The Ideal Series - Appaloosa | Retired

Fourth in the Series - A Collection Inspired by the Art of Orren Mixer

The Ideal Series pays homage to the stunning artwork of renowned equine artist Orren Mixer (1920-2008) and his most popular subjects – horses! Each hand-painted piece in this series was inspired by one of Mixer’s famed “ideal” horse breed paintings.

Born in 1920 in Oklahoma, Orren Mixer is best known for his gorgeous artwork featuring Western scenes, livestock, and horses. After years working as a graphic artist and serving in the Navy, he returned home to Oklahoma and built his art studio. He rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and his artwork graced the covers of many well-known magazines, including Western Horseman. Over the course of his career, seven horse breed associations commissioned him to paint their breed’s ideal. These images are still used today, and have forever cemented Mixer’s place as one of history’s preeminent equine artists.

With their unique appearance and versatility, it’s not hard to fall in love with the Appaloosa! The Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) was established in 1938 with the goals of “preserving and improving the Appaloosa breed.” Today it is an international breed registry with over 600,000 Appaloosas on record.

Orren Mixer’s famed painting “The Appaloosa,” was commissioned by the ApHC and was publicly unveiled in 1981. It prominently features a handsome chestnut blanket Appaloosa stallion, whose image can still be seen today on the ApHC’s promotional materials. Standing watch over a herd of mares and foals amidst a pastoral landscape, this painting spotlights the Appaloosa breed’s many coat colors and patterns.

The original painting can be found hanging in the ApHC’s offices in Moscow, Idaho. For his work with this colorful breed, Mixer was inducted into the ApHC’s Hall of Fame in 1998.