Pursuit of Joy

Five years after Barbaro's death, his influence is still being felt. Take the story of Linda Rae Joy, pictured above closest to the horse, who decided to pursue her passion, art, at the age of 60. It was then she began to combine her paintings with poetry and graphic design, tapping into all the elements of her inner muse.

For her 65th birthday, Linda and her daughter wandered through France, taking their time to stop and explore museums, gardens, whatever they discovered on their way. When she returned home, Linda decided she needed another adventure.

And so she gave up her apartment, donated her furniture and packed her van for a cross country excursion. "I decided to travel across the country, painting, experiencing and writing," said Linda. "And I decided that because I love to drive, and because I can drive 10 hours straight, I needed a reason to slow down."

That reason came straight from the horse's mouth, in this case Barbaro's. Inspired by the documentary on the horse's life, she decided to stop for horses and the people who take care of them. It wasn't long before she realized painting the horses was not enough. She began to interview their caretakers.

"Every farm has a story," said Linda . "And I wanted to get the connection and see why people would keep horses in this economy. I wanted to see the connection between the horse and the people."

And so her journey was born and who knows where it will end. You can follow her progress on her blog. The goal?

"Hopefully, when I am finished I will have a show of paintings and a coffee table book with photos, stories and paintings. I don't know how it will turn out, whether it will be seven months or ten months. Or whether I will finish it in one trip. But however it turns out, it'll be perfect. It's really bigger than me," Linda remarked.

Like I said, Barbaro's spirit lives on.