As you know by now, the Museum is in the middle of a month-long closure in preparation for A Decade Afield: Celebrating 10 Years of the NSLM’s Museum. The anniversary exhibition explores the evolution of the Museum’s collections not just in the last ten years of its formal existence but including the 60+ years beforehand […]
Read More Sneak Peek: A Decade AfieldGrowing up, many of my days were spent in the company of horses. I began riding at a lesson barn with other horse-crazy kids and learned good horsemanship from the best teachers of all: the lesson horses. Each would have their own syllabus in mind. For example, Fergie, a little pony with a big attitude, […]
Read More The Sporting Guide to Thelwell“Wow, that is one well-centered whorl,” my vet remarked one cold autumn day as he completed a pre-purchase exam on the gelding I was about to buy. “He’s going to be easy to work with.” The practice of reading a horse’s whorls, or trichoglyphs as they are known more scientifically, to guess its personality is an […]
Read More What a Wonderful WhorlIt might come as a surprise to learn that before he became number 40, former President Ronald Reagan was an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic equestrian with a great love of horses. Anyone who has ever been on a horse understands that whether you sit atop a plucky pony or mount a steady steed, a change occurs. […]
Read More Ronald Reagan’s Last Rideby Nicole Stutt, Visitor Services Associate At the National Sporting Library & Museum, there are over 20,000 books on foxhunting, horse racing, fishing, field sports, and other related topics. In my first few weeks as a Visitor Services Associate, I found what was probably the last thing I thought I’d see on the shelves: a […]
Read More Folk Tails: The Japanese FoxIn 1999, NSLM was the recipient of a very generous bequest from Paul Mellon which included 11 weathervanes that are now scattered between the Museum and Library buildings. They have been previously written about, but having recently completed an inventory of them, I would like to highlight them again. Last fall, the American Folk Art […]
Read More What’s in a weathervane?For 368 years (and counting) The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton has been influential in the world of angling and conservation. Today there are dozens of organizations that bear his name, including the “Izaak Walton League of America” with 330 chapters across the country and hundreds of parks, nature preserves, and even inns named after […]
Read More “O, the gallant fishers life, it is the best of any”On September 12, 1980, Alexander Mackay-Smith wrote in an editorial in The Chronicle of the Horse: There is presently no comparable organization for promoting the work of American artists whose subject matter is flat racing, steeplechasing, point-to-points, foxhunting, horse shows, combined training events, polo, and the like. The 77-year-old sporting and sporting art scholar and […]
Read More Endurance: 40 (+ 1) Years of the American Academy of Equine ArtIn today’s world, it is easy to take for granted the comforts of modern technology. Horseback riding is a hobby now, not a necessity. We no longer rely upon the animal to commute, to work, or to make a living. Cars, tractors, and farm equipment have taken over those tasks. Even caring for horses has […]
Read More Some things never change…My days started here at the National Sporting Library & Museum behind the front desk. While my collections management internship officially started in November, it actually feels as though it started in August, when I first started working here as a Visitor Services Associate. From the get-go, I was encouraged to ask as many questions as I could and the senior staff were incredibly receptive and generous in answering them. They were eager to share with […]
Read More Enframed: My Internship with the NSLM
Drawing Covert 