The Trail of Painted Ponies


ccording to many newspaper reports, 2009 was a year that a lot of people are glad to put behind
them. As we look back down The Trail, however, the view includes many highlights that are not only worth remembering, but celebrating. At the beginning of the year we held a Painted Pony Poetry Contest and the quality of the entries was amazing. Some of the poems were so inspiring, so well-written, it got us thinking we may want to publish a book someday that combines poems from collectors with Painted Pony imagery, the way quotes are paired with Painted Pony photographs in “Ride the Sky.” To read these poems, Click Here.
Our efforts to make the Official Trail of Painted Ponies website enlightening and entertaining led us to create a new feature for horse lovers. The first “Horses, Horses, Horses….” section featured horse games, horse photos, and horse trivia. (Did you know there are an estimated 75 million horses in the world?) Visit Horses, Horses, Horses, Click Here. Always on the look-out for opportunities to translate the magic of Painted Ponies imagery into new merchandise, we introduced a line of handcrafted soy candles available in both glass jars and tins with nine custom-blended scents that were chosen based on different Painted Pony designs. View Candles, Click Here. We also proudly introduced a stunning new line of hand-painted art glass – Suncatchers, Candle Plaques and Art Panels – that gave collectors a whole new way to brighten up their homes with Painted Pony imagery. View Art Glass, Click Here. Not to be overlooked is the creation of handbags, wallets and accessories featuring the most popular Painted Ponies. View Handbags & Wallets, Click Here. We’re not sure if this qualifies as a highlight or not, but it’s memorable – a call from a major Hollywood studio offering Painted Ponies a bit part in the movie “Zombieland.” We passed, and after seeing the movie, there are no regrets. In newspapers and magazines across the country, retailers took out ads that featured new Painted Ponies…. And the one that stands out is a billboard along Route 40 in New Mexico that was put up by Clines Corner, the largest Painted Ponies retailer in New Mexico. Our buttons were bursting when we received the summer issue of Giftbeat Magazine, one of the most widely read trade publications, and found that Painted Ponies topped its national list of best-selling “Animal Themed Collectibles.” View GiftBeat articles from 2009, Click Here. To bring cheer to the holidays we released a CD titled “Dashing Through the Snow,” featuring the soft, piano Christmas classics of Michael John Hall. View this CD, Click Here. The Trail of Painted Ponies has had the privilege of partnering with many worthy non-profit organizations in 2009 …from animal protection and the environment to youth, education and the arts, we have blazed a Trail of support. We are proud to have worked with the following organizations over the past year. The American Heart Association, Washington D.C., The LA County Sheriff's Department, The Barrington United Way, The Arizona Humane Society, The Luv Shack Horse Rescue, The National Guard of Oklahoma, The Cummington Mustangs 4-H Horse Club and many more. And last, but hardly least, we rocked the gift and collectible world with the announcement of our new manufacturing partnership with Enesco, one of the biggest and best manufacturers in the business. It is a transition that gives us good reason to believe that 2010 will be an even better year. May it be a wonderful year for you too. Happy Trails, Rod Barker Founder/CEO The Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc.