For the pony-obsessed child or horse-crazy person who has everything comes a “real life” rocking horse, the creation of Mario Molina Espeleta, a Dutch taxidermist. His company is called Taxidermy Amsterdam and he is definitely a gifted taxidermist. A quick scan of his website and one can see his “animals” range from exotic birds to African wildlife, including a giraffe and zebra, to the humble raccoon and porcupine.
But what stands out in the “has to be seen to be believed” category is Espeleta’s rocking horse made from a dead pony. Sure, it’s beautiful, ponies are, yet it’s not a stretch to add that it’s also extremely creepy and unnerving at the same time.
Before you completely run screaming, Espeleta insists no animals were harmed to make his taxidermy; he only works on subjects that died of natural causes or were humanely euthanized. Espeleta acquired the pony’s skin from another colleague and got to work on the rocking horse. The final price tag is 15,000 euros or approximately $23,000 CDN. He’s hoping some parent or grandparent will purchase the pony for a child or grandchild, but he adds that it also functions as art. Certainly this pony will cost a lot less to board, train and feed, but it might give a horse lover more than a few nightmares.