Livestock II – A Celebration of Equestrian Style for the Berkshire Carousel Project
If we ever forget that the equestrian lifestyle is filled with beauty, with childlike wonder, with a community bound by history and a love of the horse…. let the volunteers behind the Berkshire Carousel remind us.
Perhaps it takes a place like the Berkshires - an artist’s haven of pastoral natural beauty in Western Massachusetts – to create a project that in our modern times feels almost old-world in concept: a cadre of volunteers, instructed by a master woodcarver, creating an authentic classic wooden carousel as a gift to their community. Since establishment of the project in 2008 by Jim and Jackie Shulman, over 200 volunteer painter, photographers, and others have participated in the project, scheduled for completion in 2013.
Carver at work | Image Katy Levesque
Support for the Carousel has come from diverse segments of the Berkshire community, including of course the equestrian world. In partnership between the Berkshire Carousel and the Western New England Professional Horseman’s Association, the Berkshire Carousel Classic spanned the show season, with riders competing to win ‘ride of the day’ at every horse show and qualify for a drawing to have of the Carousel horses – named the “Berkshire Jumper” – painted in its likeness and named in its honor. (The most stylish class award ever?!)
Fleabitten Grey in Fall | Image Janet Crawford
The centerpiece fundraiser for the Berkshire Carousel is Livestock II, held on October 20 at the Berkshire Equestrian Center and sponsored by the United Professional Horsemen’s Association Chapter 14. The event is set to feature a Tack Trunk Fashion Show, featuring items equestrian apparel and interior decor items from Bainbridge and Company, Tara Kiwi Designs, In the Stirrup, Deux Chevaux and Oughton Limited. Billy Keane and the Misdemeanor Outlaws and DJ BFG will be the musical guests and you simply won’t get much more New England equestrian ambiance than this barn event, during the height of the Fall color season.
The Barn & the Band | Josh Volff Photography
The Berkshire Carousel and Livestock II are the truly special kind of endeavor which hardly tend to exist anymore. So, of course we’re giving it a “Don’t Miss!” designation. For more information on attending or supporting Livestock II, please contact equineartwork@aol.com.
Painting of the Berkshire Equestrian Center | Robert Fair
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