Sam Savitt

Sam Savitt (1917 - 2000) was considered perhaps the most accomplished equine artist of his generation. He was the official artist of the United States Equestrian Team and illustrated more than 150 books. He also wrote 15 books and co-authored two others. Most were short stories aimed principally at young people, although his classic Draw Horses with Sam Savitt (published in 1991) attracted a general audience and is still in print. Other books included:

• Dingle Ridge Fox and Other Stories
• Vicki and the Brown Mare
• Great Horses of the United States Equestrian Team
• Midnight, Champion Bucking Horse
• Wild Horse Running
• Step-a-Bit
• Day at the LBJ Ranch
• There Was a Horse

His drawing style was spare and sketch-like - and he was a known talent for capturing the action of moving horses, especially jumping horses, with an economy of strokes. He painted and drew horses in a variety of media including oil, watercolor, ink and charcoal.

He worked for numerous commercial accounts and did portraits for such clients as Austin and William Randolph Hearst Jr., August Busch, Raymond Firestone and Jean Kennedy Smith. His widely sold "Sam Savitt's Guide to Horses" is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum. This was the first of his series of information charts about horses. He was commissioned to do the official poster for the 1991 Kentucky Derby. In 1998, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Horseman's Association, the only artist ever to be so honored. A similar honor had been bestowed by Equus Magazine in 1986. "The Chronicle of the Horse," a publication [1] dedicated to the entire sport horse industry since 1937, published Sam Savitt artwork on its magazine cover 30 times -- the most of any artist. He was one of 10 internationally recognized equestrian artists who founded the American Academy of Equine Art [2] in 1980.

The son of a salesman, Mr. Savitt grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. (In 1990, the city honored him for his lifelong accomplishments.) He graduated from Pratt Institute [3] in Brooklyn in 1941. During World War II, he served in the Asia-Pacific theater and rose to the rank of first lieutenant. In 1950, he attended the Art Students League of New York [4]and, in 1951, studied sculpture at the New School. In later years, he frequently conducted workshops on drawing and painting horses. His first major recognition came in 1958 when his book "Midnight, Champion Bucking Horse" won the Boys' Club of America junior book award.

The Savitt information charts, together with a wide range of prints, books, post cards and other items he created, were distributed by Black Horse Press. This mail order business was managed by his wife, Bette, from 1963 until 1996. At that time, the inventory of horse charts and distribution rights were sold to Half Halt Press [ http://www.halfhaltpress.com ]. However, other prints and original artwork continue to be available through samsavitt.com.

From 1956 until his death, he lived on One-Horse Farm in North Salem, New York. An excellent rider, he participated in many local horse shows and was a member of the Goldens Bridge Hounds [5].He was survived by his wife of 54 years, Bette; daughter, Vicki Savitt of Berkeley, Calif.; and son, Roger Savitt of Bedford, N.Y.

For more information, see http://www.samsavitt.com and Leo Pando's 2002 essay about Mr. Savitt on HorseArtCollection.com [6].