07/14/2025
✨🛡️ Oso’s Romanze – A Story of Art, Friendship & Fantasy Come to Life 🛡️✨
Somedays are just special. And this one? This one felt like a portal cracked open and let a little magic through…
Almost every weekend, I’m lucky enough to ride out with one of my dear friends Rob from Fangorn Ranch — fellow fantasy lover, leather wizard, and bringer of epic barding dreams. Our trail rides have become a ritual: miles of storytelling, shenanigans, dusty trails, and daydreams about dragons, armor, and everything in between.
But this weekend? We actually lived the daydream.
When Rob pulled up, the skies decided to test our commitment to the cause — and opened up in a full-on bucket dump. Thunder, sheets of rain, the whole dramatic soundtrack. We waited it out for a solid 30 minutes under cover, silently praying for the clouds to part — and guess what? The sun broke through, and we were blessed with the most magical light.
Perfect for the armor reveal.
Because this wasn’t just any armor — this was “Oso’s Romanze” — a full fantasy barding set that Rob handcrafted based on a painting I created of Oso as a Pegasus, guarding a castle. That artwork? It was just a vision. But Rob brought it into the real world. I still can’t believe it.
Oso, my noble grey gelding (and my husband’s usual trail partner), was transformed. The craftsmanship! The detail! It gleamed like something straight out of a storybook. The name Romanze is a nod to the bromance between Oso and Rob’s FriesianX, Gandalf — because those two are basically inseparable, and now forever immortalized in armor lore.
My husband Nathaniel took the photos (he nailed it), I handled the editing (still riding the adrenaline high), and yes — I may have had more costume elements planned… but Texas heat said no to fur cloaks and layers. 🥵 So this was the stripped-down, sweat-friendly version. 😂
Still — I felt like a warrior queen riding into battle.
The armor has already sold, but who knows… maybe this was just the beginning.
I am just so deeply honored that my art inspired something this real and beautiful, and that I got to showcase it this way! This is exactly the kind of magic that happens when passionate people collide. Let’s do more. More art. More armor. More wild, whimsical collaborations.
✨ What theme would you love to see turned into an armor set next? Drop your ideas in the comments!
📸 Photos: My hubby
🎨 Editing: Me
🛡️ Armor: Fangorn Ranch
🐴 Models: Nadine and Oso, my noble gelding
