More than a few people might have been wondering if they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing Saturday near the Carthage Saddle Club Arena in Municipal Park.
A “zebra” in Carthage attracted a number of double-takes from golfers and others as the animal’s owner, Ruth Splitter, Liberal, Mo., prepared it for a contest during the Lauren Howard Fun Fest Showdeo, a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network.
It was the painted pony contest and yes, the zebra was not the real African McCoy, it was the result of one patient horse and two hours of painting by Splitter and her friend Terri Horton, Pittsburg, Kan.
“She’s a black and white spitted paint mare I named Gypsy,” Splitter said. “We used a non-toxic, water-based, tempra paint we got from a school supply store in Pittsburg. We figured if it was safe enough for school children, it was safe enough for a horse.”
In addition to Gypsy, Splitter and Horton also brought a brown horse, known as a Missouri Foxtrotter, named Sashay and painted with the Children’s Miracle Network logo on the rump.
Splitter said if she hadn’t been recovering from two broken ribs, suffered after she fell from Gypsy’s big brother a couple of weeks ago, she would have been riding one of the horses at Saturday’s event.
“I normally trail-ride, I don’t paint my horses but I have two broken ribs from an accident so riding is out of the question for now,” Splitter said. “I know Carrie (Howard) and her daughter (Lauren Howard) and this is for a good cause so that’s why I’m here. It’s also a good experience for us and the horses.”
The third horse in the painted poly contest was a light brown animal named Paleface, shown by Jacob Terry and painted by Lauren Howard with handprints.
Sashay ended up winning the contest, with Splitter and Gypsy coming in second and Terry and Paleface coming in third.
Sue Williams and Chanie James, both of Diamond, judged the contest.
“It was a very difficult contest to judge,” Williams said. “You could tell these people spent a lot of time on the animals and they were very creative.”
