This is a demonstration I did at the Southampton Art School using a Waterton Lakes, Alberta, photo.

See also Golden Creek, Image # P0934

Argentina

Woodbine Race Track, Toronto, Ontario

See also Trail Ride at Waterton Lakes, Alberta (# 0927), Trail Ride (# P0736), and Waterton Lakes Area (# P0933)

This girl’s grandmother asked me to paint her granddaughter’s old horse (right) and new horse. As you can imagine, this was a delightful task made even more fun because of the energy that sprang from this girl. Each commission is individual and challenging.

During this time Marilyn and I were riding at a barn near New Dundee. We attended local shows and always enjoyed the chance to see people executing moves that were well above our abilities in the hunter-jumper area. We stopped in 1980 after one too many falls. It turns out that one no longer bounced very well.

On one occasion we rented a house, well a converted grainery really, near a small stream. Every day this young girl would come to the stream on her way home from her afternoon ride. I was confused by the fact that each day she would be riding a different horse, until I realized that she worked for the local riding stables.

This image from the stable area of Woodbine Racecourse was used as a card for the aid of the disabled jockeys. For me this staging area of the racecourse has more appeal than the formal racecourse itself, although I hope to do some things of loading horses into the starting gate.

To me, the backstretch area of a racetrack is more exciting than the track activity itself. This painting shows a variety of activities including the visit of the vet (gray wagon).

The title of this piece refers to the colt in the foreground that may grow up to be one of the horses in the R.C.M.P.’s musical ride. I was fortunate to be allowed access to the Forces stud farm in Packenham (near Ottawa) when I did a commission piece for the R.C.M.P.