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Monday, June 14 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Clare Christie: The Journey of Sculpting Movement

By Shya Beth 

Equine artist Clare Christie finds that sculpting brings forth an intuitive skill to capture and present the energetic form of the horse in clay. “I’m constantly training my eye to catch the subtleties of the horse,” Clare said. Being a trainer and riding herself for many years, she is attuned to the movement of the horse, and it’s no wonder that her work speaks to equestrians around the country. 

Born in 1967 in Austin, Texas, Clare spent her childhood in Lampasas, Texas, growing up on her family’s ranch. Her early involvement with horses inspired her to pursue her artistic interest. “I come from a big family with three siblings and all of us rode horses,” Clare said. “The ranch was an active place, from harvesting hay to riding and feeding horses; we did it all.”

Clare’s mother is a longtime trainer of hunters and jumpers, and she and Clare share a teaching and training business just south of Austin out of Oakhaven Farm. For Clare, being around horses is as natural as walking or talking — and drawing. 

“When I was young, I really liked to draw and it always felt like something that made me strive to do better,” Clare explained. “I would find myself daydreaming about something I wanted to build or paint. I wanted to be a professional artist, but I had no idea how hard it would be to get started. All I knew was I was determined to learn as much as I could and to keep going, no matter what.”

Sculpting Motion 

In 1990, Clare graduated as an art major from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Between teaching riding lessons, helping her mom run their show barn and riding their horses, Clare didn’t have much time for art. Six years later, when Clare was 33, she started having extreme back pain which resulted in surgery and led to the difficult decision to stop riding. “I tried to get back into riding afterwards, but kept finding it was increasing my pain and it became apparent that I had to give it up.” 

While she could no longer ride, Clare became devoted to creating a career of her sculptural work. “I find there are so many parallels between making art and training horses,” she said. “In both activities one must be completely immersed in the work and train the mind to focus on balance and harmony.” When sculpting, Clare hopes to find movement and let the piece flow as naturally as it can — enjoying the journey as much as the outcome. 

“I like to see where the piece takes me, and sometimes I end up in a different place than I expected,” Clare said. “When I’m working with horses, I try to stay just as flexible and see what I need to work on as the lesson plays out, always being in tune with the feeling of the moment. If what I’m trying to teach is stressful, we might return to something more relaxing. With both training horses and making art, I tend to rely on my experience and study my subjects endlessly.”

Changing Strides

In the last few years, Clare’s had the opportunity to create sculptures of some of the world’s best horse-and-rider combinations. “One of my favorites is of Big Star and Nick Skelton,” she said. That sculpture was completed right before the pair won the individual gold during the 2016 Olympics. “I have also done a piece where I tried capturing the explosive energy of Cedric with Laura Kraut, and then had fun creating a piece of the exciting mare Blue Movie with Rowan Willis. One of my latest pieces is of the elegant and powerful PSG Final and Cian O’Connor.”

Since Clare has been working on many sculptures in her realistic style, she finds that taking time to express more movement in her work by creating quicker, linear-type brush drawings and fun, colorful, loose brushwork paintings helps her keep fresh and inspired in her sculpting. “My realistic commissioned pieces are very time-consuming and detailed,” Clare said. “After creating these looser paintings, I’ve started to apply that style to a new series of sculptures called Shadowcasters.

What makes the Shadowcasters so different and magical is that while they are made from wire and epoxy clay (and eventually bronze), when the light shines on the sculpture at an angle, a separate line drawing made of its shadow appears. The shadow changes as the piece hangs and turns slightly, and because the sculptures have lots of negative space they feel airy and light, expressing a horse’s movement. 

Between her realistic commissions, Shadowcasters and drawings, Clare still spends several days a week training and teaching alongside her mother. “These days you can find me teaching lessons at the barn one day and sculpting the next,” Clare said with a laugh. “My husband and I have a house in north Austin and I have a lovely studio in my backyard that has great light.”

Clare has exhibited her art at five-star events such as the World Cup Finals and World Equestrian Games, and she’s hopeful to return to horse shows with her artwork soon. “I’m looking forward to getting on the road again, maybe this summer. Right now I’m about to finish one piece and start another, and I have a painting that I keep going back to,” she said. “There’s always something new in my studio.”

For more information, visit www.horsesculptor.com

Art Of The Horse is the world’s first equine art platform, established in 2014 by Shya Beth. With weekly articles featuring up-and-coming as well as world-renowned artists, exhibitions and art news, Art Of The Horse is the premier source for all things equine art. Visit artofthehorsegallery.net 

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Tagged under: art, equine art, sculpture

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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

#dressage #equestrian #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #dressagehorse #equestrianlife #showjumping #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #instahorse #dressur #horselove #eventing #equestrianstyle #cheval #dressagerider #horselife #horselover #pferde #love #riding #jumping #pferdeliebe #horseofinstagram #horsebackriding #paard #dressurpferd
We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

 ✨ALVESTA OWAIN✨
Thistledown Arctic Lore x Alvesta Fairy Lustre
13.1hh, Welsh section B
Stud Fee $750 (plus collection)
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Fairfield, VA

Contact Cheryl Maye at (703) 431-9096 for more information
https://www.mayeshowponies.com/more-info/stallions

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine🦄 

Photo by Blenheim Equisports

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #sidelinesmagzine
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