Percheron Draft Horses are best known as funeral caisson horses for Arlington Cemetery and not so much as artists – until now. DRAFT HORSE AT DAWN was created by May and guardian Gay Gaddis. Three years ago, Gay and her husband Lee, located May and her half sister Belle in Rhode Island, where the horses were in the process of being trained to do their favorite job of pulling wagons. Gay brought them back to live at their beautiful Double Heart Ranch. To create her painting, May allowed Gay to dip her tail in paint and use it to produce wonderful brushstrokes, while fellow horses Tex and Belle watched. May seemed happy with the painting process, as long as we showed her the canvas first and she felt like she was in control. Many thanks to Lee and Hardy, the ranch foreman, who helped keep May calm while painting. When not painting, seven-year old May likes to splash in the water, roll in the field, pull carriages, and eat hay and grain. She participates in many parades and also does some ranch work. May and her sister weigh in at 2,000 pounds each. Now, that’s a “lotta” horse!
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