Eventers show off their artistic flair

Move over, Munnings. Five leading Kiwi riders have tried their hand at drawing sketches of horses to raise money for New Zealand Riding for the Disabled (NZRDA) — and the results are pretty impressive.

Andrew Nicholson, Mark Todd, Jock Paget, and Tim and Jonelle Price joined 25 other famous New Zealanders for the Great RDA Horse Doodle campaign .

The celebrities were asked to doodle their interpretation of a horse on to a canvas and inject as much of their personality into it as possible.

RDA funding and marketing manager James Craw, said: “It’s not about their level of drawing ability or art skills, but about creating something fun and quirky.”

The celebrities’ handiwork was then auctioned off online in support of the NZRDA, which gives children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to ride.

Jock drew a horse jumping — it is a fine effort, though we’re not sure about the rider’s upper body position — while Andrew’s doodle is titled “Quimbo” and depicts his memorable one-handed leap into the Head of the Lake en route to winning last year’s Rolex Kentucky.

Tim and Jonelle opted for a different angle; they drew a horse standing on top of a podium, with the quote: “The worst of them sense our fears and take advantage of us. The best of them sense our dreams and take us there.”

But there was no doubting the winner — is there no end to Sir Mark Todd’s talents? Toddy’s jumping horse doodle fetched a whopping $1,762 (£876) at auction — second only to the contribution from iconic New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell, whose Thelwell-esqe drawing of a sitting horse entitled “Horsing about”.

Ref: H&H 18 December, 2014

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