Horse Play at the Library

Rough Terrain Farm owner Leslie Haynes, right, introduces Rose, a 13-year-old miniature horse measuring 34 inches tall, to pre-schoolers at Kimball Library's story hour Wednesday morning in Randolph. (Herald / Tim Calabro)Black Beauty lives at the end of Main Street.

Pegasus takes wing from a pasture not far from VTC.

Both images are part of a new internationally touring equestrian photography exhibit which is sprinkled throughout Randolph’s Kimball Public Library, both upstairs and down.

The exhibit, titled “The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life,” pairs up to 100 photos of today’s horses and riders with quotations from the world’s great books.

According to the artist, equine photographer Vanessa Wright, “From Achilles’ weeping chargers to Don Quixote’s Rocinante, the horses of myth and literature are alive and thriving in our neighborhoods!”

Photographer Vanessa Wright admits that the first hoof prints toward “The Literary Horse” were made in 1978, when her grandmother, after reading her Cinderella for the twelfth time, remarked to her parents, “All she cares about are the horses!”

Since then, Vanessa has combined her passion for great books and her love of all things equine through a B.A. at the University of Chicago, certification in eventing and stable management from the American Riding Instructors Association, and an M. Ed. from Harvard.

Career-wise, Wright considers her first three wishes to have been granted, having shared her passions as a teacher, author, and designer of on-line learning experiences. She has received 11 local, state and national awards, including a 2000 Leadership in Teaching Award and an Education Pioneers Fellowship.

Kimball is the first library in Vermont to host the exhibit, thanks to Leslie Haynes of Rough Terrain Farm. Haynes is the subject of one of Wright’s photographs, and knew about the exhibit, which is touring public and school libraries from Maine to California, Ontario, Canada, to southern Florida, with exhibits planned for Europe in 2012.

Showcasing first-time riders, Special Olympic and Olympic champions, carriage driving, show-jumping, jousting, and vaulting, “The Literary Horse” will provide students with a real-life tour of equestrian classics. The books range from the “Iliad” and “Don Quixote” to “Cinderella” and “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.”

Because the exhibit will be housed at the Library, students can trot on over to the shelves and jump into the books that follow their adventures.

Special Events

In conjunction with the exhibit, Kimball Library and Rough Terrain Farm have planned several events for the community.

Yesterday (Wednesday), preschoolers were delighted by a very special guest visiting Storytime. After Judith Flint entertained the children with stories, songs and play about horses, who should show up but Rose, a miniature horse. Rose, who lives at Rough Terrain Farm, walked right into the Library, accompanied by Leslie Haynes. (Haynes had assured the library staff that Rose loves children and would be very well behaved, which she was.)

Other special events will include:

• November 3 at 6:30 p.m., the library will host a reception for the public. Haynes will lead a tour of the photographs, which are placed all around the library – upstairs and down. Refreshments will be served.

• November 6, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., photographer Vanessa Wright herself will be at Rough Terrain Farm in Randolph Center, for a “Rider’s Read” photo shoot. Anyone who would like to have thier picture taken with a horse, and perhaps a favorite book, may come to the Farm during that time. If you would like to bring your own horse, call Leslie Haynes at 728-5945.

Ms. Wright offers this service free of charge.

Legends of Now

“I hoped these images would help people see themselves in the great books and inspire them to live their own legends,” Wright concluded. “Heroes aren’t just people who lived long ago—they are our neighbors, our friends, our family members, and ourselves.

“The beauty, heart, and spirit we admire in legendary horses exist in our pasture pets, school ponies, service horses, and competition partners. Together, we face challenges as thrilling and as extraordinary as the quests of old.

“After all, every great story, at its heart, reflects the greatness that is already within us.”

Visit Kimball Library’s website and the weekly Herald for more information on upcoming events.