Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west

Posts Tagged "horses"

Kristina: Sakhalin Equestrian Rider

Kristina: Sakhalin Equestrian Rider

Sakhalin: Kristina, a highschool student, was standing near the Lenin statue in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on a recent Russian holiday offering people to ride a horse for a fee. She said she has been riding horses since age 9 and can race 80km/hour and do jumps. Kristina said she rides with her dad on the weekend for two hours. I asked if he taught her to ride. "I taught him," she said. "I said dad, why don't I teach you. He said 'why'? I told him so that we could ride together." She said it took two months to teach him to ride confidently. Kristina said she would like to become a veterinarian.

Oleg: Kursk Painter

Oleg: Kursk Painter

Oleg is a well-known character in Kursk, running a gallery showing off local artists including himsdlf. Oleg was dressed in a denim jeans jacket, bell-bottom jeans and pointy black shoes, a reflection of his afinity for the 1970s and its music. He said he loves Robert Plant and listens to Led Lepplin sometimes when he paints. Indeed, a TV in the gallery corner was showing a LZ concert. Oleg said he was studying for an engineering exam some 30 years ago at a friend's house when he picked up a brush and started painting on a canvas belonging to his friend's brother. The brother told him he had talent and he gave up engineering. Oleg, who is surrounded by his paintings in this photo, doesn't just have an affinity for bell bottoms. He claims to have one of the largest horse bell collections in Russia with more than 1,000 pieces.