Shiny Things: Art for Equestrians Who Notice the Details

A new collection of hand-drawn Tailored Equine Artistry on long-sleeve shirts, created for equestrians who understand that tack, touch, and intention are never accidental.

Some collections arrive quickly. Shiny Things did not. This series began with one drawing in 2019 and grew slowly over seven years of thought, sketching, questioning, and refining before it was ready to become part of the wearable world.

Most of my artwork centers on horses. This collection is deliberately different. Instead of drawing the horse itself, I turned toward the objects that surround horsemanship—the bit, the spur, the whip, and the horseshoe—and paired each one with an insect from the same world: barn aisles, tack rooms, feed rooms, trails, stalls, and pastures.

The Story Behind the Collection

Tack is never neutral.

A bit, a spur, a whip, and a horseshoe are more than shiny objects. They carry the full weight of horsemanship philosophy in their design. In educated hands, they communicate. In careless ones, they can harm. The difference is not in the object. It is in the intention behind it.

Shiny Things pairs equestrian tack with insect counterparts and invites you to look again. What do you see first: the tool, the creature, the shine, the memory, or the conversation?

Why Insects?

As equestrians, we are surrounded by insects all the time. Sometimes they are a nuisance. Sometimes they are beneficial. Sometimes they are dangerous. Often, they are all three at once.

They belong to the same practical, imperfect, beautiful environment as the horse: the barn, the trail, the pasture, and the quiet corner where something small catches the light.

In each drawing, the insect does not fear the tack. It simply arrives, unbothered, and makes itself at home. Nature has no opinion on tradition. It only responds to lightness.

The Pairings

• The spider and the bit: The spider and the bit both bite. Whether that contact becomes conversation or conflict depends entirely on who is holding the reins.
• The butterfly and the spur: The butterfly lands on the spur with less pressure than a whisper. That is not irony. That is the standard.
• The dragonfly and the whip: The dragonfly and the whip share the same physics—speed, precision, and the ability to vanish before you've registered the movement.
• The beetle and the horseshoe: The beetle finds the lost horseshoe on the ground and claims it. The horse has moved on. Nature does not mourn what horsemanship leaves behind.

Made Slowly, Drawn by Hand

The first drawing in the series—the spider and the bit—was completed in 2019. The rest had to wait until the idea became clear enough to honor. This collection was revisited, sketched, revised, and lived with over many years before it was ready to be seen.

Each design began as a colored pencil drawing, executed with Faber-Castell and Caran d'Ache materials. No AI. No shortcuts. The hand is in every stroke—and that matters, because the people who wear these shirts notice details too.

For Equestrians Who Already Know

This collection is for equestrians who understand that strength and softness are not opposites. It is for the rider who knows that tools do not make choices—people do. It is for the person who sees a bit, a spur, a whip, or a horseshoe and understands that the real story is not the object itself, but the hands, timing, education, and care behind it.

When you wear Shiny Things, you are carrying a small piece of the barn world into ordinary life. You are choosing art that trusts you to understand the difference between force and feel.

Explore the Collection

If you have ever paused over a piece of tack, questioned what it means, adjusted your touch, or chosen patience when pressure would have been easier, this collection was made with you in mind.

Explore Shiny Things in Considered Collections.