The Equine of the North

Wending our way through the tiny Redesmouth roads we came upon a small pony, saddleless, surveying the summer sunshine and the gentle tilts and curves of the upland Buteland view.

This equine pet, hedging her bets for a carrot, stood motionless at the side of the lane, her silhouette strangely transparent. On rounding the corner, we could see she was guarding a little donkey, cuddled up close, its hooves hidden behind the mare. Barking boot dogs didn't cause the horse to shy or trot off. And in getting closer we could see she was made from a myriad of once molten horseshoes, welded together shaping a skeleton of metal.

Also rounding the corner was smiley Brian with his two cheery golden retrievers. “They're quite a talking point”, he said, nodding to the sculptures and my poised camera while I tickled doting dog ears. Brian is a proud dog dad to Hope and Saffy and top gift giver to his lovely wife Lesley.

For Lesley's birthday, Brian bought her the piece de resistance present, difficult to wrap, not shoveable under the bedable, but low on feed bills. He pulled out all the stops and bought her a heart-filled horse made from horseshoes. Original or what?

So, chatting to Lesley and Brian who are clearly lovely souls, and very happy to share not only their love of sculpture but the beautiful land they live on (they rent out beautiful Northumbrian shepherd's huts, check out their website for all the history and heritage of the shepherd's hut, including info on which way the wind needs to blow to keep an eye on yer flock!), they told me a little about how the horse on the corner came to stay.

Lesley said “The horse is called Maisie and it was given to me for my birthday by Brian because it reminded me of my first horse. She came to stay on 6th September 2016”.

Maisie is held together with approximately 1500 horseshoes and a magnificent mane of bicycle chain! She grazes in her own small pony-sized paddock at a curve in the road. “We decide to put her there as she stands proud on the corner”, said Lesley. “A lot of people stop on the corner where Maisie is to take photos”.

And I can see why. In the late summer sunshine, she has an enviable view out over the Buteland Fells in the direction of the aptly named Colt Crag Reservoir. There are earthwork remains of a deserted medieval village just north of Maisie's meadow.

Brian told me that the sculpture had become a bit of a landmark in recent years, especially to walkers deviating from the Pennine Way and cyclists having a tootle off-piste of Route 68 of The National Cycle Network. If I was a cyclist, I couldn't imagine anything more fulfilling than freewheeling these country lanes.

Made by north east artist James Kemish, who works full time at the Nissan car plant, but rustles up these unique ungulates in his spare time. He's a lovely humble guy who has a passion for bringing new life to old shoes!

“We keep ponies, and it felt like a natural path to take. I started making wine racks and flat flowers about nice years ago, but then experimented with a red deer stag which is displayed in the grounds of The Derwent Manor Hotel. It's nice because couples use it now as a photo opportunity when they get married”. James said he “progressed to making Maisie after his stag and that Lesley was just the lucky lady to get her!”

I was asking if he thought of himself as an artist and he said “I wouldn't go that far! The shoes are cleaned and shaped, then I weld them together and shape them down with a grinder. I suppose my paintbrush is really my grinder!”

What a fabulous north talent!

Some of Kemish's other works included a life-sized horse sculpture, 'The Spirit of Freedom' in memory of the millions of equines who served and died in World War I which was unveiled to the public at Belsay Horse Trials in 2018. The sculpture symbolised the centenary of the war. He said “I wanted to make something to remember and honour these beautiful creatures and the extraordinary sacrifice they made during the Great War. We wouldn't be here today enjoying our own freedom if it wasn't for horses. I only hope that I have done their memory justice”.

He's currently working on a piece called 'Ghost' which is a life-size horse which will be clearing a fence when it's completed. You can see the work in progress below. The whole head is made from individual horseshoes. James said "Ghost needs a home", so, if any hippophiles are looking for a horse to rehome, James is yer man! You can find his beautiful work on Facebook and Instagram.

Bowled over by the beauty of Maisie, Brian suggested we have a cosy up to a pair of onlooking curious clonkeys, as my dad used to call them, when I was a weeun. I love the nasal bray of a donkey. Something satisfying in such a gregarious greeting and again, perhaps a celebratory nod to the joy brought from the uninterrupted views over Northumberland's National Park.

Looking back, we could see the small donkey in the shadow of the horseshoe horse. This was a cute, cuddling-in little wire wonder made by David Wright of Larch Cottage Sculptures from Norwich.

David said he'd first become interested in wire sculpting as part of his job as a florist where he travels the UK to shows and demonstrations and uses his wire sculptures as part of his work. I was curious how he could go from chrysanthemum to chicken wire so deftly, donkey designing en route.

David said “I started by making a deer stag for my garden and it just went from there. The donkey was one of the first sculptures I made. He took several days to make and is all hand-moulded chicken wire and stitched with real wire.”

Lesley said she loved the donkey so much after having seen him online and managed to persuade David Wright to package him up in cardboard and had him posted. “He's called Wilbur after my first donkey!”.

Eeeeee, all this on just a little Redesdale ramble in me pickup. So beautiful and such a great reminder of the fact that art can lift our spirits, and sculpture hold something in a moment that has meaning for many, as can the artist who made it and the people who own it.

I asked Lesley and Brian why this corner was for them in the fabulous north. Lesley's response, “We moved here for the panoramic 360-degree views which we never tire of through all the different seasons. We see a lot of wildlife including deer, rabbits, pheasants, badgers, foxes & various species of birds. It is very quiet and peaceful here as we are off the beaten track yet only 5 minutes away from Bellingham & the A68 to Hexham.” I'm glad they get to enjoy that view. They were lovely people.

Personally, I can see the draw. We drove homewards down a gated lane, passing a reserved roe deer secretively stepping over the Blackbog Burn,

And a Llama closer to Bellingham than Bolivia!

And all the while marvelling over how a tangle of horseshoes can form a horse on a hillside so successfully in Northumberland.

Step aside Angel of the North. This is the Equine of the North!