Twenty Pounds of Horse Power

Whether you’re a cowboy, a horse girl, or a simple city slicker, you have to admit that horses are powerful. Why else would nearly every historic leader want their portrait on a horse?

Up on two legs, Adriaen de Vries’s bronze statue Rearing Horse seems to defy the laws of gravity. Even in this dramatic pose, the horse keeps his cool in the podcast studio as he shares about the lost-wax casting process that lets him stand upright and what one school group noticed when they visited him in the Getty galleries.

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Head to the website for a listening guide, where you’ll find discussion topics and related activities, like exploring how hard it is to balance a rearing horse. We also have a coloring page featuring this week’s star!

Hear more from our horse, Mr. Eric, on his podcast What If World. Look for it on your podcast app and at whatifworld.fun.

Teachers, are you working on lessons about story structure? This episode and its listening guide are great resources for the classroom or to send home to families.

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These stories are based on historical research and evidence, but some of the characters and scenarios are fictionalized. If you have questions, write to us or send us a voice memo! You can reach us at [email protected].

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For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/

OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness Meditation merges art history with mindfulness meditations: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/

ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/

Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world.

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

Getty: https://www.getty.edu/

Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/

Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/

Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/

Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/