Horses at The Met: Mare Glare and More

This summer I visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and I was struck by two things. One, there are horses everywhere. Two, most of them are so over it.

The Best Mare Glare

The Met describes this painting as “Astride horses, accompanied by retainers and hounds, the two youths pose as propertied huntsmen, ready at any moment to depart for the conquest of their prey.”

Let me recap… rich teenage boys running around in the woods killing things and doing it for the ‘gram. No wonder Grey Mare has had it. It’s the eyebrow of judgement.

Equestrian Portrait of Cornelis (1639–1680) and Michiel Pompe van Meerdervoort (1638–1653) with Their Tutor and Coachman Aelbert Cuyp Dutch, ca. 1652–53. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

The Most Befuddled

“It’s a 3-meter wide ditch with a 1.45-meter brush at the top that’s tall enough to park a Land Rover in. How hard can it be?”

Horse, China, late 7th–first half of the 8th century. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

The He’s Not Going to Actually Jump That. Is He?!?

You give the horse husband one lesson, I swear.

Horse and female rider, China, late 7th–first half of the 8th century. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

The Whoa, Nelly!

We’ve all been there. Sometimes horses just get really excited about their jobs… and we lawn dart… and nine times out of ten, the horse stops and looks back at us like, “Why are you down there? We were having so much fun!”

Proverbi (Proverbs), Nicolò Nelli, Italian, Publisher Ferrando Bertelli Italian, 1564. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

The That Thing Tried to Bite Me!

Very similar to the “Whoa, Nelly,” but with a lot less glee. Sometimes it’s a hat or a plastic bag, sometimes it’s their own shadow or fart. Always, it results in an awkward cat leap.

Scenes from the Story of the Argonauts, Biagio d’Antonio, Italian. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

The Lost My Bridle, Om Nom-Noms…

Stopping to eat grass is the preferred outcome, to be honest.

Three Jockeys, Edgar Degas, French, ca. 1900. Photo by Amanda Uechi Ronan.

Go riding.

Amanda Uechi Ronan is an author, equestrian, and wannabe race car driver. Follow her on Instgram @amanda_uechi_ronan.