Thanks! I've always found dapples hard to paint with acrylics, so it's kind of nice to have found a simple cheat to make them easier to apply!

I know you'd prefer 1:32 scale, but maybe Breyer would do better with dappled grey on the 1:9 scale version of this mould, their dappling is a lot better on a bigger surface!

Yes, the G2 Clydesdale is so much better, they've got the long leggy look, quite lean in the body and not so deep in the chest or massive in the rump and shoulders. The head is even a better match, the new one has a very square, solid head where the Clydes are usually hawk-nosed and sharp-boned - this is quite a good photo to show what I mean, cos the shadow really outlines the narrow bony shape of his profile.

The little runaway Shetland was charging around with his head in the air, so this mould is much better for him than if it was sculpted standing still and looking calm!

Taos wrote:

So many wonderful transformations and beautiful colours and patterns!
May I suggest a heavy horse for your next project-an Italian Heavy Draught or a Breton either a Postier or Trait.

I'm glad you enjoyed them!

Good suggestions, thanks for those - I've already done a couple of Italian Heavy Draft (one small pewter miniature, one WIA drafter) but never a Breton, I think the original heavier type would suit this mould quite well. Again without the plaited mane and tail, though, so I'll have to do some resculpting while I'm plotting colour choices.

Roger wrote:

Surely the grey color works perfectly with Fell ponies. Especially when it is so competently performed with your brushes.

The mould looks so different in grey, I'm glad there is a little extra colour I can do for a pure Fell otherwise it'd be one black custom and then all the rest being partbreds!

Ana wrote:

Great repaints again!    
And what a pony, oh my Good it all ended up well and without it running onto the road or getting injured!
I love light-colored pintos, I think it's such a subtle combination of white and cream color

Both greys look wonderful too! And all the horses and ponies from last month which I missed. The Pottock pony is possibly my favorite this time, what a brilliant breed choice! And it's rarely seen in the hobby too

He was certainly living up to the reputation Shetlands have for being cheeky little troublemakers, who escape and then evade capture for hours. Although when my horse was going through her 'teenage' phase and kept pulling down my fences by walking through them, my Shetland just stayed in her right field every time, and looked at me as if to say 'I'm staying where I'm meant to be, I'm not naughty like her' even though she could easily have stepped out over the broken bits on the ground, I don't think she realised she should want to run away

And yes, there's something really pleasing about pale pintos - I also like it when they're heavily roan, or greyed out, and the patches are hard to see against the white markings.

It's good to have added a breed which is rare in model form, I doubt it'll be showing up from any of the mainstream brands soon (CollectA possibly, as they do seem to pick something rarer from the breed book now and then) so it's nice to be able to tick it off by painting it myself instead.

Jill wrote:

Those grays are phenomenal. The pencil technique really nailed it! I love the darker areas on both. The fell pony looks so good, I agree that if Breyer releases a gray Fell it is not likely to match yours.

What a good pony story! Very in character for a pony. I'm so glad he ended up safe back at home, and all the people involved to! That's a great backstory for a semi-portrait model. And a beautiful custom. I love the his muzzle the best, with the gray and pink.  

I'm wondering if coloured pencils might work well enough for dapples on other colours, something like sooty buckskin where it's hard to handle that colour mixing with paint. Or possibly even some roany/varnish/marble appaloosa pattern, if the colour would stick and layer nicely enough. Something worth thinking about, I'm sure I must still have my childhood colouring pencils in a cupboard somewhere so I shouldn't have to spend any money to try the theory out And I can always paint over it if it's a mess

They'd be able to nail it at Traditional scale though, I think? Even though they keep the best designs of dappled paintjobs for the expensive models, there's been some decent enough regular runs as well, I think they could do something which looked pretty nice on that mould - if they're not saving the idea for some more valuable run!

Joliezac wrote:

Stunning as always! The first is my favorite!

Thank you! I really like that one too, the mould is so nice with the windswept hair (though it's funny painting only one eye, the other one is covered by his mane!)

Caracal wrote:

Wonderful repaints!

Thanks, I always appreciate the feedback (and I'm glad I'm not boring everyone with Too Many Horses - I will paint some other species again soon, promise! )

You work is exquisite! Do you sell your creations?

Thank you very much! I'm afraid I don't sell, I only paint what I want for my own collection and don't do anything to order, or have sales to clear out older ones, I'm far too attached to them (they all have names, and photos on my website, like a herd of real horses)

Another two to share, one more Stablemate by Breyer, but also a different brand and scale for a change - though being a tiny breed, she's not actually bigger!

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A LOT of spots! I tend to paint very roany blanket appaloosa patterns, so I decided it was time to do another full-on leopard spotted version for a change. He's a bay base, so the spots on his body are brown but the ones on his legs are black.

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The spots didn't take too long to put on, each one was painted thickly enough that it took just one coat for full coverage, then a light diluted layer over the top for the halo effect. Normally I don't like applying paint thickly at all, but on an appaloosa it doesn't matter that the spots aren't perfectly smooth - in real life the spots can be felt when you run your hand across the coat, cos they stand up a bit thicker and more solid than the white parts!

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The mould was sculpted as a Quarter horse, so it's a bit more chunky in the bum and full-tailed than a foundation type Appaloosa horse, but the majority of show ring Appaloosas are so stock-type these days, and allowed to register as purebred with a lot of QH blood in them. So it's fine for models to echo those real life trends, and I can easily get away with allocating Appaloosa for a sculpt which doesn't look like the old-fashioned true typey examples.

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I thought I'd painted nothing but Stablemates for far too long, so I looked round and the first non-Breyer model I set eyes on was the CollectA Falabella, and remembered the colour idea I'd had for her - funnily enough, another involving spots!

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She's a pintaloosa, which is what happens when you get pinto white markings over the top of an existing appaloosa pattern - in this case, a roany blanket one, where the blanket rather blends into the pinto patch across her back, and it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. But the spots are definitely all within the appaloosa part, never in the white pinto patches.

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The Falabella is a breed I've never met in person, but they're always included in breed books so they're quite well known in the horsey world. Developed by one family in Argentina, with every possible colour brought in to make them even more coveted, they were bred smaller and smaller on purpose, specifically as pets and companion animals. It sounds like they're mostly popular in the US these days, probably cos the UK's got such a tradition of having Shetland ponies already, with plenty of mini Shetlands to fill that I-want-a-tiny-pony gap in the pet market, and only specialist showing/breeding homes going for the Falabella instead.

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Even in a static pose, the CollectA hair sculpting is nice, with a fluid softness to the way it hangs and curls.

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She looks very cheerful and alert, I've read that Falabellas are easy to train and enjoy learning, and can be taught tricks and games to play, and you can just imagine this one pricking up her ears and waiting for whatever instruction is coming next!

Really gorgeous as always! I just loveeee spots!

Some more wonderful works and I enjoy how you scrutinize each model. I also learn a few things even if I am sure tomorrow I will forget.

George wrote:

Another

He's a bay base, so the spots on his body are brown but the ones on his legs are black.

George wrote:

Another

She's a pintaloosa, which is what happens when you get pinto white markings over the top of an existing appaloosa pattern - in this case, a roany blanket one, where the blanket rather blends into the pinto patch across her back, and it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. But the spots are definitely all within the appaloosa part, never in the white pinto patches.

Another looooong time since I have visited as I like to sit and really enjoy your posts and photos. There are so many FANTASTIC models you have created! Gosh you are such a master of the equine repainting, I love each one's detail, pattern, color choice, and personality you achieve. My favorites are that sabino rearing stallion, your little adventure pony, this latest leopard appy, and of course who can resist Miss Rolly Foaly! I love her the most. 

They are beautiful again. What strikes me when I compare your models with other custom-painted models is that your horses don't look as if they are painted; in other models, it is often very obvious that there is a layer of paint. I wonder whether that's because you apply your paint so thinly, as you say.

Wow that falabella! What a fabulous repaint!

Joliezac wrote:

Really gorgeous as always! I just loveeee spots!

They're so satisfying to paint, too - I work from the tail toward the head, so the spots spread from one end of the horse to the other, rather than adding them randomly all over til they looks dense enough, and seeing the pattern come in bit by bit is great fun!

Roger wrote:

Some more wonderful works and I enjoy how you scrutinize each model. I also learn a few things even if I am sure tomorrow I will forget.

I always like to explain the reasons behind my colour choices, or the differences in what I'm aiming for - especially knowing a lot of the readers on here come from a wildlife background rather than a horsey one, and might not know what I was talking about if it was all in unexplained equine jargon!

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Another looooong time since I have visited as I like to sit and really enjoy your posts and photos. There are so many FANTASTIC models you have created! Gosh you are such a master of the equine repainting, I love each one's detail, pattern, color choice, and personality you achieve. My favorites are that sabino rearing stallion, your little adventure pony, this latest leopard appy, and of course who can resist Miss Rolly Foaly! I love her the most. 

I'm so glad to hear you enjoy reading all my rambling and looking through the models! And it's really rewarding to know all the effort andf thought behind the painting choices is appreciated, as I've said before I like to paint what I'd like to own, and I think that pushes me to try harder for colour details and matching personality for breeds and sculpts than if I was painting to sell, and just did what I know is popular and 'normal' - I like to include the unusual and the interesting and the oddities as much as the standard pretty colours

Here is a new photo of Rolly Foaly for you, as a thanks for her compliment!

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(Every time I see those fancy edited images saying how noble and graceful and elegant horses are, I think of mine rolling on the floor looking like big daft furballs )

rogerpgvg wrote:

They are beautiful again. What strikes me when I compare your models with other custom-painted models is that your horses don't look as if they are painted; in other models, it is often very obvious that there is a layer of paint. I wonder whether that's because you apply your paint so thinly, as you say.

Yeah, there's such a fine spread of paint on there, there's no thickness to it at all - the paint is specially designed for even smaller miniatures (wargames figures) so it's got a lot of pigment and you can be very sparing with how it's applied. If I'm using one of those transparent Stablemates bodies, the finished paintwork can be so thin that light still glows through the horse when you hold it toward the sun!

Caracal wrote:

Wow that falabella! What a fabulous repaint!

Thanks! I've never done one of that breed before, I'd definitely like to do more (but which CollectAs I repaint depends on what I can find being sold in played-with second-hand lots on Ebay, at £9/€11 each they're a bit too expensive for me to buy new just for customising)

Gorgeous pattern choices and really well replicated! LOVE those haloed appy spots! And I am so impressed that you have his bay coat gradient represented in those spots. On a digital painting, I would have painted the horse bay then put a new layer of white over out of which I could erase the spots, allowing the original bay to come through - very easy! I had to take a moment here and remind myself that you can't do that with physical media, you have to paint each spot to look like it belongs with the others. Much more difficult!!

Falabella are popular zoo horses, since they are both small and have an interesting breed history. Pintoloosa was a great choice for this one. I love the narrow white marking up her shoulder.

Yeah, I'd either have done the exact same thing with erasing through a layer, it's so much harder that there's no erase or undo in actual painting
How I got the spots shaded was to blob a little bit of my three colours (reddish brown, chestnutty tan, black) side by side on my palette (that makes it sound too professional - I use the side of an empty drink carton ) then work the brush between them to pull in more of the browns or more of the black to vary the shade I'm applying. That way they can be adjusted slightly from spot to spot, rather than doing blocks of one shade at a time with no in-betweens.

Beautiful transformations again

Quote :

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Another looooong time since I have visited as I like to sit and really enjoy your posts and photos. There are so many FANTASTIC models you have created! Gosh you are such a master of the equine repainting, I love each one's detail, pattern, color choice, and personality you achieve. My favorites are that sabino rearing stallion, your little adventure pony, this latest leopard appy, and of course who can resist Miss Rolly Foaly! I love her the most. 

I'm so glad to hear you enjoy reading all my rambling and looking through the models! And it's really rewarding to know all the effort andf thought behind the painting choices is appreciated, as I've said before I like to paint what I'd like to own, and I think that pushes me to try harder for colour details and matching personality for breeds and sculpts than if I was painting to sell, and just did what I know is popular and 'normal' - I like to include the unusual and the interesting and the oddities as much as the standard pretty colours

Here is a new photo of Rolly Foaly for you, as a thanks for her compliment!

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(Every time I see those fancy edited images saying how noble and graceful and elegant horses are, I think of mine rolling on the floor looking like big daft furballs )

I do the same with my repaints. If I can make it interesting thats what I try to do (like with my variant color morphs i.e. recent spotless cheetah). And thanks for the rolly Foaly photo! She is too cute!

George wrote:

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Now that is a happy looking horse! That lip and those closed eyes, she is having a delightful time rolling around like a daft furball.

Over the years I've done quite a few racehorse portraits, even since joining here I've introduced four or five racing stars in miniature, but almost all of them have been jumps horses.
The reason so often given for why UK and Irish fans enjoy jumps racing more is the horses we get to know and love - coming back year after year, for a career of six, seven, eight seaons, in contrast to the flat racing stars, which might only race for one summer, possibly two, before being whisked off to stud.
Where a great chaser or hurders' expertise is in it's experience, and a lasting reputation comes with accumulating a lot of wins over multiple seasons, flat racers aren't usually asked to come back into training again and again. Their prime comes early, and often their careers are so very short, which makes it frankly quite hard to get attached to all these horses which show up with speed and strength for a few days spread over their immature years, then are never seen again.

So I think it's no co-incidence that the first flat racer I painted was Enable, a hugely talented mare and sympathetically trained for a long career, who raced on successfully for many years before finally retiring to her new life as a mum to the next generation.
Now, the same trainer has an eight-year-old stallion, Stradivarius, who's also still racing and winning, long after the average flat horse has disappeared from the public eye. Whether the longevity is all in the kinder training, or the combined attitude of connections to manage the horses with a longer career in mind, I don't know - but it's been lovely to see him continue into adulthood as a magnificent horse at the top of his game.

Here's a photo of the real Stradivarius which shows his bright colour nicely, but what really made me decide I had to paint his portrait was this shot, taken after one of his big wins. His pose is so much like one of Breyer's recent Stablemate sculpts!

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And here's the mini version - see what I mean about the pose!

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It's a very narrow, muscular and upright mould, which has the look of an old-fashioned hunter or a very fit lean racehorse, I'm really glad Breyer have given us this option as their Thoroughbreds are often fairly stocky and rounded and small-looking somehow

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Stradivarius also has the advantage of being a really eye-catching colour, with his bright shade of chestnut emphasised by so much white, it was fun copying his markings for all four legs and the narrow stripe on his face.

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For once I didn't have to resculpt the mane for this portrait, thankfully he races with it loose and unplaited, just trimmed for tidiness, and that's the same way the mould was styled, too.

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He makes a really nice addition to my racehorse collection

The next one isn't a portrait as such, but a reference photo of this anonymous horse which always comes up in my Google image searches for appaloosa pattern ideas - she too reminds me of a Stablemates mould, and after I'd seen her so many times, I just couldn't get the idea of that colour and pattern on that mould out of my mind!

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So here she is! I made her a mirror image of the real one, since my mould photographs better from this side, but other than that I tried to get the colour, shading, roaning, and spotting to be as close as I could to the real horse which inspired her.

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As there's no name or details attached to the original photos, I picked one at random, Chickadee as it's such an adorable name for a bird, and from the same country as my little horse would be.

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She looks very kind and gentle and steady-tempered, the sort of horse which would be very easy to look after and a good influence on the rest of the herd!

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I've found several references to appaloosa spotting patterns occurring in the Choctaw Pony breed, which is what I've used for my others on this mould so far, even though there's no modern photo examples, only older black and white ones, so it's possible those genes have died out. It might be better to file her as a foundation-type Appaloosa for her colouring, but as the vast majority of my Appaloosa models - actually Appaloosa models in general - are now spotted paintjobs on modern stock-type horses, she wouldn't really fit in there either, so I'm more inclined to keep her as part of my small herd of true Native American heritage.

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Her other side, which isn't quite as nice - I did this side first to figure out the strange new smeary-blotchy-roaned paint techniques by trial and error before going over to her more important display side!

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That's it for this week, just two but two I'm really happy with so I'm satisfied with that

Very nicely done.

Stradivarius really looks like the real one and the pose is quite similar. Only the head is lowered on real horse. It has a very rich color. Though, I find that Appaloosa really beautiful. I tried to search the name of the real horse using Google tools but I was also unlucky. I only find the picture in sites about Appaloosa color discussions.

I really love that thoroughbred mold, I really need to get one that isn't a unicorn. You've made a perfect portrait from it. Interesting information, too, about the different types of racing and why they foster different kinds of fans. Love the idea of training that allows a horse to continue a successful career longer in life - sounds like something is working there to me! I love the way you've painted his bright coat. The hints of red and gold really make it look like he's moving in the light. The subtle gradients in the tail and on the face are really nice as well. No "boring" solid chestnuts.

Also great tribute to an anonymous horse! You captured the direction of the hair at the flank really well on this one, and so much subtle roaning. That seems like it would be so difficult to keep from getting blotchy and muddy, but it's look beautiful. Love her stripey hooves.

Two magnificent repaints again. I wasn't so keen on the "walking thoroughbred" sculpt, but you are beginning to convince me that it isn't so bad. Your repaint certainly looks very real. It's "just" a chestnut, but the way the shading is done and the satin gloss make it very convincing.

I am not into horse racing or jumping, but I was also struck by how short the careers of race horses are. I wonder, is this because most have such a short racing prime or because top race horses are more valuable as studs and therefore don't race for long?

The appaloosa is stunning too!

Beautiful repaints as always, and how wonderful to hear that some trainers are finally doing things humanely! That photo you linked of Stradivarius, he looks relaxed, like he enjoys what he does. What a refreshing difference.

Roger, I think a lot of flats racehorses anyhow are badly damaged by being forced to perform at such levels long before they're mature enough. At least here in the States, they start formally, intensely racing young animals at 2 years old. They're still immature, babies then- like a 13-14 year old, with soft incompletely formed bones and joints. That means they start saddle training at a year old- far too young to bear weight safely, let alone cope with the pressure psychologically! So many horses 'burn out' and become sour and difficult, and many more are broken down, with damaged legs, sometimes to the point they are practically cripples.

Worth bearing in mind many registries won't allow breedings to be recognized from parents less than 3 years old.

Perhaps some good trainers aren't starting their young stock under saddle until they're a more sensible 2 or 3 years, or racing them until full maturity at 5? Such a horse should be able to compete in top form for possibly a good 10 years.

thebritfarmer wrote:

Very nicely done.

Thank you!

Roger wrote:

Stradivarius really looks like the real one and the pose is quite similar. Only the head is lowered on real horse. It has a very rich color. Though, I find that Appaloosa really beautiful. I tried to search the name of the real horse using Google tools but I was also unlucky. I only find the picture in sites about Appaloosa color discussions.

Yeah, it's always a bonus when the ones I like enough to do protraits of are also a really nice colour! He's very orange

Some horses seem to become the standard illustration for a certain colour, especially the rarer ones - so many websites and photo galleries and forums show their picture over and over again!

Jill wrote:

I really love that thoroughbred mold, I really need to get one that isn't a unicorn. You've made a perfect portrait from it. Interesting information, too, about the different types of racing and why they foster different kinds of fans. Love the idea of training that allows a horse to continue a successful career longer in life - sounds like something is working there to me! I love the way you've painted his bright coat. The hints of red and gold really make it look like he's moving in the light. The subtle gradients in the tail and on the face are really nice as well. No "boring" solid chestnuts.

Also great tribute to an anonymous horse! You captured the direction of the hair at the flank really well on this one, and so much subtle roaning. That seems like it would be so difficult to keep from getting blotchy and muddy, but it's look beautiful. Love her stripey hooves.

It's really hard to get one which isn't a unicorn so far - all my customs have been de-horned from the various fantasy decorator releases or paint-your-own-unicorn packs, the only regular run we can buy without a horn is in a horse and foal set so you've got the expense of all three, and he's not a very TB colour - so gold he's almost decorator too

My black paint is set almost solid, so the dark face and tail had to be applied differently than I'd usually be able to mix it, it was a bit tricky trying to get any colour dark enough without diluting it, so there's a lot of layering going on there!

I'd say the best tip to stop a roany colour getting too muddy and smeary-looking is plenty of drying time between the build-up of colours, so you're never working wet paint onto wet, or mixing/blending on the model, but starting a new layer with each different mixed colour.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Two magnificent repaints again. I wasn't so keen on the "walking thoroughbred" sculpt, but you are beginning to convince me that it isn't so bad. Your repaint certainly looks very real. It's "just" a chestnut, but the way the shading is done and the satin gloss make it very convincing.

I am not into horse racing or jumping, but I was also struck by how short the careers of race horses are. I wonder, is this because most have such a short racing prime or because top race horses are more valuable as studs and therefore don't race for long?

The appaloosa is stunning too!

The 'satin gloss' is the result of polishing him on a bit of fleece once his paint was dry! You can get a really nice shiny effect that way, I don't do it with many models but some just suit the effect, and it's much more subtle and soft than using actual varnish - just enough to make him look as glossy as a very fine-coated, very clean horse, like a TB stallion would be on race day.

pipsxlch explains some of the negatives against racehorses having long careers below - it's a mixture of burnt out horses, some being too hard to keep sound, and value off the track.

They might get an injury or problem which they could recover from and come back into training, and would if they were intended for jumping into their teens, but if they're injured at three and would've retired at four anyway, it's kind of too late and not worth the time and effort of waiting to see if they'll be fit enough to race again, so they're sent away to recover and then be bred from. Some soundness issues aren't from accidents or injuries or falls, the horse is just genetically prone to fragility, bad feet, etc, and the worrying thing is that these are sent to stud just as readily as one who raced soundly for a few years and never took a lame step. Longevity and toughness and soundness aren't being considered, only breeding more winners from those that managed to win before they wore out.

There's also what you said about being more valuable off the track for breeding, especially when you consider that most male flat race horses are entire stallions, where most male jumps race horses are geldings. A gelded flat race horse will often race a few extra seasons cos they've got no money-making second job lined up, and often they only get the snip cos they weren't doing well enough in the first place, it's kind of a last resort in flat racing to try to get a horse in winning form. Jumps horses are usually gelded for temperament reasons - a stallion can be an absolute horror to look after and unbiddable to ride, where a gelding is calmer, easier to train and handle, and much better around other horses.
The jumpers are generally seen as better if you want an ex-racehorse, cos they're schooled so differently and tend to have more normal lives - turnout with friends, winter, mud, rugs, hacking, jumping in the school - they're more rounded individuals and are much easier to convert to everyday riding horses cos they're trained to be sensible and rideable, not wound up tight to run fast then put away again. They retire more easily to new jobs, as jumpers or eventers, showing or hunting, or just nice hacks for leisure riders, without needing too much rehab and retraining compared to the flat counterparts.

Another reason flat race horses retire young can be not wanting them beaten - value and status as a stud horse will decrease if they're beaten too much, so a brief but starry career of 1111/1111 sets them a far more prestigious record than form reading 11/135/-/1720/4PU1/03217/431PU even though there's the same amount of wins in it.

pipsxlch wrote:

Beautiful repaints as always, and how wonderful to hear that some trainers are finally doing things humanely! That photo you linked of Stradivarius, he looks relaxed, like he enjoys what he does. What a refreshing difference.

Roger, I think a lot of flats racehorses anyhow are badly damaged by being forced to perform at such levels long before they're mature enough. At least here in the States, they start formally, intensely racing young animals at 2 years old. They're still immature, babies then- like a 13-14 year old, with soft incompletely formed bones and joints. That means they start saddle training at a year old- far too young to bear weight safely, let alone cope with the pressure psychologically! So many horses 'burn out' and become sour and difficult, and many more are broken down, with damaged legs, sometimes to the point they are practically cripples.  

Worth bearing in mind many registries won't allow breedings to be recognized from parents less than 3 years old.

Perhaps some good trainers aren't starting their young stock under saddle until they're a more sensible 2 or 3 years, or racing them until full maturity at 5? Such a horse should be able to compete in top form for possibly a good 10 years.

The trainer for these two seems a real old fashioned upper class gentleman, a very polite and kind man who seems to love his horses as individuals, in interviews he's always got compliments about their personalities or quirks or looks, rather than crowing about the wins and how great they are. That's probably another reason I've ended up painting these horses, we've learnt from him and the jockey what they're like to know, their characters and how they are at home - it's easier to connect with that kind of insight, where most flat racing trianers/jockeys/owners don't give as much sense of the personality and friendship with the horses.
I suppose for every bad trainer who doesn't care about the animals and just wants the money, there's one who values them and takes proper care. One time the tv people spoke to this trainer after a fatal accident in the same race, and what he said was so dignified and sad and caring about the poor horse, he wasn't even happy about having won - it was really moving for everyone who likes racing cos they like horses, rather than casually liking it for the sport and gambling side, and shows that there is still some love of the horses even within the intensive industry of racing.

Great  I have a bias for the Appaloosa 

Thank you! I've been painting a lot of spotted ones lately, I think I'm finally getting to grips with one of the trickiest colours. Or rather, group of colours, cos there's loads of different ways to do an 'appy'

I made a little chart of all my appaloosa spotted customs - I was just curious to compare and ponder on my progression after my reply above, then decided it might be interesting enough to share here, too.
They're in order of creation (roughly, it's hard to keep them strictly level when none of the pictures are the same size ) but I do tend to have big gaps and pauses in my painting, so this isn't divided up equally throughout the last 18 years : the oldest one is from around 2004, then I did three back in 2015, three in 2018, and then everything from 'Enzo' dates from 2020 onwards

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