flying horses 2012

My layout for the CSI Case File #30. I always loved "watching horses" at the local agricultural shows and later on TV anything equestrian - but mainly 3D event or Showjumping. I can't get too near a horse - I am allergic - but when they're in the open air there is not as much a problem as indoors.
Indoor arenas are a no no for me. I've done them (three times - each time I ended up at the hospital). The last time was well worth it - I went to an Arabian horse / partbred liberty event (the horse is let to run free in the arena to music). It was fantastic.. but I just couldn't breathe after one hour.

Anyhoo, I obviously can't ride or own a horse, but I can look and paint them and photograph them when I have a chance! I staked out this jump at the show with my camera and took all the horses going over it. It was afew years ago now. I came across the pics by accident the other day and I thought, you know, I could scrap those! I love the courses for 3 Day event - the cross country and the fancy amazing decorations at Olympic showjumping, and the really hard combinations.

I used to watch whatever was on the TV, and one of the English comps the showjumpers got to top 4 and then everyone switched horses, each rider riding each of the horses, and then the scores and times were added together. It was amazing - who would think that the rider (or the horse) would make such a different. one year I remember a girl won it against three guys, and no one picked her to win because her horse was very green as was she, but the three fellows poppped a rail each on her horse, so she won.

The spills are part of thrills. I remember in the early 1990s Andrew Hoy coming a cropper at the water jump; his horse just stopped, and he bounced along its neck, over its head and splash into the water!!

I always seem to barrack for the underdog, though just someone battling against the odds will do it!

I made my own background with scraping on paint, and then did some stamping and paper rips.

Flying Horses 2012

a close up