Saturday, February 28, 2009

Is it a Tricycle or a Horse?



This extremely old photo shows me and my 2 brothers on our state of the art tricycles. It just kills me for so many reasons.

One of them is that I've been thinking about horses and imagination. My tricycle was always an imaginary horse who made whinnying noises and got fed handfuls of grass. Horses were imaginary to me for so long!

To some extent horses are always imaginary: we're always dreaming of something that Might Just Happen, like a First level dressage test in the 70's, or that Perfect Trail Ride, or a horse who stays fit and healthy into his 30's. Some of these...might just happen indeed.

But imagine a flying horse! How far from reality is this? I love this Rubens' painting of Perseus rescuing Andromeda: place your bets on whether this enormous horse beehind could ever take flight!

But boy could he pull a heavy wagon if called upon!

Anybody who has ever ridden knows the feeling of flight though; the Pegasus story is not that far from the phenomenology of riding a galloping horse, or going over a jump, or even taking a spill.

On the theme of Pegasus, here's some thoroughbred porn: Fusaichi Pegasus who won the Kentucky Derby in 2000 -- don't you just want to touch those muscles??!


Horses, imagination, dreams, beauty, flight, fantasies. Here's a lovely short animation about the birth of Pegasus; a nicer combination of color and music and minimal profile animation technique, you could not ask for.

18 comments:

Mrs. Mom said...

LOL at the TB porn ;) ANd You BET I want to touch those muscles... just watching a fit sound TB do their job gives me goose bumps and happy shivers. They are simply amazing to me.

LOVE that painting. It made me wonder about the horse model- was one used? Did he know a horse like that?

Thanks for sharing!!

Dressage Nomad said...

That picture of the tricycles is just priceless!

I got a bike for Christmas one year, it was the year we were staying in Florida for Christmas with my great grandma. Well, I was on a big Black Stallion kick, and I named my bike "Tropical Black". We would have pretend races in my head all the time.

Flying Lily said...

Mrs.Mom: I am going to try to find out whether that was a real horse model; I've always wondered. It looks so much like a real horses and an unusual one too: Draft paint?

Jesterjigger: That is so cute!! Tropical Black the bike-stallion. I think I attended a few of those races. :)

Grey Horse Matters said...

How cute were you, riding your trike/horsey!
I was surprised to see a paint horse in the Ruben's painting, I don't think I've ever seen a horse of color in an old painting.
Liked the post, really interesting, and that Thoroughbred...just gorgeous.

Jocelyn said...

How super cute are you!

My Hot Pink Schwinn with banana seat was my Trigger..

I've dreaming about horses since I came out of the womb. Something you just cant help if you are born with it!

Zoe said...

I used to do rising trot on my cycle all the way home. I sooooooo wanted a pony. I was in my late 40's before I sat on a horse and made my childhood dreams come true. It's every bit as wonderful as it was in my imagination as a child.

Flying Lily said...

GreyHorse: That paint horse Pegasus really snags me too. I'm going to try to find out more about him (was he a famous horse, a circus horse, a cart-horse in Rubens' neighborhood??).

Jocelyn: A pink bike named Trigger! Wasn't Trigger a terrific horse (or horses)?

c2b: Right on! - it never fails to make me feel like the luckiest person in the universe.

sue said...

I don't know... Pegasus "butt" looks a little like a couple of drafts I know... and they think they can fly!!! at least threw the snow that is!!! :-)

I'm with the rest of you... "everything I owned" was a horse!!! at least in my mind!!!

Flying Lily said...

Sue, Pegasus looks 'drafty' to me too, neck, head...so your Pegasuses fly in the snow??! That must be so much fun to watch. What a treat! All that poundage and muscle, taking wing!

Gracie's Mom said...

Something for you at Life on the Farm!

Flying Lily said...

Palomino Girl! Thanks so much and I do love your blog.

cdncowgirl said...

Every bike (including my tricycle of course) was a horse.
Even my vehicles have been equated to horses... my little sports car would have been a fleet Arab, my 'big truck' would have been a Warmblood, etc etc.
Yes I am obsessed. lol

Flying Lily said...

CdnCowgirl: Isn't it wonderful to have imaginary AND real horses??!!

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