Plowing the Field - Fall 2008 Issue of Horses in Art Magazine

Plowing the Field

by Holly Lenz

Belgian Buddies – 16 x 20, Acrylic on Canvas by Holly Lenz. The original and prints are available
The big field lay empty in the silent morning mist waiting to be worked, and then they came. Belgians, Shires, Mules, Percherons and Norwegian Fjords calmly walked over the bridge and into the field to do their work. Their equipment and tack varied, but all of them were there to do a job – to plow and prepare for crops. Later they would plant the seeds, and in the fall they would mow and bale the field of oats they had tended throughout the season.

It looked like a scene from the past, but this was May of 2007 at Champoeg State Park outside of Salem, Oregon. The Oregon Draft Horse Breeders Association arranges this event annually to show off their workhorses. Most of these horses do the same type of work at home. With the rising price of gas and farm equipment, more farmers are rediscovering the value of the horse. Tractors after all, cannot live off the land no matter how green it is, nor can they reproduce themselves. Besides, what tractor is also a valued pet and part of the family? And what machine can inspire us as much as these beautiful horses?

Around the middle of the day, a team of inexperienced drafters were startled by a tack malfunction and bolted across the field into another team. The team that the green horses ran into stood their ground and no one was hurt. The handlers comforted their charges and the startled pair were unhitched and removed from the field. Drafters are generally very calm and sensible. This is the only time I have seen any of them spook or bolt in spite of being around balloons, the audience and the many other things that would turn my own Arabian mare into a time bomb.

This was my third visit to the plow horse exhibition in Oregon, and once again my camera was working overtime trying to record as many of the scenes around me as possible. What better inspiration for an artist than these gentle, beautiful giants hard at work? The hardest part is deciding which photos not to paint!

To view more of Holly’s lovely work visit her web site: www.hollylenz.com.

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