Trophies - Alizarin Chestnut

It was a great honor for us at Alizarin Chestnut to have the opportunity to craft trophies for the 20th Annual New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, set to take place from June 2-4, 2023, in the beautiful city of Aiken, South Carolina.

New Vocations, founded by Dot Morgan in Ohio in 1992, stands as the oldest and largest racehorse adoption program in the country. This esteemed organization serves over 500 horses each year; and their commitment to thoroughbred aftercare has been exemplary, as they work tirelessly towards providing a smooth transition for retired racehorses into their post-racing lives.

To stay updated with New Vocations’ initiatives, news, and available horses, you can follow them online:

Website: https://newvocations.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/new.vocations1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NewVocations
Instagram: https://instagram.com/newvocationsracehorseadoption

The trophies chosen for the upcoming show were yet another rewarding collaboration with my husband Chris and his mad woodworking skills (check out his work at Bird Brain Woodworking). They include groom boxes made from hackberry and hickory. These boxes feature a laser-engraved show logo, moveable dividers, and an offset handle, allowing them to hang conveniently on stall doors. We also designed a western dressage charcuterie board made of walnut. We then laser-engraved western dressage art and the show logo into it and filled them with teal resin.

We would like to extend our special thanks to Maranda Crittenden for providing us with a tour of the organization’s incredible facilities at the picturesque 1,200-acre Mereworth Farm in Lexington, KY. It was a treat to experience the location in person!

To all the competitors participating in the show, we wish you the best of luck. Your dedication to showcasing the talents and abilities of these incredible horses contributes to raising awareness about thoroughbred aftercare and the importance of providing a second chance to these magnificent animals.

We are incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to create the 2022 high point awards for ASHAO. The process began with pencil sketches of 7 different horse designs that would be capable of representing the wide range of American Saddlebred and Hackney divisions members competed in throughout the year. The sketches were then refined digitally on an iPad Pro using Adobe Fresco and Adobe Illustrator with the goal of creating a matching system of designs. The result was a series of silhouettes. A background inspired by the Great Seal of the State of Ohio was applied to each piece of art.

At this point, the designs were ready to be brought to life by Bird Braid Woodworking in the form of wooden plaques. We selected hickory and oak boards for their unique grain patterns. They were cut down to twice the size needed, milled flat, cut into 10-inch squares, sanded, and then a slight roundover was applied to the edges. Gold and silver paints were applied to the squares with a roller with each one receiving 3 to 4 coats on its top surface. Once the paint dried, the artwork was engraved into the wood with a laser. Each piece was sealed with shellac and finished with polyurethane. A keyhole was also added for hanging.

We also created 2 handmade jewelry boxes. These boxes were made of hickory. A special Saddlebred pegasus was laser engraved on each lid and hand-painted with acrylic paint.

Congratulations to all of the winners! We hope that your awards serve as delightful reminders of your accomplishment for many years to come.

New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show Prizes

How We Created the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Ohio’s 2022 Awards