From the easel to the ring, horses have found a way to be in every part of Weatherly Stroh’s life. As the Official Program Cover Artist / Artist in Residence for the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival and an avid amateur-owner hunter competitor, Weatherly Stroh successfully juggles the fast-paced equestrian lifestyle as a business owner, equestrian, and artist.
Early Beginnings
Like most life-long equestrians, Weatherly grew up riding just outside of her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She competed in the junior equitation divisions and the junior hunters while her parents, who met while riding, collected a “menagerie” of horses and dogs at their home that her mother would often sketch and hang up around the house.
Born into a family of artists, she was immersed in various artistic mediums from a young age. Her mother, a graphite artist who now does bronze sculptures of dogs and horses and her great uncle, Gari Melchers, an American Impressionist painter, both contributed to Weatherly’s early fascination with art.
Starting Her Business
With a degree in Fine Art and a Master’s in Education from the University of Colorado, Weatherly’s career in painting did not start immediately after graduating. She was first a ski instructor and then a third and fourth grade teacher in the Vail Valley. In 2010, she decided after spending several years in Colorado to leave her teaching position to pursue her passion for painting.
Over the years, Weatherly has become most well known for her original oil paintings of horses. From portrait paintings to commissions and action scenes of the different disciplines, each and every one of Weatherly’s paintings is easily identifiable based on her unique style, seen below.
Artist, Equestrian, and Business-Owner
After some time off from riding and the show ring while starting up her business as a full-time painter, Weatherly was ready to get back to what she loved. She now shows her horse, Sir Henry in the Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions, and being based out of Wellington, Florida has made meshing her roles of painter, rider, and business-owner possible.
Weatherly’s permanent studio is based in Wellington, just a five minute drive from the horse show. But, this season, Weatherly will be based out of Wellington International for the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival as the Official Program Cover Artist / Artist in Residence for the 2025 winter season.
Since moving to Wellington, two of Weatherly’s original oil paintings were chosen to adorn the covers of Winter Equestrian Festival programs. One of her newer pieces, “Bay Eye” can be seen on covers of 2025 programs all over Wellington.
Weatherly can be seen wearing one, or more, of her multiple hats on the show grounds, sometimes sporting breeches and a show coat to compete on the weekends with Sir Henry “Henry” and her leased mount and recent muse to many of her original paintings, Blue Cruise “Ice”; in The International Club hanging her latest original pieces on the walls of VIP; and in her booth planning commissions with fellow competitors.
Behind the paintings and grandeur of WEF, Weatherly is just like other amateur equestrians, hoping to have good rides with the horses they adore and enjoying the horse-centric lifestyle of Wellington.
About Weatherly Stroh
Weatherly Stroh is currently based in Wellington, Florida and has a seasonal booth at Wellington International for the 2025 winter season. Her booth is located outside of the International Club and is open to the public.
To see more of Weatherly’s work, visit her website.
To stay up-to-date with Weatherly follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
