Which famous equestrian artist created this painting?

Heywood Hardy (25 November 1842 – 20 January 1933) was a British artist, in particular an animal painter and painter of horse riding scenes. He also painted landscapes and portraits, especially equestrian portraits.

Heywood Hardy was born on 25 November 1842 at Chichester in Sussex, the youngest of ten children of the artist James Hardy. When he was 17 years old Heywood Hardy left the family home in Bath.

His first two paintings, landscapes, were accepted for exhibition at The Royal Academy in 1864. Later that year he left Keynsham to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where his principal teacher was Isidore Pils. Hardy spent much of his spare time copying paintings in the Louvre.

In 1870 Hardy removed to St John's Wood in London and established himself as an animal painter. In London he studied the comparative anatomy of animals and birds with Professor Alfred Henry Garrod, Head of the Scientific Department at the London Zoo.

He also made illustrations for Garrod's research on the horse gait. To assist his studies of lions, Hardy acquired a lioness that had died at the London Zoo and had it mounted by Rowland Ward, one of the foremost taxidermists of his day.

Horses and horse riding were the subjects of much of Hardy’s later work. His pictures of horse riding by the seashore and riders in 18th century settings are among his most popular paintings. Hardy painted three winners of the Grand National for their owners.