Wild Horses and Whisky

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Original Artwork: Meghan Guilfoil Studios

“Home Free”: the story of Lily, rescued through the Mustang Heritage Foundation after two years in holding. Adopted by a 9 year old young girl, she has now found love and connection in her new herd.

A movement has long been growing of advocates for the wild horses of America. The demand for humane management of these protected herds has recently escalated. After many controversial round-ups, nearly 60,000 wild mustangs and burros are currently in holding corrals managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Enthusiasts are petitioning for change. Donation-based sanctuary herds across the country are sustaining efforts to rescue the trapped horses. If they aren’t rescued, they face a daunting fate of being sold to slaughter for meat. Success, however, depends on a wholistic solution, involving greater awareness and partnership between many facets of society.

In a city like Nashville, we relish our western heritage and the majesty of the equine. We hold the rustic persona of the cowboy and cowgirl on a horse as an icon. Yet many are unaware these horses need our help. When seeking to inspire the masses, what greater way to share a message than through the arts. From music and film, to fine arts, a similar movement is in its grassroots and ready to share the story of these beautiful animals.

I am a local artist with a new found love for wild horses. This led to a partnership with a local farm, Wild at Heart Horsemanship, whose passion is rescuing and training mustangs. In a desire to tell the stories of these horses through paintings, I (Meghan Guilfoil), began a series called “Rescued”, depicting the freedom and life experienced in relationship after adoption. Each mustang has a unique herd of origin, story of rescue and gift to offer. Every person seeking to live their unique purpose in the world, often far from home, and striking out into a new chapter, can intimately relate to these horses. This was my experience, and I now hope to inspire this bold pursuit through these paintings.

This June, the mustangs are officially coming to Franklin in the Mustang Heritage Spectacular. After a sneak peek at the Franklin Rodeo Parade, the festivities will begin with the June 7th Art Crawl, celebrating a Western Heritage theme, both Downtown and at the Factory. Then the county will kick-off Mustang Heritage Week, with various events, including “Wild Horses and Whisky”: the release of the Rescued Series, on June 19th at the Stable Reserve. The Rescued Series will include portraits of some of the Wild at Heart mustangs, as well as landscapes of some of their origin herds. This event will be in partnership with the Mustang Heritage Foundation, and a portion of all work sold will be donated back to help spread greater awareness and provide more opportunities for mustang adoptions. The culminating event, the Mustang Heritage Spectacular, will take place at the Williamson County Ag Expo from June 20-23, where rescued mustangs and their trainers from across the country will compete after 90 days of wild to mild training. This is a very special horse. Their intelligence, versatility and unaltered stature are unsurpassed. They need our help. Once you’ve experienced a mustang, you’ll see they can rescue you too.