Authors: Pam Munoz Ryan

Paint the Wind (16 page)

A
PPALOOSA
A breed of horse famed for its spotted coat.

A
RABIAN
A breed of horse distinguished by a small, concave yet delicate head and a long, arched neck.

A
UDUBON,
J
OHN
J
AMES
(1785-1851) American wildlife artist, famous for his depictions of the birds of North America.

BARREL
The rounded sides of a horse, formed by the ribs.

BAY
A reddish or dark brown horse with a black mane, legs, and tail.

BELLY LOOP
A loop of rope around the barrel of a horse (under which the knees of a rider can be tucked and secured). Historically, used to ride bareback. In certain regions, it is sometimes referred to as a Comanche Coil.

BIT
The mouthpiece of a bridle.

BLAZE
A facial marking on a horse, characterized by a wide swath of white running from the forehead to the muzzle.

BLUE ROAN
A horse with a black mane and tail, and black and white hairs throughout the coat, which give it a blue-gray tint.

BRIDLE
A harness for the horse's head, usually meaning the headstall, bit, and reins.

BUCKSKIN
A horse with a coat the color of soft, yellowish leather, with a black mane and tail.

C
ASSATT,
M
ARY
(1845â1926) American painter whose parents objected to her decision to become an artist. She went on to become famous for her work with pastels. She is noted for depicting the lives of women and for her poignant portrayals of the mother-and-child relationship.

C
ATLIN,
G
EORGE
(1796â1872) American painter known for his portraits of Native Americans.

CINCH
A strap that goes under the barrel of the horse to secure the saddle.

COLT
A young male horse not more than four years old.

CORRAL
An enclosure for horses.

CURRYCOMB
A flat, nubby comb, usually round or oval-shaped, for loosening dirt on a horse's coat.

DANDY BRUSH
A brush, often elongated, used for making sweeping strokes across the horse's coat in order to dislodge dust and dirt.

DUN
A tan-colored horse, usually with a black mane. May have circular stripes around its legs and a stripe down its spine.

EQUINE
A horse or pertaining to a horse.

E
QUUS CABALLUS
The Latin species name for horse.

FILLY
A young female horse not more than four years old.

FOAL
A young horse that is still nursing.

GAIT
The method in which a horse moves, for example: walk, jog, lope, gallop.

GALLOP
The fastest gait, about 25 to 30 miles per hour. In the wild, horses gallop when fleeing from predators or danger or to get from one place to another quickly. During the course of each stride, all four feet are off the ground.

GATHER
A roundup of horses by horse wranglers or mustangers.

G
ENTILESCHI,
A
RTEMISIA
(1593â1653) Italian painter of the early Baroque period. She pursued her art during a time when the artistic community did not embrace or encourage the efforts of female artists.

GRULLA
A grayish-colored horse, usually with a dark mane and a stripe down its spine.

HAREM BAND
A group of female horses that may include their fillies and colts (until they are two to three years old). A harem band is dominated by a stallion who does not allow any other mature male horses access to the group.

HOCK
The joints in the hind legs of a horse, which correspond, more or less, to the knees in the front legs of the horse.

H
OMER,
W
INSLOW
(1836â1910) American painter, known and revered for his seascapes.

HOOF PICK
A curved pick used to remove debris impacted within a horseshoe on a shod horse.

JOG
A two-beat gait. At a jog, a horse travels about 6 to 8 miles per hour, about the same speed a human can run. A slow jog is easy to sit without bouncing, but during a fast jog, most riders “post,” raising themselves up and down out of the saddle, in rhythm with the horse. In English disciplines, the jog is called the trot.

K
LEE,
P
AUL
(1879â1940) Swiss artist who worked with many types of media, including oil, watercolor, and ink. His art is considered difficult to classify because it has elements of many styles, including cubism, surrealism, and expressionism.

LATIGO
A strap on the saddletree of a Western saddle used to secure the cinch.

LOPE
A three-beat gait, about 8 to 10 miles per hour. The more extended foreleg is called “the lead.” In English disciplines, the lope is called the canter.

LUNGE OR LUNGEING
Training or exercising a horse, usually on a long lead rope, by standing in the center of an imaginary circle and cueing the horse to move around you in different gaits.

MARE
A mature female horse.

MUSTANG
A wild horse.

MUZZLE
The mouth, jaws, and nose of the horse.

NEIGH
Also called a whinny. Usually used by horses to let others know where they are or when calling to a horse from which they've been separated.

NICKER
A gentle call often used as a greeting to herd mates and sometimes to humans with whom a horse is familiar.

O'K
EEFFE,
G
EORGIA
(1887â1986) American artist noted for her symbolic depictions of landscapes, flowers, shells, and animal bones.

OVERO
A horse with the overo pattern can have predominantly dark or light hair. Usually, all four legs are dark and any white markings are irregular and spattered-looking. Generally, the head markings are white, such as a bald-faced horse.

P
AINT
Paint horses have the confirmation of a quarter horse. It is believed that Paints are descendants of the mounts brought to what is now the American West by the Spanish conquistadors. Revered by the Native Americans for their rigor, calm disposition, and reputed magical powers, they have also been respected by cowboys and ranchers for their diligence and ability to move cattle. Typically, a Paint horse has tobiano or overo markings.

PALOMINO
A white, tan, or golden color horse with ivory mane and tail.

QUARTER HORSE OR
A
MERICAN
Q
UARTER
H
ORSE
A breed evolved from crossing the bloodlines of Native American horses with horses of the earliest colonists from England. The quarter horse was so named because it could run a quarter of a mile faster than any other breed. It's considered a sturdy horse with a quiet temperament and is used in many disciplines.

REINS
The leather straps attached to either side of a bit, by which a rider controls, curbs, or guides a horse.

R
EMINGTON,
F
REDERIC
(1861â1909) American painter, sculptor, and illustrator who specialized in scenes of the American West and is notably remembered for his work in bronze statuettes.

REMUDA
A group of horses from which a mount is chosen for the day and then possibly changed out on the next ride.

RIGGING RING
A ring, similar to a belt buckle, on the end of the cinch through which the latigo is threaded and locked into place.

R
USSELL,
C
HARLES
M. (1864â1926) American illustrator and painter of the American West, famous for his realistic scenes of cowboys, Native Americans, landscapes, and galloping horses. Also known for his bronze sculptures.

SADDLE PADS
Soft coverings designed to protect the horse's back when saddled.

S
ADDLEBRED
A gaited breed noted for carrying their heads high. Their bodies are usually slender and agile.

SADDLETREE
The frame of a saddle, usually wooden or fiberglass.

S
ARGENT,
J
OHN
S
INGER
(1856â1925) American painter considered the most talented portrait artist of his time. Also known for his landscapes. His work was solicited by several presidents.

S
ELTZER,
O
LAF
(1877â1957) American artist whose talent was evident when he was as young as twelve years old. His art depicts the American West: cowboys, the wildlife of the Plains, Native Americans, and often common people, including immigrants.

SORREL
A standard sorrel horse has an orange body with an orange tail and mane. Also called chestnut.

STALLION
A male horse capable of breeding.

STIRRUPS
Supports hanging from the saddle to hold a rider's feet.

TACK
To put a bridle and saddle on a horse in preparation to ride.

TOBIANO
A horse with the tobiano pattern is usually distinguished by two colors: white and a darker color. Darker spots are distinctly oval or rounded and extend down the chest and neck in a shieldlike pattern. Usually, the legs are white below the hocks and knees. A tobiano horse will often have the dark color on one or both flanks. The tail can be two colors.

WALK
A slow and steady four-beat gait where the horse travels about 3 to 4 miles per hour.

W
ILSON
, C
HARLES
B
ANKS
(b. 1918) American artist who began his career as a book illustrator. Noted for his portraits of Native Americans as well as historical scenes of the American Southwest.

WITHERS
The base of a horse's neck, the highest part of its back.

WRANGLER
A cowboy, or somone on horseback who rounds up livestock.

W
YETH,
N. C. (1882â1945) American painter acclaimed for his still lifes, landscapes, and Americana murals and illustrations. He illustrated more than twenty-five books, including editions of
The Yearling, Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, Kidnapped
, and
Treasure Island
.