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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | September 2026
here is a quiet kind of honesty in
Bethany Goforth’s work, one that
doesn’t demand attention but instead
holds it. A glance becomes curiosity about
the horse’s story. That subtle shift in an ear,
a barely-there tension in the eye—these are
the details that transform her portraits from
likeness into connection.
Bethany’s life has always been intertwined
with horses, not just as an artist but as an
owner, exhibitor and lifelong horsewoman.
That duality of living with horses and studying
them through art has shaped a perspective that
goes beyond anatomy or aesthetics.
For Bethany, every horse carries a distinct
personality, one that must be understood before
it can ever be drawn. “The spark in the fresh
horse’s eye or the kind, soft eye in a gentle soul—
knowing the horse I’m working with is so key,”
BETHANY
GOFORTH
Where Emotion
Meets Accuracy
By Shya Beth
she shared. It’s this knowing that becomes the
foundation of her work: not observation alone,
but familiarity; not reference, but relationship.
There is a deeper layer in Bethany’s work
she is always reaching for—the emotional
truth that exists between horse and human.
Those fleeting, intimate moments that often go
unnoticed in real time become the heart of her
compositions.
“To have horses and not feel an emotional
connection with them is something I simply
cannot comprehend,” she said. Her work reflects
that belief. This is especially evident in her
memorial pieces, where the weight of memory
becomes part of the process. Bethany embraces
that heaviness and responsibility. She asks
questions, studies photographs and learns quirks
and nuances, all in pursuit of capturing not just
how the horses looked but who they were.
PATIENCE AND PRECISION
When that emotional depth meets accurate
anatomy and detail, something shifts. The
artwork begins to resonate beyond the canvas.
It becomes personal, even for those who have
never met the horse.
Working primarily in colored pencil, graphite
and charcoal, Bethany has chosen mediums
that reward patience and precision. “These
mediums give me the ability to focus on details,”
she said. “I love working on the nerdy little
details and can get lost in stitching a harness,
creating silver scrollwork or braiding a mane.
Plus, the little wisps of an untidy mane, whiskers
of an unshaven muzzle, or eyelashes with a glint
of sunlight lend themselves perfectly to these
mediums. I also love the layering of colored
pencils to achieve the richness and differences
“Preston & Buddy”