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March 29, 2023 Arts + Culture » Stuck in Vermont
Published March 29, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. | Updated March 29, 2023 at 10:04 a.m.
Nicknamed "PoNeigh," which rhymes with Monet, Pepperoni was already trained to pick up roses in his mouth. The 21-year-old miniature horse was part of the Trick Team at Plainfield's Breckenridge Farm, a group that entertained audiences during equestrian events and community gatherings. It also included Pepperoni's girlfriend, Tutti Frutti, a mini horse; a donkey called Dolly D. Donkey; and a mare named Sombra.
Almost two years ago, Pepperoni lost his right eye and needed a new purpose in life. Judi Whipple of Breckenridge Farm has devoted her life to working with horses, and she runs an equine training center with her husband, Craig Whipple. She consulted with her friend Jane Bradley, a former rider who has mobility issues due to muscular dystrophy.
Now in his "retirement," Pepperoni paints. Jane and Judi meet every Wednesday to watch him pick up paintbrushes and smear paint across the canvas. His paintings are a big hit among the horse crowd, and he does art demos for his fans. What began as art therapy for PoNeigh has become art therapy for Jane and Judi, as well.
Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger met up with Pepperoni and his team on St. Patrick's Day and watched him paint two canvases. You can follow PoNeigh's adventures on Instagram.
SEVEN DAYS: How did you hear about Pepperoni?
EVA SOLLBERGER: I got an email about Pepperoni from a "Stuck in Vermont" viewer named Faith Copeland, who used to board her horse at Breckenridge. I love animals, and I was intrigued by the idea of a mini horse painting. Faith put me in touch with Judi and Jane. I had a phone chat with Jane and realized this was a deeper story than I had initially figured. It was also about Jane and Judi and their unique connections to Pepperoni. We made a date when I could come out to the farm.
SD: First impressions of Pepperoni?
ES: I fell in love with him immediately. It's probably horribly unprofessional of me, but just look at him! Pepperoni was smaller than I expected, with a huge, spunky personality. I think he was less impressed with me, and I made him nervous by filming from different angles while he painted. But by the end of the day, we were friends.
When I was interviewing Judi, Pepperoni began frantically racing around the pen. Judi calls this action a case of the "zoomies." All of us watched him in awe as he dashed around in wide circles and bucked. He made it very clear who was the star of this video. Judi says he is an entertainer who loves to make people laugh. I was smiling from ear to ear like a kid after our afternoon together. Pepperoni is a very special horse. He's really soft, too.
SD: This story has many levels.
ES: This is my favorite kind of story, because you think it's about one thing: a horse who paints. But then you realize it's really about overcoming the odds, not letting disabilities hold you back and finding joy with others. I have no idea if Pepperoni knows what he is painting or cares about the final artworks. But he knows Judi and Jane care, and he obviously loves spending time with them. So all that camaraderie, happiness and love show up in his paintings — along with some arena dirt and jabs from Pepperoni's brushes.
SD: Tell us about his painting process.
ES: Pepperoni is a passionate artist, and he flips his brushes around with wild abandon. Jane's winter coat is covered in Pepperoni's paint, which she wears like a badge of honor and a fashion choice. She was nice enough to bring along an apron for me so I could avoid the paint splatters. It also gets on Pepperoni's muzzle, but it is children's paint and washes off easily.
SD: Anything special about this video?
ES: I make a lot of versions of every video: A seven- to eight-minute version plays on our website, a four-minute version plays on WCAX, and now I am making one-minute vertical videos for social media. This was the first time I started filming vertically for those videos. The vertical version is different visually from the horizontal one. I am experimenting and trying to reach audiences in new formats.
SD: Did you take home any art?
ES: Jane and Judi were very generous and gifted me one of Pepperoni's works that reminds me of spring — something I am very excited about. They also gave me some of Pepperoni's cards, which I will be mailing to friends.
Jane and her husband spread love around the world with the signs they make through their Orbit of Love initiative. She gave me a bright yellow "LOVE" sign, and I have already placed it in my garden. I was hoping to take Pepperoni home with me — I figured he would just about fit in my Prius — but no luck there.
SD: Just to be clear, PoNeigh is not a pony?
ES: Yes, that's confusing, right? Judi tells me that mini horses are not ponies. Thus his Instagram handle, @notaponypepperoni.
Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger has been making her award-winning video series, "Stuck in Vermont," since 2007. New episodes appear on this website every other Thursday and air the following night on the WCAX evening news. Sign up here to receive an email alert each time a new one drops.
The original print version of this article was headlined "Horsing Around | A miniature horse paints for art therapy in Plainfield"
Tags: Stuck in Vermont, Pepperoni, miniature horse, painting, Video
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