Trail of the Painted Ponies Wounded Knee Figurine.

On the frozen banks of Wounded Knee Creek, Lakota Chief Big Foot and his followers huddled together, hungry and exhausted. Driven off their lands, they surrendered and were surrounded by the U.S. 7th Calvary that had been ordered to peacefully escort them to a reservation. There was tension in the air. Troops feared the Sioux and the powerful Ghost Dances that spread through the Dakotas as the Indians frantically danced and prayed for the return of their way of life. A single shot rang out from a Calvary gun and chaos erupted. When the smoke cleared, peaceful Chief Big Foot and all of the Lakota lay dead in the snow. As the sun set on South Dakota, a single Native pony wandered the frozen plains in search of his beloved people that would dance no more.

This Iowa artist postponed a career in the arts to raise a family, but has found her passion for painting rekindled with The Trail of Painted Ponies. "Wounded Knee" won first place in the Paint Your Own Pony contest held at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky in July of 2007.

• Resin
• Artist: Vickie Knepper