20 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Jan Westmark-Allan
Marissa Quigley may be a New Jersey lawyer by day; but by
night she recreates photos of movie star Ryan Reynolds (the
celebrity love of her life) and Johnny Depp, turning them into
Equestrian Heartthrobs. If you haven’t seen Marissa’s photos,
then you are among the few – as they have become a Facebook
and Internet sensation. A great example of a photo that rocked
the web, as well as our
Sidelines
Facebook page, is a photo of
Ryan Reynolds looking into the camera with the saying, “I just
fnished re-rolling all your wraps. Do you want me to polish your
boots again honey?” written in the corner of the photo.Marissa
is the proud owner of a Dutch Warmblood named Tucker, the
inspiration behind her blog called “Tucker the Wunderkind.” The
blog chronicles her adventures of competing in the Adult Amateur
hunters with Tucker. Marissa will soon begin blogging on the
Sidelines
website and we are looking forward to following her
journey as well as enjoying the new Equestrian Heartthrobs she
creates.
How did you create Equestrian Heartthrobs?
I owe my inspiration to the creator of Equestrian Ryan Gosling
(equestrianryangosling.tumblr.com). I happen to be partial to
another Ryan, so when I saw the Gosling memes I was eager to
create some of my own. I did a Google image search for Ryan
Reynolds, which as you can imagine was an arduous task, and then
tried to think of all the things I’ve ever wished a man would say to
me...and voila, thememes were born. Since Equestrian Heartthrob
Ryan Reynolds was so popular, I polled my readers to pick the
next heartthrob.
Johnny Depp won
by a landslide! Most
recently,
I also
created Equestrian
Jon Bon Jovi,
based on a Versace
ad I saw where
a bronzed and
extremely ft Bon
Jovi poses with
what looks like a
Marissa turns
Adolfo Cambiaso,
the best polo
player in the
world, into an
Equestrian
Heartthrob
Photo by Bill
Tatgenhorst
Marissa and Tucker
Photo by Dominika Nawrot
custom dress sheet wrapped around his lower half. As a Jersey
girl, I just couldn’t resist.
Are you surprised by the success of your creations?
Shocked, is more like it. I had no idea I could create something
that would be so universally popular. Granted, I have a feeling
that Ryan and Johnny’s dashing good looks have a lot to do with
the widespread appreciation of these memes, but I’m happy to
take a smidge of the credit for making people laugh, as well as
drool.
What would happen if you met Ryan Reynolds?
I could easily see that meeting Ryan Reynolds would turn out to
be one of the most embarrassing situations of my short, sweet life.
I envision myself handling that encounter with less than my usual
poise and fnesse. I do love to write and I could see the novel I’m
working on becoming an excellent screenplay. I think Ryan would
be perfect for the lead male role, so I suppose our paths may
cross someday. Though I can’t promise not to faint if he offers to
re-roll my wraps and polish my boots.
Do you spend your days dreaming of Ryan or Tucker?
Unfortunately, I’m more likely to be daydreaming about a judge
granting my motion or an adversary agreeing to settle a case; but
my desktop background is set to Ryan Reynolds, which is a nice
way to start work each morning. I have to be pretty productive
during my workday so that I have enough time for Tucker in the
evenings and time to write the blog at night. Tucker is a wonderful
motivator!
Who will be the next Equestrian Heartthrob?
Maybe we should open this question up to
Sidelines
’ readers
and let them pick the next Equestrian Heartthrob. I have a lot of
fun making these -- I’ll confess that I have laughed out loud at my
own jokes -- so I’d certainly welcome the chance to do it again.
e
Equestrian Heartthrobs