Equine History News:
A major work by California equine artist Gladys Brown Edwards (1909-1989) has
become part of the collection of the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library (WKKAHL)
at Cal Poly Pomona. Edwards’ large painting of the chestnut Arabian stallion
*Orzel++, completed in 1970, was commissioned by Orzel’s owner, Ed Tweed of
Brusally Arabians in Scottsdale, Arizona, It was donated in February 2020 to
WKKAHL by Tweed’s granddaughter Shelley Groom Trevor.
Katie Richardson, head of Special Collections and Archives at the Cal
Poly Pomona University Library, said:
“We are
so grateful to Shelley for entrusting this rare Gladys Brown Edwards piece to
the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library. As the home for Gladys’ archival collection
which includes much of her research, writings, and artwork, acquiring this
painting helps round out the life and work of this remarkable woman. It also
adds important context to the other materials we have in the library thus
enhancing our understanding of the importance of the Arabian horse in US
history.”
Foaled in Poland and imported to the
US by Tweed in 1967, Orzel was famous for his versatility as a race horse,
halter horse, performance horse, and sire.
Edwards was one of the twentieth
century’s best known authorities on the Arabian horse. Her writing was widely
published; she was also well-known for her equine art. This painting has never been on display in a public setting before.
The W.K. Kellogg Arabian
Horse Library is one of the world’s largest public collections of Arabian horse
materials, including Gladys Brown Edwards’ papers.
I only saw one Arabian horse
race as a child. And what a race it was: I was there at Arizona Downs at Turf
Paradise in Phoenix, Arizona, on the late March 1968 day when two legendary
stallions faced off, and the chestnut Orzel (Pietuszok x Ofirka), carrying 142
pounds, defeated his arch-rival, the favorite Kontiki (Camelot x Almiki).
At the time, I didn’t know the stories of these famous
Arabian athletes. But I still have the fragmented but clear memories of an
eleven year old child: Hearing the track announcer at start of the
mile-and-a-half Arabian Invitational Race. Losing sight of the field from my
vantage point not far from the rail, where I insisted on standing (despite my patient
father’s suggestion that I could see better from the grandstand).
Then two more
very clear images move through my mind: the chestnut stallion crosses the
finish line. He is moving in slow motion, floating above the ground as he flew past, ahead of
his gray rival. And finally, the scene
in the winner’s circle, where several members of Orzel’s human family surrounds him, including a slender young blonde woman, Tweed's granddaughter Shelley.
The
chestnut stallion’s name means “eagle” in Polish, I later learned. How
appropriate, that in my memory Orzel flies.
Fast forward to mid-February 2020, and I am driving back
to California from a visit to Scottsdale (before the effects of the coronavirus
had spread worldwide, limiting travel). Cactus and mountains roll past me on the left and right.
And in the back seat of my Volkswagen, carefully secured in a large flat box, Orzel flies
past the finish line, ears pricked, his bright chestnut coat gleaming. His hooves do not touch the ground.
I am
taking Gladys Brown Edwards’ striking portrait of Orzel to the W. K. Kellogg
Arabian Horse Library, where Gladys’ papers, research notes, and some of her
artworks are held, important parts of this unduplicated mother lode of equine
history. The painting was donated to the Horse Library by Shelley Groom Trevor,
who trusted me to transport it.
Two
multi-talented legends in the world of the Arabian horse -- artist and subject -- came together in this
painting. Edwards was one of the twentieth century’s most prolific and renowned
authorities on the Arabian breed. Her painting of Orzel underscores the versatility
of the Arabian horse and its importance during the twentieth century.
 |
| Orzel, from the Brusally Ranch archives. Used with permission. |
An advertisement for Orzel in a 1977 Arabian horse magazine noted the stallion’s accomplishments:
Standing 15.3½, *ORZEL+ is a unique
combination of size, refinement, action and intelligence.
His superb bloodlines are acclaimed in
Poland, where his full sister ORLA is one of the most celebrated mares in
racing history. *ORZEL+’s sire *PIETUSZOK was a leading sire of race winners
for many years, and his dam OFIRKA was a featured Outstanding Mare at the 150th
Anniversary of Janow Podlaski Stud.
Imported by Ed Tweed in 1967, *ORZEL+ won
the title of U. S. Arabian Racing Champion. He was retired from the track in
1968, and went on to win major Grand Championshps in both halter and
performance classes. His National wins include the following:
U.S. National Arabian Racing Champion, U.S.
TOP TEN Stallion, Canadian TOP TEN Stallion, U.S. TOP TEN English Pleasure
Horse, U.S. National Champion Sidesaddle Horse, and Legion of Merit.
Gladys admired Orzel, noting that he was a “magnificent
red chestnut [with] as grand a forehand as one might ever see, with long
shoulder, arched neck, and breedy head.” Her painting capturing Orzel in flight
on the racetrack is dated 1970, when she was becoming increasingly
well-respected as an authority on the Arabian as well as a popular artist and trophy designer. To
this day she is known to many simply by her initials, GBE. (There's even a Gladys Brown Edwards Facebook fan page.)
 |
| Arabian US National Champion trophy designed by Gladys Brown Edwards in 1968. This particular one was awarded to Khemosabi in 1973. It's in the collection at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library. Orzel once beat the younger Khemosabi in a halter class in Santa Barbara (see below). |
The finding aid for
the collection of her letters, sketches, and more at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian
Horse Library summarizes her life and career:
Gladys Brown Edwards was born Gladys
Melvina Brown in Portland, Oregon, on June 3, 1908.... As a child, Gladys became fascinated with
horses and carved tiny horse models. She attended Manual Arts High School in
Los Angeles, where she was awarded an honor in art for "individual and
excellent studies of the horse." After graduation, Gladys received a
four-year scholarship to the Chouinard School of Art. At Chouinard, she studied
under painter Millard Sheets and Arthur Millier, who was art editor for the Los
Angeles Times. While still in art school,
Gladys worked as a professional artist and contributed illustrations to Sportologue
magazine.
Gladys began working as a secretary at the [W.
K.] Kellogg [Arabian Horse] Ranch in 1932. She was hired not for her clerical
skills, but for her extensive knowledge of horses. At the Kellogg Ranch, she
continued her studies of horse conformation and expression and soon became
known as a master of equine anatomy. Many of her early works focused on the
Arabian horse and she was recognized as an authority on the breed.
…Gladys' career flourished throughout her
life. In addition to sculpture, she produced paintings, etchings, wood
carvings, dry point engravings, drawings, and pastels. Her art found an
audience beyond the horse community and has been featured in art galleries,
museums, magazines, and multiple books. Gladys was also a prolific writer,
contributing articles to horse magazines and authoring several books including Anatomy
and Conformation of the Horse, The
Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse, and A Photographic History of the Polish
Arabian. She co-authored the book The
Kellogg Arabians with Kellogg Ranch
manager H.H. Reese and illustrated his books Arabian Horse Breeding and Horses of Today.
Gladys periodically took out ads in Arabian horse
magazines for her commissioned horse portraits and other artworks. An ad for
Brusally in Arabian Horse World in
May 1970 shows the artist at work on the portrait of Orzel. In the painting,
the stallion’s ears are pinned back, but Tweed explained to the artist that Orzel
raced with his ears pointing forwards when he was in the clear. Gladys changed
the painting to show the horse with his ears pricked forward.
The finished painting graced the cover of Arabian Horse News magazine in July 1975.
In her
book Orzel: Scottsdale’s Legendary
Arabian Stallion, Tobi Lopez Taylor notes that some have called Orzel the
“Secretariat of Arabian racing,” with a Triple Crown of his championships in
racing, halter, and performance. When Orzel
retired from racing, he was trained as a halter horse, earning the Top Ten
awards mentioned above. One of his halter wins came at the 1969 Arabian Horse
Association of Southern California Horse Show in Santa Barbara, where the
charismatic Orzel won the stallions six and over class and was then named
champion stallion over a younger stallion, Khemosabi. (Khemosabi went on to win
multiple national championships and sired more than 1,200 foals.)
Next, Orzel
was trained as a lady’s mount for owner Ed Tweed’s granddaughter, Shelley Groom
Trevor, and the pair represented Brusally Ranch in performance classes in the
show ring. The connection between horse and rider was evident to observers. One
of them, Walter Farley, the author of the popular Black Stallion book series, called Shelley “so dedicated, so
competent, beautiful on and off a horse,” and observed: “[I]f you take Orzel,
paint him black, add a little height and speed, you’ll have my Black Stallion.”
In February 1973, Orzel was awarded the coveted Legion of Merit, recognizing
his achievements as a show horse.
 |
| Orzel and Shelley, from the Brusally Ranch archives. Used with permission. |
Between 1969
and 1985, Orzel sired 98 purebred Arabian foals, including 6 national winners
(in halter, Hunter classes, Stock, Western Pleasure, dressage, and Sidesaddle),
9 race winners, and 5 stakes winners. His grandget included 136 race winners,
25 stakes winners, and 5 National winners (in halter, Hunter Pleasure, Hunter
over Fences, and Show Hack).Taylor notes that Orzel’s name
“can be found in the pedigrees of horses throughout the world, in disciplines
that require speed, agility, and stamina.”
Orzel’s
“triple crown” of achievements – in racing, in halter, and in performance -- is
testimony to his amazing versatility, to say nothing of his legacy as a sire. I believe Orzel can be recognized for his
contributions in another area: he served as an ambassador to the public for
the Arabian breed. Brusally Ranch used to host open houses for the public to see their horses. This amateur photo of Orzel,
taken in 1972, was in the
collection of my late friend Kay McCue.
 |
| Orzel, photo by Kay McCue. From the collection of Tobi Lopez Taylor. Used with permission. |
Writer/editor
Julie Campbell also visited Brusally in the 1970s, when she was a student at Arizona State University. She told me, “Before I saw Orzel at Brusally
in the late ’70s, I’d thought of Arabians as a delicate, though hardy, breed
(the Black Stallion notwithstanding). When I met Orzel, however, I was struck
by his commanding presence, his size, and his strength. What a horse. And the
clear bond that he and Shelley Groom Trevor shared was a pleasure to see.”
 |
| Arizona State University students visited Shelley Groom Trevor and Orzel at Brusally Ranch in Scottsdale in the 1970s. Photo by Julie Campbell (used with permission). |
In her
book on Orzel, Tobi Lopez Taylor shared Shelley Groom Trevor’s memories of Orzel.
Shelley called him “the horse of a lifetime:”
“His
tremendous power is coupled with balance and sensitivity. A rider has only to
communicate clearly. He listens, responds, learns with amazing ease. He does
not become angry or resentful. Above all, Orzel has heart: that bottomless
reserve of inspired energy that thrills rider and spectator alike. In Polish
Orzel means ‘eagle,’ and the eagle is strong in him. He is proud precise,
secure in his supremacy—a study of immense power and perfectly synchronized
motion. Our favorite place to work is the track, where he soars on a natural
high and never fails to draw me into his spell.”
Gladys
Brown Edwards’ portrait shows Orzel on the race track, captured for a moment in
time, soaring above the ground. Because the painting is now part of the WKKAHL
collection, Orzel, the “eagle,” will continue to fly and represent the Arabian breed to
the public for many generations to come.
Thanks to the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse
Library for allowing me to "break" this story! WKKAHL's web page is here: https://www.cpp.edu/library/kellogg-arabian-horse-library/services/index.shtml
Here's some wonderful video footage of Orzel and Shelley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJPSAzurlbY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3xPPSTxQ1VcWaEbXo_nlEGDH9A7vC3lc29VIhpASFhi--g46sDx-5AIzI
Many thanks to Tobi Lopez Taylor and Shelley Groom Trevor for their invaluable assistance in writing this story.
For further reading:
For further reading:
Here’s a link to Tobi Lopez
Taylor’s book Orzel: Scottsdale’s
Legendary Arabian Stallion: https://www.amazon.com/Orzel-Scottsdales-Legendary-Arabian-Stallion/dp/1626199620/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tobi+lopez+taylor&qid=1585883580&sr=8-1
And The Polish and Russian Arabians of Ed Tweed's Brusally Ranch: https://www.amazon.com/Polish-Russian-Arabians-Tweeds-Brusally/dp/0978774612/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tobi+lopez+taylor&qid=1585883628&sr=8-3
A Riding Life: Memories, Dreams, Art, and Love, by Shelley Groom Trevor with Tobi Lopez Taylor:
*Orzel fan Julie Campbell’s
book The Horse in Virginia can be
found here: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/1814?fbclid=IwAR3UZMRWPsbr_kBG-tGyk7yDi9tEcqA8dWkU6coCV1NfK6-P23U5hPK4zus
