Creating my first Rearing Horse

Looking through my previous metal artwork and seeing all of my equine sculpture designs reminded me of my first horse sculpture. So, I thought I’d share the creative journey this horseshoe piece took from a naïve humble beginning to becoming part of a permanent fixture at Cheltenham Racecourse.

How I got started in horseshoe sculpture

To get to the horse sculpture's origins, we must first travel back to 2005, when I was 14 years old and my main interests were painting and acting. My art was mostly focused on drawing three-dimensional cars at the time. My father, on the other hand, taught me welding one day to keep me occupied on a weekend. I was hooked from the first splatter and flash. I started constructing sculptures out of his scrap pile, and it was a lot of fun and liberating to solder components together to make primitive sculptures.

Over the next few months, I created a variety of sculptures varying in scale and form, primarily using used vehicle parts such as brake discs and cogs. I didn't recognise the possibility of using horseshoes in sculpture until I saw the farrier come to reshoe my sister's horse. That's when the insanely ambitious notion of making a full-scale rearing horse out of horseshoes struck me. When I told the farrier about my plan, he generously offered me a sack full of old metal horseshoes to play with.

Building a horseshoe sculpture

To begin such a sculpture, I knew it needed a good foundation, but without much structural engineering knowledge, I asked my father for assistance, which he gladly accepted. However, I don't think he intended for me to make the horse as big as it turned out to be. (Since the base was a little on the small side...more on that later). With my naive, upbeat demeanour, I simply went for it. I just started welding horseshoes together spontaneously, with no inhibitions or concerns. It became bigger and bigger, before I knew it, to the point where I required scaffolding to work on it. Which was a very unusual yet thrilling experience. While standing on the scaffolding, I felt as though I were building something tremendous and significant. However, because the sculpture was so close and high up, it was difficult to look back from it to check the form. So, using instinct and feel, I would plant a set of horseshoes at a time, then climb off to check.

As you might expect, the long hours quickly added up; being so young, it was difficult to focus entirely on this item, and I soon became aware that I knew it would be a difficult endeavor to complete. So, in order to stay energised and inspired throughout the process, I needed to create and focus on other projects in order to learn and progress. At the time, it was the longest period I'd ever spent on a single sculpture, and word quickly spread about what I was up to among family and friends. It immediately became a topic of conversation when people asked me, "Have you finished the horse yet?".

The effort came to a halt over time as different hobbies such as acting gained precedence. That being said, after only one year of drama in college, I discovered my heart belonged to art. After discovering that you could study art solely, I proceeded to Leeds College of Art and spent the next years honing my creativity and understanding.

This then led me to study 3D design at university. As you can imagine, the horse sculpture was sadly put on hold. However, as soon as I finished my studies, I vowed I would scratch a travelling itch that plagued me through the middle of the year. To travel, however, one needs money, so I thought the quickest way would be to finish my horse sculpture and sell it. Sounds simple, right? but to make matters worse, the horse sadly got damaged in a recent storm, which added additional work. In hindsight, I think it was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed me to reshape and produce a better form. Having said that, since it had been a fair few years since I last sculpted with horseshoes, I do admit it was a challenge to get back into the swing of things. Throughout the summer and early autumn, I worked hard on the horseshoe sculpture, hoping for nice weather.

14 year old me working on the rearing horse

Combating the challenges of horseshoe art

The most difficult aspect of sculpting horseshoes was having to set them in the correct location immediately before adding another on top. With any conventional sculpture, you can cut out and sculpt the horseshoe in any area you require. With this in mind, shaping the ideal form required faith and belief in my abilities. When things were going well, the challenge and fear of screwing up provided me with a rush and a significant boost of confidence. On the other hand, it was a hard pill to swallow anytime something went wrong and you had to take portions off to restart. Looking back on my years of art and sculpture creation, I realise that this is only a part of the process.

It was about the middle of Autumn 2014 when I finally completed the horseshoe sculpture. Due to its scale and weight, the sculpture left us nervous, regarding its base and structure. So, with daddy to the rescue, he quickly worked out a way to make the base stronger and we set to it.

Progressing to the next level of horseshoe sculpture design

With the horseshoe sculpture waiting to be sold, my next job was to market the art. How do I go about it? Where do I start? The only thought I had was to contact racecourses, but without a contact or clue, google became my best friend. I scoured the internet for every racetrack in the United Kingdom and the appropriate email addresses to contact. I also forgot to explain that, because I had already planned to begin travelling in January, the clock was ticking and time was running out for me to sell this horse. So I set to work and emailed a multitude of racecourses, beginning with small tracks in York and Doncaster and progressing to the renowned Cheltenham course.

Against all the odds and much to my surprise, Cheltenham replied first. I was shocked, because as you know, it is a very prestigious racecourse, recognised across the globe. I will admit, it was a nerve-wracking conversation to get the sale over the line, but hey, I did it. The sad part is I wouldn’t be able to be there to deliver it personally as I would be travelling by that point. However, it was in the capable hands of my dad, who kindly delivered it to Cheltenham. It was a real shame not to be able to see it on display for the first year. However, I did manage to see it in person a few years ago and it was a humbling experience to see how far my work has developed and come.

A summary of my horseshoe sculpture journey

Overall I’m very proud of what I managed to achieve in my early sculpting years, to have my first horse at Cheltenham is a delightful feeling. The best bit is I know I’m getting better as my next full-scale rearing horse is going to knock this one out of the park.

Click here to watch my second rearing horse.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading about my first horse's trip.

Find out more and check out my horse sculptures and additional artwork here.

14 year old Me working on the Horse.