Friday, December 20, 2019

12/21/2019 John R Horst, the master photographer


When looking at old photographs of American Saddlebreds, the signature of John R. Horst appears on many of the best known photos.  It is clear he was more than just a photographer, he was a portrait artist whose goal was to present the horse at its best, striving to display each subject to its fullest potential.
John R. Horst in 1940

Born in Austria in 1912, Horst studied at Graphische Lehr and Versucho Anstalt in Vienna Austria from 1926 until 1929.  This world famous academy was dedicated to teaching graphic arts, and photography was one of its departments.   Coming to the United States as a 17 year old, he was a portrait photographer in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  Soon, however, he visited the Sewickley Horse Show and turned his camera on hunter jumpers.  This avocation soon lead to a change in profession, as he found horses to be more challenging subjects than people.  He felt each animal should be treated as an individual, highlighting each one’s unique characteristics.  He developed and processed his photos himself, and took painstaking care with each photo.  He said that “beauty is everything and perfection of beauty is the goal.”

Horst signed and dated all his photos, making it easy to follow his progression in the Saddlebred world.  In 1939, a photo of George Gwinn aboard a Saddlebred is the first one I located, and there were relatively few in the early 1940’s.  Part of this may have been because Mr. Horst spent two years abroad during World War II with the 5th Air Force as a member of the Aerial Photography group.  When back in US, he located  in Lexington Kentucky, and operated his business out of the Phoenix Hotel.  One day in 1946, Earl Teater walked past a table where Horst and his wife Kay were dining, and invited him out to Castleton Farms to photograph some horses.  One was a 3 year old that Earl Teater described as “a nice colt that just might be a good one someday.”  Of course, that 3 year old was Wing Commander, and John R. Horst photographed him numerous times, along with the other Dodge Stables horses. Many horsemen, including Earl Teater, Valley View Stables and Garland Bradshaw favored using Horst as their photographer. 
Horst's wife Kay

John Horst and his wife Kay Horst were involved in a number of equine endeavors.   Kay was the publisher of The Official Horse Show Blue Book beginning in the late 1940’s.  Kay Horst also became the publisher of American Horseman in the early 1950’s and her husband John was the production manager.  One of the bonus features that Mr. Horst did with the magazine was offer free copies of the cover photo of each magazine.  All one had to do was return the coupon found in the magazine, and American Horseman would send a complimentary copy. What a great marketing promotion!   Most of these cover photos were ones taken by John R. Horst. 

John R Horst was at the top of his game when he passed away in 1957 at the age of 45.  His career as an equine photographer of American Saddlebreds was fairly brief, spanning from 1939 to 1957, yet many of the best known iconic photos of old were taken by him.  He had many talented contemporaries, including Lester Rounds of St Louis, Herman Haas of NY, Jay McClasky from Waukegan  IL ,  and  Harold Launspach of Iowa, but  the portraits done by John R Horst, from his bold signature to his incomparable editing, made him the best of them all. 


Here are all the Horst photos I have collected. They're listed in alphabetical order and dates are added when possible. I hope you'll take the time to look at each and every one of them.  Some are famous, some unknown, but each one is absolutely beautiful because that was John R. Horst's goal. 
Abie's Royal Irishman 1952

Ace Command 1952



Ace O'Goshen 1945

Ace's Lucky Charm '57
One of the last photos taken by Horst

Ace's Patrician Lady 1949

American Ace 1941
American Ace 1941

American Masterpiece 1948

American Dictator

American Dictator 1946
Anacacho Denmark 1951
Anacacho Denmark's King 1955


Anacacho Revel
There is no date on this photo, but it could
be from the late 1930's since this is the
equine star of Gone with the Wind.

Anacacho Shamrock 1946

Anacacho's Blue Cockade 1952

Ann Rutledge 1952
Another Blue
As Beauty Does 1950

Beau Gallant 1946

Beau Gallant 1948

Beloved Belinda

Biltmore King 1946

Blue Champagne 1955

Bo Prophet
Bourbon Rhythm 
Bright Future and Lynne Girdler 1955
Bright Lights and Senator TN Wood 1949
Brilliant Rocket and Nancy Wood of Brynfan Tyddyn
Cacho Denmark 1954
Castleton Farms
Frances Dodge Van Lennep and daughters Judy and Rikki

Charlotte Stonewall 1955
China Silk 1952

Clare's Premium 1949

Colonel Sport  1950

Colonel Sport 1950

Countersigned 1954

Crebilly's Play Girl 1952

Crystal Rose 1952

Dama's Golden Melody 

Dark Waters 1954

Dream Waltz and Earl Teater

Dynasty 1946

Easter Night 1954


Edith Fable and Owen Hailey

Evening Cloud 1954

Evening Cloud 1952

Evening Cloud 1947

Evening Cloud 1952
Everlasting Joy  and Lynne Girdler 1955
Fairview's Blanchita 1955

Fairview's Debutante 1955

Fairy Cloud 1953

Fancy Souvenir 1946

Gallant Guy O'Goshen 1955

Garrymore and Frank Bradshaw 1953

Gay Soubrette  1947

Genius Bourbon King 1953

Genius Bourbon King 1953

Genius Charm 1944

Genius Firefly 1950

Genius Firefly 1947
Genius Prince 1946
Glass Slippers 1953
Glorious Star 1949
*not the old show mare by that name
Grand Finale 1954
Grassland's Colonel 1952

Hell and Maria
High Society 1949
Indiana Ace

Inland Empire 1952

Irish Rex 1952
Judge Fine

Jungle Rhythm 1955

Kalarama Colonel 1950

Kalrama king 1946

Kalarama Red Lilly 1948

Kalarama Rocket 1947

Kate Shriver and Garland Bradshaw
Kathie Glenna & Raymond Cowden 1952
King of Revelry and Eddie Gutridge
King of Rose A Lee 1948

King's Farewell 1953

King's Farewell 1950
King's Farewell 1953

King's Genius

King's Plume

King's Prophet 1954

Knickerboker Boy 1955

Lady Carrigan and Garland Bradshaw 1951

Lady Lola

Leatherwood King 1950

Did you know John R. Horst did the graphic for the
Lexington Jr. League Horse Show program?

Little Sport

Lovely Maid 1952

Lovely Maid

Lover's Lane
Madison Genius 1949
Maharaja

Mar Beth Top Rex 1949
Marjorie's Lady Genius and Jack Boyd 1952

Mark Beaverkettle 1954
Mark Hellinger
Mark of Success 1952
Mark of Success
Mary Dean 1955
Maryland's Summer Breeze 1948
Meadow Dew 1955
Meadow Princess 1950
Meadow Wisp 1946
Miracle Mike 1952
Miss Dixie Rebel
Mistletoe Maid
Moon Glitter 1953
Moon Glitter
Mountain Treasure 1947
Mr. Ike and Tom Moore 1954
Mr. American and Tom Moore 1954
My Golden Hour 1947
Night of Folly

Noble Kalarama  and Jack Thompson 1951
Noble's Colors Added and Jack Thompson
Noble's Meadow Peacock
Ottawa's Sweetheart 1954
Out of the Night and Mike Wood
Polly Stonewall 1947
Primrose Path and Earl Teater
Prince of Genius 1955
Princess Firefly and foal
Private Contract and Earl Teater
Radiant Aire
Red Gold 1955
Richardson's Pot O Gold 1949
Ridgefields Denmark 1951
Ridgefields Denmark 1955
Ridgefields' Genius
Ridgefield's Rex 1947
Rosie Brown 1953
Rosie Brown 1954
Royal Affair 1949
Royal Kalarama
Sam McGee 1949
Sam McGee 1953
Sashay and Lee Roby 1952
Sashay
Sedosa
Shannondale 1955
Showboat and Frances Van Lennep 1949
Small Wonder 1948
Society Rex 1950

Sparkling Delight and Judy Johnson 1954

Sparkling Aire

Sparkling Champagne

Sparkling Waters 1947

Special Agent and George Gwinn 1939
This is one of the earliest Horst photos I found of a saddlebred

Special Assignment
Sporting Nancy
Star of Rosehaven 1951
Stonewall Supreme
Stonyridge Lady 1952
Sunshine Carol aka Carol Carson

Socko and Earl Teater











Sweet Rhythm and Earl Teater 1946

Sweetest Story Ever Told 1953

Sweetheart of Devon

The Colonel's Dream 1952

The Genius 1949

The New Moon
The Rambler at age 3 in 1953
The Rambler and Tom Moore
The Replica
The Supreme Ace
Touch of Genius and Judy Cohen

Valley View Supreme and Tom Moore 1954










Valley View Supreme and Tom Moore

Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly 1956

Velvet Rose and Helen Falls

Vicksburg

Warioto Denmark 1952

Warlord 1949

Wild Genius 1946



Wing Commander and Earl Teater in 1946
His 3 year old photo

Wing Commander and Earl Teater 1949
The iconic photo
Wing Commander and Earl Teater 1952

Wing Commander and Earl Teater 1954
at the slow gait



Wood's Chunk O Gold 1949

That's all for now until I find more photos to add in. 
Hope you enjoyed them all.



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2 comments:

  1. great to see my Dad on Hell and Maria. He was in veterinary school at Texas A&M. He was Dr. D.M. Glenn. He showed horses on the Southwest Circuit for many years. He won the 5-gaited stake at Baton Rouge on Hell and Maria, beating Christian Barham on Cloverdale Sweetheart in a second workout. He later beat Earl Teater on Lover's Lane with a mare named Gay Romance. There is a Horst photo of Dad up on that mare. She was owned by Mrs. C.R. Minor of Greenwood, LA., Cedarcroft Plantation Stables.

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  2. Great to see my Dad on Hell and Maria. He was in veterinary school at Texas A&M at the time. He was to become Dr. D.M. Glenn. He showed horses on the Southwest Circuit for many years. He won the 5-gaited stake at Baton Rouge in 1940 on Hell & Maria beating Christian Barham on Cloverdale Sweetheart in a second workout. Years later, won the mare stake at Shreveport beating Earl Teater on Lover's Lane with a mare named Gay Romance. There is a a Horst photo of Dad up on that mare. She was owned by Mrs. C.R. Minor of Greenwood, LA, Cedarcroft Plantation Stable.

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