Trail of Painted Ponies

I thought I enjoyed riding horses just as much as the next person, but that was before I met my friend Elizabeth during a trail ride one summer afternoon. She works as a large-animal veterinarian and comes in contact with horses on a daily basis, but that’s not enough to satisfy her obsession. She takes leisurely rides nearly every evening and lives on a horse farm with several high-priced thoroughbreds. In short, she doesn’t mess around when it comes to horses.

As her birthday approached about a month ago, I racked my brain for a unique gift idea. She had every sort of saddle imaginable and owned horse-themed paintings by the dozen. Recognizing her love of art, I investigated a flourishing creative niche: painted pony figurines. They struck me as ideal horse themed gifts, perfectly suitable for my purposes. Elizabeth was overjoyed to receive a hand-painted pony, and she has since added to what is now a serious collection.