Page 12 - June 2015

Do you have a positive story that you’d like to share?
by Jennifer K. Hancock
Cover Artist Ginny HArdinG
In May, we celebrated all things motherly, and this month we carry on the theme in our issue dedicated to broodmares, who across the country are nurturing our future winner’s circle dreams in nursery pastures.
I anticipate receiving
this edition of the maga-
zine for weeks knowing
that soon I will get to see
Ginny Harding’s fine artistic talent on display with one of my favorite subject matters – broodmares.
Harding’s love of the racing American Quarter Horse spills from her heart through her pencils, and fans of the world’s fastest athletes are the beneficiary. Harding’s gift of capturing the fine details with her colored pencils was encouraged and fostered by Millie Vessels.
Harding says Vessels “hounded” her to pursue her artwork as a career, and to give Harding a nudge out of the starting gate, Vessels had Harding create artwork for a calendar featuring the 12 Champion of Champions winners at that time.
“She purchased all 12 of those and that got my name out,” Harding said. “People were surprised by my art and said ‘we didn’t know she did that.’”
Since that “schooling race” in 1985, Harding has stayed busy creating countless works of art for maga- zine covers and the homes and offices of people who share her passion for racehorses.
Harding’s impact on the industry was recognized by the American Quarter Horse Association in
2006, when she received the Mildred Vessels Special Achievement Award, which Harding describes as “the most memorable event of my life.”
“I had drawn horses all my life and had given pictures as gifts,” Harding says. “I just hadn’t really ever thought about it as a profession. It has let me stay in contact with wonderful people and great horses.”
Her artwork is branded as Ginny Harding Equine Classics, and her gallery at the foot of the Horse Heaven Hills in Kennewick, Washington, is named Horse Heaven Gallery.
Harding shares her vast archives and knowledge with her fans through her gallery’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/horseheavengallery. If you know your race horse history, you might win a prize through her frequent trivia contests.
We hope you enjoy receiving a little piece of her art in your mailbox, and we thank Harding for once
again sharing her talent chronicling Quarter Horse racing’s champions, stakes winners and beloved athletes and connections with her creative talents.
Complete Field For mike tAylor
Sure things in horse racing are almost nonex- istent, but in the Bucking Horse Sale Futurity in Miles City, Montana on May 17, bettors knew that a Mike Taylor trainee was guaranteed to end up
in the winner’s circle. That’s because Taylor was a very busy man in the paddock, saddling all eight of the finalists to the Futurity. If Miles City had a bigger starting gate, he could have gotten at least one more in the final as his runners finished first, second and third in all three trials. Ralph Young’s My Tuff Moon won the race by a length with an explosive kick.
Taylor’s biggest hurdle to winning the race was finding enough riders to guide his runners. What’s a trainer to do when there’s a small jockey colony at a track? Bring in your own riders to make sure that all your trainees have a jockey.
Taylor does have lots of family support behind his successful operation. It’s a family affair at the Taylor barn with Josh Taylor, Mike’s son, working beside his father, and his daughter-in-law also working for the trainer. “We’re a father and son team,” Taylor said. “Without him, I don’t think I would be doing this. He’s been in it with me as long as I’ve been doing it. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without my family.”
Taylor has been in racing since 1987, when he purchased his first racehorse. “I actually started out and bought a horse that ended up being a stakes winner, so I was pretty much hooked,” Taylor said. “If your first one is good, you’re always trying to find the second one.”
The family has a home base in Columbus, Montana, at Keyser Creek Arena, which is owned by Ralph Young. “It’s really a good experience,” Taylor said of his vic- tory in the Futurity. “We had a lot of luck this year, but
I’ve also got some nice babies. We got very lucky.” Taylor likes bringing his young horses to Miles
City to get them race experience. The races are held in conjunction with the Bucking Horse Sale, and Taylor estimates that there are more than 1,500 spec- tators on the infield giving the young horses experi- ence on focusing on racing in boisterous crowds.
“This is a good place,” Taylor said. “I come up here because I like to school my babies. It’s a good place to get their first few outs. It’s a relatively inex- pensive futurity to pay into.”
He’s also quick to credit his owners for providing his horse power. “I’ve got good owners who have been with me for a long time,” he said.
Send photos and news items to jennifer_k_hancock@hotmail.com.
The MonTh in review
10 SPEEDHORSE, June 2015
Track chaTTer
Linda earley