|
Fergus Story by Lynda Groeschen
 |
The web site For Horse-Crazy Young People - Cigar Purses, Youth Clothing, Hand-Painted Jewelry, Trading Cards, Youth Grooming Supplies in their own "Backpack!
 You know the feeling….
You just engaged the perfect piaffe, or a spectacular sliding stop, or you just finished a trail ride in which
your beloved mount did not take a flying kangaroo leap over every mud puddle – upon which you swallow the lump in your throat and whisper, “Gosh, I just love horses!”
You have EII – Equine-Induced Inspiration: n. 1. a feeling of goodwill derived from a human relationship
with a large, furry four-legged beast who eats constantly and is easily startled.
EII sometimes comes well, from a different place for equine artist/cartoonist Jean Abernethy. Give her a
stall fork, wheelbarrow and a soiled 12x12 stall and she’s in EII heaven. Really?
“Absolutely,” says Abernethy, a professional artist since 1982. The act of tossing horse apples offers “good
thinking time,” Abernethy says. “I am easily distracted, so I find that if I give my thoughts lots of elbow room, good things will happen.”
Well, good things HAVE happened to Abernethy – most notably in the form of a little bay cartoon horse she named Fergus. He currently makes his rounds each week in Florida’s Ocala Star Banner, and on T-shirts and stationery.
The Fergus Horse cartoon strip also hosts a comical cast of characters about as long as that stall rake Abernethy swings at the barn.
The list includes Art the Paint Horse (whom Abernethy considers “an all-around cool guy”); Kirby the dog, Dotty the
dedicated, but perpetually worried Appaloosa mare.
There’s Gracie the pony, who possesses a PhD in opening gate latches and feed room doors. The barn cat’s name is Barncat (enough said…). Leading the way in nobility is Kase, the sparkling black Friesian stallion, and rounding up the herd is Claymore the
draft horse - a whirlwind of mane, forelock and fetlock feathers. The owners of this hysterical herd are Elby Darnd, his wife, Wertha Darnd, and their daughter Shelby Darnd.
Fergus, meanwhile, is of “brilliant foundation stock,” Abernethy says with a sly hint of pride. He is a charter member of the FLHWBGE Registry (Funny Little Horse With Big Googly Eyes). Fergus began a regular appearance in the Florida Standardbred
Breeders & Owners Association newsletter. He appeared as a supporting character to his buddy Kase in the North American
Friesian Journal. When you enter the Pompano Park Harness Track in Pompano, Fla., Fergus will greet you from the speed limit signs.
When she’s not drawing, sketching, painting, or mucking, Abernethy is hitting the trails on Traveler, a 20-year-old bay Arabian.
“He flatters me constantly and makes me laugh,” Abernethy says. “We have fun together.”
But we must admit, the elusive EII comes to Abernethy not only from barn work.
Her Marietta, Ga. studio is filled with family heirlooms, gifts from friends, and three saddles Abernethy built herself. Photographs, pictures and bridles dress up the walls.
“All these things, while I could work with or without them…keep me reminded of how blessed I am, and how fun it is to be
connected to special people, animals and places,” Abernethy says.
Abernethy has proven that you don’t necessarily have to be astride a horse to access Equine-Induced Inspiration.
You can create your own special horse heaven and jump-start those good feelings at any time.
How? We offer some tips for creating your own special EII spot. (and no, you don’t even have to own a horse – or a stall fork).
1.Find some equine pictures that inspire you and put them on the wall next to your bed or near a workspace or desk.
2. Find old bridles and saddles at tack swaps, where they’re less expensive. The older they are, the more character they’ll have.
Place them as a decorative arrangement in threes or fives. For example, place a bridle, saddle and pair of old boots as a display in a
corner of the living room. Be careful – just a whiff of that well-worn leather could catapult you into EII immediately….
3.Make a horse-themed pillowcase. Purchase a solid-color pillowcase, paint, fabric medium, and some horse stamps. Mix two parts
acrylic paint with one part fabric medium. Do your stamping or painting. Let cure overnight, then place a piece of fabric over your
work and heat set with an iron (no steam!) for about 30 seconds. When you wash it, place in cold water and don’t add fabric softener.
4.Are you a young horse lover who shares a room with a sibling? See if you can paint or decorate your own corner of your room in a
horse theme. Or, draw or paint your own horse designs, place them in complementary frames and arrange them on a table or the wall
next to your bed. Sleep on it. You’ll think of something great! If you do have an EII idea, submit it to www.colorofhorses.com, and we’ll post it on our website.
Fergus T-shirts and stationery are available at www.colorofhorses.com, along with other horse-inspired artistic products, including a
book of horse stencils, Peter Stone model horses (great for displays), equine drawing and stamp kits, horse-theme hand-painted and
hand-dyed apparel, hand-painted jewelry, coloring books, knit hats and hand-crafted fragrant horse-themed candles.
Lynda Groeschen has more than 30 years experience with horses (and EII). A former local news reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer
, she now operates www.colorofhorses.com, an EII inspired online catalog/website devoted to young horse lovers. She lives in
Cincinnati on her beloved 10-acre Souvenir Farm with husband Tom, three children, four horses, three cats, five guinea pigs, and frequently, the neighbor’s dog.
|
