Sleeping under the stars with the Pony Express

I'm happy to say that we are one third of the way through painting the horses!  I'm also happy to report that the fundraising is almost keeping pace with our painting progress.  Many thanks to the many kind people who have donated to our work so far!  If you feel led to contribute, you can do so here.

Our tenth horse is one of the two horses who have historically had names on their saddles.  You saw the Wells-Fargo horse a few entries ago, and this little beauty has been the Pony Express pony through her last few painted incarnations.  Here she is before her facelift:

So when I think about the Pony Express, I have a pretty romantic notion of brave riders and strong ponies dashing across the plains, camping out under the stars in the wild prairies, dodging storms and skirting mountains.  So of course she had to be a pinto pony, definitely what comes to my mind when I think about the early American plains.  (I'm hoping this pony can hang out near the Native American war horse, they'd have a lot to talk about.)  I also really wanted to give this horse a quilt for a saddle blanket, for a couple of reasons.  My mom is a quilter, and I grew up steeped in the lore of the traditional American quilt, pieced together by brave pioneer women using the fabric scraps and worn-out clothes they had to keep their families warm.  And not just a practical boring-but-serviceable blanket, but a beautiful patterned expressive quilt.  I can imagine that a Pony Express mail carrier might take a quilt with him on his trips, made with love by someone at home.  So this horse is dedicated to my mom the quilter, who sent me with a handmade quilt and a lot of love when I went out into the world.

Here she is:

I never really took to the sewing machine like the rest of the women in my family, so this might be the only quilt I will get to design.

Here's two bonus photos of me working on this horse down at lovely Stewart Park on one of those fine mid-September days that make Ithaca so delightful.  Thanks to Rick Manning from the Friends of Stewart Park for these photos!

-Christi