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.
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.
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.
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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