Equine Center Silent Auction & Maneighs

For more information contact Jan Williams (612) 624-6228 or Karin Winegar (651) 645-7547

University of Minnesota to Hold Silent Auction of Maneighs

(Falcon Heights, MN)---This strapping blonde Belgian artist weighs about 2,000 lbs. and uses unconventional parts of his person, er, body, to create cheery and unusual one-of-a-kind collectible works.
Hercules, a 10 year old draft horse at the University of Minnesota’s Equine Center (UMEC) on the St. Paul campus, paints with his hooves using non-toxic paint. His works will be part of the silent auction of equine goodies at the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Louise and Doug Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave., St. Paul on Monday, October 15 from 2 to 4: 30 p.m.  The artist himself will be present for photos with purchasers of his oeuvre.

The bold, abstract paintings executed in primary colors are called “Maneighs” in light-hearted homage to the French impressionist painters Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. 

The auction will include four works by Hercules and one by his muse, Belle, a black mare, as well as gift certificates for a saddle fitting, equine photography, equine jewelry and equine massage.

Hercules’s day job is a blood donor for the University’s equine patients. He has a universal blood type, and since horses have seven major blood groups and more than 200,000 different blood types, this makes Hercules a very valuable asset to horse owners across Minnesota.

Hercules and his paintings along with UMEC Director Dr. Stephanie Valberg will also appear on Almanac  (Twin Cities Public Television Ch. 2) with host Cathy Wurzer on Friday, October 12 at 7 p.m.
For additional information on Hercules or the University’s Leatherdale Equine Center  and its grand opening visit www.cvm.umn.edu/umec