If the Drive-By Truckers were horses, what breed of horse would each of them be?
I sat through the rest of that class and the next mulling it over. I finally, and literally, drew up my own conclusions. They're just a bunch of cartoon horses but they turned out really well, so I thought I'd share them here with y'all.
First up is Jay, an Andalusian. He is proud, yet docile, and moves with style and grace. Strongly built and extremely elegant, he is responsive, cooperative, and learns very quickly. With a silky and thick mane and tail, longer body, black coat and slightly convex head, he is typical in appearance of the Spanish-originated breed. He is very intelligent and possesses a kind disposition, but he can be high spirited. He is known for his many talents, and always puts on a thrilling, lively display at a show.
Neff was easy to peg as an American Quarter Horse. He is intelligent, willing, and will do anything you ask him to. He is extremely versatile and excels at any task he turns his hand...er, hoof...to. Quiet and gentle-natured, he has a sorrel coat color, large, wide eyes, a small head and a compact body that are characteristic of the breed. Clean and well-put together in appearance, he easily steals the show in any halter class. His consistently high performance in a variety of disciplines has made him the most popular of horse breeds in the United States today.
Brad (literally) is a Morgan. He is calm, friendly and sensible. He is an extremely easy-keeper. He is docile and petite in stature, but has a businesslike attitude toward any task that he applies himself. He has a dark bay coat, a compact body, long, arched neck and distinctive head that are typical characteristics of the breed. He consistently delivers a high quality gait (or way of going) in the ring that is always a pleasure to watch.
Shonna is a beautiful palomino Saddlebred. She's intelligent and has a colorful, dazzling personality. She's alert and curious, but this also makes her very sensitive and emotional. She's known as the "peacock of the horse world" because of her graceful carriage and flashy action in the show ring. She possesses a bright golden palomino coat with silver mane and tail, a refined head, arched neck, and high tail carriage which are characteristic of the breed. She is well-proportioned, presenting a beautiful overall picture. She's spirited and stylish, and always makes her presence known.
Patterson is an American Bashkir Curly. He is sturdy, sure-footed, very smart, gentle, and loving. He has a crinkly or wavy mane and tail that are characteristic of the breed, and has the typical chestnut coat. He also possesses dense bone structure in the lower legs, making him very hardy. He's of medium build with a wide barrel and short back, which are characteristic of the breed. He has a natural love of people, which makes him a favorite with children. He loves to be talked to. He's naturally curious, and he prefers to face the unknown rather than run from it. He's pretty even-tempered, but he is unable to cope with or tolerate any abuse or assholery. And because he will stand his ground and fight, you don't want to mess with him.
And finally, here's Cooley the Mustang. He's used to hard living and doesn't get sick very easily. He's extremely hardy, quick, and sure-footed. There's no breed standard due to the varying gene pool out on the ranges, so Mustangs can be really proportional or really ugly. Cooley falls somewhere in the middle. He's very well-built, but his legs are a little long and his nose is quite large. He has a certain wild abandon, and is very stubborn. He can never be made to do things he doesn't want to do (because he's a badass). He won't be ridden and he won't be submissive. It's only if one takes the time and patience to earn his trust that he becomes the least bit tolerant or cooperative. He's high-spirited and has a rough, unrefined, reckless beauty about him. He's free to do whatever the hell he wants - because he's a badass.
All of the drawings were done in pencil, inked over with pen, and illustrated in Adobe Photoshop. The blurbs on each of the breeds were taken from various books on horse breeds that were lying around my room.
I swear, this has nothing to do with this being Belmont week. I actually started these the week after DBT visited Lexington and just now got around to finishing them. I also mailed prints of these to the DBT HQ in Athens as a thank you gift for their extended stay in Lexington (aka the Horse Capital of the World). I sure hope they get a kick out of them.
And there they are, DBT turned into horses. What started out as an odd thought in my head and a couple of sketches in my notebook became this. I hope y'all enjoy them....
