The Trail of Painted Ponies Proudly Announces
The NEW Rearing Horse!

It was only a matter of time before The Trail of Painted Ponies created a rearing horse form for artists to paint. That dramatic moment when a horse balances on its hind legs and appears to charge the sky - is a classic image.  It is a symbol of power and freedom. Leonardo da Vinci artfully captured the movement of the rearing horse in his sketches.  Who can forget Trigger rearing up majestically, while Roy Rogers waved his hat? The rearing horse is the emblem on the famed Ferrari automobile. 

And so, continuing with our tradition of commissioning a nationally acclaimed equine sculptor to create our original horse forms, The Trail of Painted Ponies invited sculptor Sommer Prosser to create a Rearing Horse exclusively for The Trail. Sommer has a distinguished reputation in the collectible world for her work with Breyer Horses, including sculpting the main character from the Dreamworks film, "Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron.” It is Sommer's ability to capture the essence of the equine spirit that makes her such a celebrated sculptor.

To begin, we met several times to discuss the details of the new horse's position. While the front forelegs would be lifting off the ground, neither of us wanted the pose to be too vertical, which would make the horse static. We wanted this horse to capture movement as well as a moment. The anatomy needed to be correct and the muscles  bunched to suggest power, but we wanted the lines to be elegant. We wanted the horse to have a life and energy of its own, but at the same time we wanted there to be room left for artists to add new dimensions with their paintbrushes.  

Sommer took on the project with great professionalism. She submitted a series of drawings of rearing horses in slightly different poses, from different angles. When at last we all agreed, she went to work in clay - adding, subtracting, modifying, and sending us pictures of each step for our thoughts. Finally, the day came when she brought a completed clay sculpture of the rearing horse to our offices for an unveiling. We were simply stunned! Sommer had captured the majesty of the rearing horse to perfection. Thank you, Sommer.

The next step was to locate a foundry that could do justice to Summer's sculpture. Artists soon led us to the historic Bear Paw Bronze Works. As the story went, it was started by George Phippen, the founder and first president of the Cowboy Artists of America, an esteemed organization dedicated to realistic artistic depictions of the life of the cowboy. Phippen reportedly first opened the foundry in the 1950s on his ranch in Skull Valley, Arizona. Today, Bear Paw Bronze Works continues this legacy as a fine art foundry under the artistic eye of Loren Phippen, son of George Phippen. Loren artfully casts bronze sculptures for acclaimed national and international artists and his reputation is unsurpassed. Having our Rearing Horses cast by Loren Phippen and his legendary foundry add another layer of artistry and authenticity to these sculptures. One that is bound to excite artists across America, around the world, One that will give collectors an entirely new way to appreciate Painted Ponies as fine works of art. Thank you, Loren.

We are pleased to introduce the Rearing Horse to The Trail of Painted Ponies stable, which include the Standing, Walking and Running Horses. Collectors will discover three new Rearing Horses featured in the Winter 2010 Release.  

The Rearing Horse form has been added to the Holiday Contest. For more Click Here.

New Rearing Horse

Sculptor Sommer Prosser

Loren Phippen
Bear Paw Bronze Works