Motorcycle Mustang
AKA: The Harley Horse
WES-1450

Artist: David Losoya

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This very detailed Trail of Pained Ponies figurine even includes real chains for reins.

A second generation lover and owner of Harley Davidson motorcycles, David Losoya, an airbrush artist from Artesia, New Mexico, says, "If I was a biker in the 19th Century, this is what I would ride." With the help of friends and family members, Losoya molded many parts of real motorcycles onto his horse, including mufflers, a taillight and a kick-starter, chains instead of reins, saddlebags, leathers and other elements of horse and bike. This Pony rumbles!

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War Pony
WES-1452

Artist: Rance Hood (Comanche)

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This very detailed Trail of Pained Ponies figurine even includes real feathers.

Comanche artist Rance Hood is one of the most recognized names in Southwest Art. His paintings, known for their drama and authenticity, hang in museums and corporate collections. The opportunity to recreate a traditional war pony, complete with a buffalo pelt saddle, lance-and-shield, arrows and feathers, became the pinnacle piece of his distinguished career. This startlingly realistic recreation of a Comanche war pony reflects the vibrancy and mystical quality of the horses that populate this popular artist's paintings.

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Caballo Brilliante (Brilliant Horse)
WES-1456

Artist: Roger Montoya

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Hispanic artist Roger Montoya is a nationally recognized renaissance figure, as well known for his dance performances as he is for his landscape paintings. He served as Artistic Director of this Pony, assembling a team of some 50 people, ranging in age from 5 to 81, from a New Mexico village. First, they trooped out to local riverbeds and dumps that had not been used for twenty years to gather glass bottles and ceramic jugs. Under his direction, he materials were smashed, collected and applied to the surface of the Painted Pony, forming a kaleidoscopic mosaic surface that has to be seen to be believed. As if that were not enough, the original "Caballo Brilliante" rotates on a solar-powered turning device that captivates viewers with a reflective dance of color and light.

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Five Card Stud
WES-1459

Artist: Gerri Mattson

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Artistic inspiration comes in many forms. Before she began to paint her pony, Carlsbad artist Gerri Mattson, a secondary art teacher for 25 years, drew upon her experience and gave herself an assignment. She drew up a list of words relating to horse. "Stud" caught her eye. She started sketching related ideas. This led to the game of poker. Gambling, horseracing, casinos, and lottery images followed...

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Lightning Bolt Colt
WES-1461

Artist: Dyanne Strongbow (Choctaw)

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In Lakota Sioux mythology, the horse is a Thunder Being who brings storms to Mother Earth. The thunder you hear is the pounding of his hooves. With thunder, lightning and rain come change... and change is like a new day. With this in mind, Native artist Dyanne Strongbow imagined a thunderstorm centered in the horse's hindquarters, breaking up as it moved forward toward his head into the sunny skies of a new day.

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Renewal of Life
WES-1467

Artist: Natasha Isenhour

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Natasha's travels abroad and around the Southwest have fueled her love for interpreting the "magical landscapes" she has witnessed. A dawn seen through mists hovering over the Rio Grande River that flows through a bird sanctuary in southern New Mexico inspired this work of art. Natasha used color, contrast, and countless glazes to create a sensational work of equine art. Whether she is painting on a canvas or a Pony, this artist has a unique ability to create a spiritual luminescence that invites the viewer to enter a meditative space that seems to live inside her art.

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Happy Trails
WES-1473

Artist: Nevena Christi

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A horse that reflected the style and costumes worn by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in old Hollywood westerns -- '30s and '40s cowboy retro, in other words -- was the initial dream of this fine artist and former fashion designer. To give it an edge, she also wanted the horse to look like it was made of tooled leather, with a vintage saddle cinched on its back. Nevena now lives in El Paso and runs Rocketbuster Boot Company, where some of the wildest cowboy boots you will ever see are handmade.

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Ghost Horse
WES-1544

Artist: Bill Miller (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation)

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A Mohican Indian from northern Wisconsin, Bill has long been one of the most admired figures in the Native American music arena. His album "Ghost Dance" brought him Artist and Album of the Year at the 2000 Native American Music Awards. As talented a painter as he is a songwriter, Bill dug deep within his music and his art to create a spiritual memorial to the massacre at Wounded Knee. With the words to "Ghost Dance" written on the horse beside the portrait of a warrior who fought the White Man but is able to overcome bitterness with faith in a better tomorrow, Bill has created a powerful and original artwork.

"As a Native American musician and visual artist, I consider my art and my music gifts to be from my Creator. It was a special challenge to be able to paint on something other than canvas, especially a full-size pony. I believe it brought out a new me. The artistic environment in Santa Fe, the experience of painting in a studio surrounded with other beautifully painted ponies, and the opportunity to 'give back' was a surreal and spiritual experience for me. 'May you always ride a painted pony down the Red Road.'"

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Tewa Horse
WES-1546

Artist: Tom Tapia (Tesuque)

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Tewa Pony, by Pueblo artist Tom Tapia, celebrates the geometric and animal designs that have adorned Cochiti pottery for centuries. Known for his pottery, painting, and day job as a tribal policeman, this Tewa native has adorned his pony with traditional designs. The sash represents good faith and fortune, the blanket honors the horse as a bold and strong being, the eagle represents good luck, and the handprint stands for the loving touch of all creation.

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Blue Medicine
WES-1547

Artist: Mary Iron Eyes (Osage and Eastern Band Cherokee)

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Mary Iron Eyes gifts us with a profoundly spiritual expression of healing in Blue Medicine. A gifted writer and painter, this Cherokee artist wanted her Pony to stand not only as a work of art, but an expression of healing and support for those in need in our community. This pony is adorned with a leather-look tribal sash and is decorated with the individual prints of families and children. Mary worked overtime to complete this vision and personal prayer before passing to the other side in the summer of 2003.

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Anasazi Spirit Horse
WES-1583

Artist: Robert Rivera

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The intricate black-and-white designs found on Anasazi pottery at Chaco Canyon, which reflect the timeless character of ancient cultures, are the inspiration behind this astounding work of art. Of French and Spanish descent, Robert has also added new dimensions to the art of gourd painting, for which he is respected and collected worldwide. A versatile artist, his horizons are constantly expanding, making him one of the most exciting talents working today.

While this horse is decorated with designs found on Anasazi pottery that dates back 900 to 1200 years, the fact is the Spanish had not yet arrived on these shores when the Anasazi culture flourished. While painting, the artist found himself thinking about the logs that were hauled by hand from the timbered mountains hundreds of miles away to build the structures at Chaco Canyon, the heart of the Anasazi culture. As he painted, he toyed with an alternate title: "Where Were You When We Needed You".

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Fantastic Fillies
WES-1592

Artist: Janee Hughes

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When she was invited to paint a Pony that honored the racehorse, Janee, a children's book illustrator, imagined four fast fillies charging down the homestretch, the winner crossing the finish line a nose ahead of the others. The artistry in her design is heightened by the contrasting colors of the horses and the silks of the jockeys set against a midnight-black background, and the determination and courage etched on the faces of the fillies.

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Heavenly Pony
WES-1594

Artist: Noel Espinoza

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Born in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, Noel has devoted his efforts as an artist to sharing a vision of Mexico as a place "as colorful and vivid as a memory." Of his inspiration for his Pony he writes, "The nobility and spirit of the Horse is so high and sublime, it led me to take them to heavenly heights in the shape of billowing clouds."

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Apple-oosa
WES-1596

Artist: Penny Thomas Simpson

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Writes the artist. "This Pony has a patriotic theme without the usual red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes motif. What is more American than the apple? Hot dogs, baseball and APPLE pie... I rest my case." Working primarily in watercolors and colored pencils, Penny has won a variety of national awards for her still-life paintings - thus the exquisite realism of the apples adorning her Pony's flanks.

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