The Painting Pony

At Cheyenne Mountain Zoo we have many artists. Our elephants, penguins and orangutans find painting an enriching part of their day. There’s also a new artist that is turning a few heads - Jose, an eight-year-old Arabian horse.

A pony that can paint is quite a sight. His paintings are Picassoesque with a modern flare. He isn’t the first painting horse, but currently, he’s the only pony painting at the Zoo.

Sunny and Rockette were Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s first painting ponies. After their retirement from giving pony rides, they were adopted out to a loving home, leaving no painting ponies at the Zoo. Diana Cartier, pony animal keeper, wanted other ponies to follow in their hoof prints, so she chose a horse with an artistic side.  

During Jose’s first training session, Diana rewarded him for simply holding a paintbrush in his mouth. After that, he was rewarded for holding the paintbrush for five seconds at a time. Soon he was holding the brush in his mouth, moving his head and returning the brush to Diana, so she could load it with paint for him. In four weeks, he was painting like Picasso.

Using apples and carrots for incentives, Jose has learned to not only paint but to smile, wave with his feet and bow. When you ask him if he is a good boy, he nods his head yes. But ask him if he’s been bad, and he will shake his head no.

“I think a lot of people underestimate how smart our Zoo horses are,” Diana said. “Hopefully seeing a pony that can paint will impress our guests.”

Be sure to visit Jose at his “day job,” which is giving children pony rides near Lodge at Moose Lake. While there, you can also view or purchase his works of art. Guests who book a Pony Birthday Party through the Zoo’s Education Department may have the opportunity to paint with Jose!  For more information about Pony Birthday Parties, visit http://cmzoo.org/kidsFun/birthdays/.