‘Turnout’ watercolour, 140 lb arches cold press 9×12 “
It’s Saturday and the sun is out, I have been busy doing this quick post so I can get back out in the sunshine. This morning was too hot to ride the ponies, so my daughter and I went out with the camera to find some new forest ponies, oh and some highland cattle, I wanted to test out the lens I have on trial for a second time, and my daughter wanted to try the camera, which she will probably buy, she has never had an SLR, so it’s all a little strange for her. So we found the ponies and the cattle, all huddled under the shade of the trees, a little hard for photo reference, as the ponies often had some light and some shade on them, so either appeared to dark, or too light, lots of setting alterations to get a decent photo, but we got a few, and my daughter is now sure that the SLR is what she would like.
We got home and I decided to get today post started, not a native new forest pony, but a horse, enjoying his ‘Turnout’.
This is arches 140 lb cold press watercolour 9×12″. Now I am off to check and feed the ponies for the early evening, so I can then get out and enjoy the evening sunshine, beach maybe? Have a great weekend 😀
RebeccaEvans Create 
I bet he can even feel the wind through his mane! Gorgeous Rebecca. Have fun at the beach!
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Thank you Laura, the beach was breezy, a little like his mane, he he
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:))))
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You did an awesome job…..it helps that you know horses because the legs are one of the hardest parts to the horse to draw and paint. So what are forest ponies? are they like what we have here? which are mustangs…..just wondering. Have fun today!
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Yes I agree, it’s the fetlock and hoof I have trouble with, out of four usually one gets awkwardly placed, luckily only two here, and they were OK 😀
Our new forest ponies are one of the U.K. Native breeds, I would guess that they are similar to your mustangs. They are semi wild, in that they run across the forest, some of the villages are positioned in the forest area and the ponies wonder in the streets, so many are accepting of humans. They are rounded up, we call them drifts each year, where the foals are removed, or of course some are left on the forest. The removed foals are then sold, maybe to go on as riding ponies? The new forest pony makes a great versatile riding pony, hardy and great for all equestrian activities. They come in all colours, and height is upto 14.2 hh. The stallions are turned out once a year, into different areas, they have cut down on the length of time the stallions can breed, so preserving the quality, and not the quantity of foals born. The drifts are an amazing sight, I would guess just like the Mustangs being rounded up. Although I will go up close to the ponies I am familiar with in our area, it is not recommended, and each year there are many casualties, mainly holiday makers, attending casualties having been kicked, bitten etc. I have seen people even try to put children on the ponies backs??? After all they are wild and therefore unbroken. All of the ponies are in fact owned, these owners are called commoners, then we have agisters, they over see the wild ponies, take calls for injured ones, and dispatch if necessary from injury or ill health, the running of the forest goes back to William the conquer, the word agisters comes from the word ‘adjuster’ where they took money from the commoners, and over saw the land. Some of the ways of the forest are ancient rituals/ rules / practices are still followed today. That’s it in a sort of nutshell, he he, but there are many more complex rights to living in the forest, and how it is run, and functions, with changes in the way people live I hope the old ways can be preserved, without the ponies grazing ,the forest would not be or look the same 😀
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Very intriguing…..I don’t think that our mustangs have the care that your forest ponies receive….I might be wrong. I know that they are adopted out and I think now protected. My problem with drawing legs is the length, the hoof and fetlock isn’t so hard but it is the length between that and the knee and up. I remember drawing horses from life, my instructor’s horse and my daughter’s horse. It is such a good exercise in seeing, that is for sure.
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I think our forest is much smaller than the area covered by the Mustangs, plus I would guess some of the areas would be hard to reach for checking, our agisters each have an area to check, and do so by vehicle and on horse back. They are each responsible for their area round ups, of which there are many, at a guess about 30 different areas are covered to pull in the ponies, each area covers a good many square miles, of course many ponies do get away, free from being checked! The drifts occur during August and September when the foals would be ready to come off the mares. Not long now 😀
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do you have any photos of these ponies? I guess I could look it up but wondering if you have some….I guess I could search your blog.
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I do have on the home computer, and many of the drifts, I think I have posted one or two on here, possibly of the drift, I think if you search new forest? Or if you google search new forest pony round up, it should show quite a number in google images, 😀
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okay….I will do that 🙂 I love learning like this….so neat
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Beautiful as ever, I’m sure I’m repeating myself with every horse painting but such presence and personality.
Ah, it’s such a nice evening, the beach would be perfect!
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Beach was lovely, if a little breezy, and thank you, I know the horses are a little tiring, but I am in need of the practice 😀
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Beautifully captured- I am in awe of how you capture an animal’s essence-
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Thank you so much, this is exactly what I have been practicing horses for, to capture their essence, it has taken many pieces of paper and time, but the idea was to step away from portrait style painting, and to create a more generic, painting that would capture the essence. You have made my day with your comment, it shows I am going along the right path sometimes 😀❤️
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Wow! beach! Enjoy your evening friend! Can’t wait to see the ponies you have captured! You have done this one beautifully, I can see a light wash for background too!
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Yes, I will post a few, as Margaret is interested to see the wild ones also. Yes a light wash, I usually do to soften the edges, and hopefully give a little movement.
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lovely Rebecca…. and I do like those legs !!
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Thank you Debi, the legs worked out OK with this one 😀
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Awesome Rebecca! ❤
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Beautiful painting, love the energy and movement. Your animals are all so magical.
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Thank you, so pleased you think so 😀
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Gorgeous!! Yeah… can totally feel the wind!! You rocked it! Love it! 😍
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Cheers charlie
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Majestic! (K)
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Thank you kerfe
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