Awards

• Commended for Benjamin Franklin Award (Coffee Table Books) 2010

Overview

A stunning photographic legacy of the horse's reintroduction to North America Horses are an integral part of the American experience. They are so tied with the development of the nation and its psyche, it is impossible to imagine history without them. Yet prior to the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 1500s, horses had been absent from North America for millennia. In this beautifully illustrated volume, celebrated equine photographer John S. Hockensmith reveals how the return of horses with the conquistadors both altered American Indian cultures and later supported the development of the United States. Gracing these pages are stunning full-color photographs of modern horses that carry the distinctive traits of their Spanish, Arab, and Barb forebears. Captured visually in the rugged Rocky Mountains or the rolling grassy plains of the West, these horses are our shared living legacy. From the tender private moments between mare and foal to the aggressive determination of clashing stallions, Hockensmith throws open a breathtaking window on these horses' lives. Given the ongoing debate about the future of North America's wild horses, many of which trace their ancestry to Spanish steeds and the early mustangs, this work will stand as a significant marker on the mutual path traveled by horse and human.

Full Product Details

9780806199757

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Beginning in 1994, Hockensmith focused his artistic career on equine themes. From the mid-1990s to the present, he has published, exhibited and distributed fine equine art throughout the United States and in other countries around the world. Since 2000, he has been licensed by Churchill Downs to produce the official Kentucky Derby Winner's Print and Winner's Collection. In 2004, Hockensmith's one-man exhibition at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, titled Rare Breeds: from Figurative to Abstract, generated international critical acclaim. In 2006, he completed another major exhibition for the International Museum of the Horse on Gypsy horses and the Appleby Horse Fair. This exhibit was accompanied by his first book, Gypsy Horses and the Travelers' Way, a showcase of his photography, prose and poetry inspired by his travels with Romani Gypsies across northern England. In 2007 and 2008, Hockensmith completed his second book, Spanish Mustangs in the Great American West. This book is a pictorial essay of today's true colonial horse, the Spanish Mustang. The equine had been extinct millennia in the Western Hemisphere before re-introduced by Columbus's second voyage. Hockensmith's historical text chronicles the path of the horse from there through the conquistadors, the Plains Indian horse cultures, mountain men and explorers, the cowboy and the near eradication of the colonial bloodlines. The text follows the 21st century conservators of these colonial bloodlines today. The 272-page epic tome contains the finest photography of Hockensmith's career. Hockensmith's many commercial clients include Toyota of North America, Toyota Manufacturing Kentucky, Lexmark, Universal Studios, The Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs and the Office of the Governor of Kentucky. Many Fine Art collectors and horse lovers own and collect John S. Hockensmith's work both nationally and internationally.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available