96 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
A Michael Henington sculpture
He did the 2X life sculpture of a Quarter
Horse called “World Champion” that’s in
front of the arena in Oklahoma City.”
Michael’s enthusiasm for horses harks
back to growing up in a farm and ranch
community in southern New Mexico. His
family raised Quarter Horses, and rodeo
was a big part of ranch life until he went to
college. In the early 1980s he played polo
for four years at San Patricio Polo Club,
but a horse fell on him and ruined his
rotator cuff for playing and roping. “I can
still cut and chase coyotes,” said Michael,
who spends as much time in the saddle as
possible riding in the High Country.
Michael’s wife, Kendra Henington,
an accomplished rider and former
barrel racer, is a member of Sotheby’s
International Real Estate team. They have
four horses, including a Quarter Horse
stud, Forever A Playboy (by QH Hall of
Fame stallion Freckles Playboy). “Hefner”
is great on trails and a gentleman around
mares. Michael’s two adult daughters are
very involved with horses. Melissa and her
husband, a former world champion saddle bronc rider, manage
a big ranch in Texas where they’re raising their two children.
Melinda, who showed the World Champion Working Cow Horse in
a class of 80 at the Quarter Horse World Show, and her husband,
a professional reining and roping trainer, have two children and
make their home in Arizona.
Michael’s advice to anyone with a hankering to paint or sculpt
reflects how he found himself as an artist. He didn’t grow up
wanting to be an artist; he grew up being a young cowboy, then
realized he wanted to play polo and did exactly that until an injury
Michael with his big cats.
got in the way.
“From the time I was a boy, I remember looking at
Western
Horseman
magazine and I really liked reading about art and
the culture,” recalled Michael. “When I was managing that large
gallery, I found that just working so closely with the artists inspired
me and that’s how I got started. Passion is number one — if you
have passion for creativity, if you love to create, just do it and see
where it takes you.”
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