About the Artist Nina Kaiser Equine Sculpture

Nina Kaiser grew up in Northern California where she spent as much of her childhood as possible on horseback. While still a teenager, a chance encounter with the former owner of her retired racehorse introduced her to the world of horseracing. She spent the next 20 years working as an exercise rider and assistant trainer at racetracks across America and in Europe.

A lifelong aptitude for art led her to begin to experiment in creating sculptures of horses in the mid eighties. Her work came to the attention of friends and associates in the racing community who were instrumental in helping her to obtain her first commissions. Since that time, Ms. Kaiser's reputation has grown steadily and her work is now represented in collections around the world. She has been selected to sculpt many of the outstanding horses of our times, the short list of which includes John Henry, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Serena's Song, Azeri and Symboli Kris S. In addition, she has designed trophies for The Breeders Cup, Santa Anita, Del Mar, Hollywood Park, Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows.

On December 26, 2009, her life-sized sculpture of legendary racehorse John Henry was unveiled and joins the busts of jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr. and Chris McCarron as Ms. Kaiser's third major work to be permanently installed in Santa Anita Park's Paddock Gardens. She has also portrayed popular racing personalities Bill Shoemaker and Charlie Whittingham.

She prefers to work in a highly realistic manner, feeling that the natural beauty of the Thoroughbred is best portrayed without embellishment or stylization. Her years of daily observation and interaction with horses have been the best training for her remarkable ability to achieve the anatomical accuracy and individual characteristics of her subject for which her work is noted.

Ms. Kaiser lives and works in the San Diego area, not far from the Del Mar Racetrack where she spent so many of her summers.

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