Artist Wyeth honors his late wife, adopts 10 retired racehorses

A man’s love for his wife of more than 50 years combined with appreciation of majestic Thoroughbreds to create one of the extraordinary acts of 2020.

The artist Jamie Wyeth adopted 10 members of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s herd and accommodated them at idyllic Pastures of Point Lookout in Chadds Ford, Pa., as a “living tribute” to Phyllis Mills Wyeth (1940-2019).

“I love that the farm is active. It has horses,” Wyeth said. “Phyllis would have loved it.”

The couple had been married since 1968 after meeting at a New Year’s dinner party. “I was infatuated by her,” Wyeth said. By his own estimation, he painted her hundreds of times. He was at her side when she died Jan. 14, 2019.

Mills Wyeth is best known as breeder and owner of Union Rags, the 2012 Belmont Stakes winner. (They are shown above in a detail of a painting by Jamie Wyeth.) She entrusted many of her runners to trainer Graham Motion and developed a friendship with him and his wife, Anita. The latter, who oversaw the adoption on Wyeth’s behalf, is executive director of the 250-acre Pastures of Point Lookout, a nonprofit organization.

Wyeth, 74, and Anita Motion hope others will follow his lead.

“If you have the land and the wherewithal financially to take care of these horses, I think it is so rewarding for him,” Anita Motion said. “And it would be for other people if they realized how the TRF facilitates everything.”

The 10 horses Wyeth adopted had been participating in the Second Chances program at Wallkill Correctional Facility in Wallkill, N.Y. The program pairs prisoners and Thoroughbreds in helping to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for potential employment after incarceration.

Kimberly Weir, director of major gifts and planned giving at the TRF, emphasized that the magnitude of Wyeth’s action extends well beyond 10 horses.

“By adopting these 10, he had enabled us to take in 10 new horses into the sanctuary of the TRF,” she said. “In addition, his decision to share his gesture publicly has given the TRF an example to celebrate and, hopefully, to inspire others who have gifts to give — in whatever form those gifts may take.

“Mr. Wyeth’s creation of Pastures of Point Lookout is a demonstration of love and leadership. It shows us all the impact we can make by following our heart and transforming a wish into reality.”

Mills Wyeth lived a remarkable life, one that could easily have soured if she allowed that. She was 20 years old when she was involved in a horrific car crash that left her with a broken neck and spinal-cord damage. She went on to become a strident advocate for the disabled, for the arts and for the environment, among other causes.

“I’ve never seen a more active person,” Wyeth said. “She was a person of many hats, that’s for sure.”

Anita Motion would look forward to her visits to check on her horses. She marveled at seeing a woman who would not allow awful adversity to define her.

“She would go charging around on a little electric scooter,” Motion said. “She was very happy to pull a wheelchair up to the rail and watch the horses go, and then she would come back to the barn to see the horses. She got such a thrill out of it.”

Mills Wyeth possessed an inquiring mind. “She was incredibly with it mentally and challenged you when you spoke to her,” Motion said. “She was just a force of nature, basically, so vibrant.”

While Wyeth is quick to note that he is not a horseman, he finds the addition of horses to his land to be inspiring. “They are beautiful creatures, amazing animals, and I have painted animals all my life,” he said.

Undoubtedly, Mills Wyeth would approve of the care the retirees receive with Juan Martinez as manager. Among other amenities, Anita Motion, daily overseer Katharine Maroney and others treat them to what is known as “spa day.”

“We fuss over them and give them treats and give them a little extra attention, which they love,” Motion said.

In a year of anguish, pain and loss, Wyeth’s tribute is something to savor.