Crossing the Little Missouri - Fall 2008 Issue of Horses in Art Magazine

Crossing the Little Missouri

by Deb Knuth

North Dakota’s Pride, America’s Queen – of Ashley Andrews, Miss Rodeo America 2007, by Deb Knuth was recently accepted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.
I’ve been lucky to have known some wonderful horses and had great relationships with some of them. You know what I mean. Even though I’ve ridden many and used them in various types of work, once in a while I’ve felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I’ve looked into their eyes. I’ll recognize something in those deep pools of brown and know they know exactly who I am. Maybe it’s the exchange of scent, but whatever it is – a part of me will belong to that horse forever.

The painting I call Sunset Crossing shows such a friendship as the young cowboy nudges his horse across the Little Missouri River in the North Dakota Badlands. They’ve been enjoying themselves traveling the Mah Deh Hey Trail earlier on this beautiful day, and now at sunset they are returning back to camp. The sun is on their back and warms the water at this peaceful place. The mare trusts the cowboy that the spot he has chosen to cross will not be too deep, because she can’t see the bottom. He trusts her to safely carry him across. A trust like this comes in handy because the cowboy relies on his horse as they ride trails that may only be 24 inches wide at times with 200-foot drops in some places.

Sunset Crossing – Oil, 22 x 28, by Deb Knuth.

I sometimes wonder what it is that gives rider and horse that deep friendship. We all know that not every rider receives that gift. Not every horse enjoys a human bond, but would rather stay with the horse herd. That is why my heart always melts for the horses that lift their heads in recognition when they hear my footsteps in the barn alleyway. They call out, hoping it’s their turn to be ridden. Or the horses in the pastures that start trotting for home when they hear me call their names. Danni, the horse in Sunset Crossing, is one of those.

When painting, I try to convey that special relationship. Always, I try to inject the spirit of the horse, whether they are a ranch, rodeo or pleasure horse. Isn’t that what makes being an artist, especially an equine artist, the most enjoyable? The chance to paint a horse, add the highlights that make their coat glisten, put the sparkle into their eyes that give them life on canvas. And to finally step back, look at the painting and say, “Yes, I know who you are.”

Visit Deb Knuth’s web site at www.debknuth.com.

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