The Heart of Spanish Nights

Veronica Swales riding Spanish Nights (affectionately known as ‘Naomi’) won the 2024 Stallion Stakes Open Hackamore while I was tucked away up north in my studio. Working on a richly vaquero-inspired painting, the perfect title came the morning I learned of their Championship win: “Spanish Nights,” tying the painting and their story together.

From this monumental win, one photo stopped both Veronica (aka Ronnie) and I in our tracks—Naomi excelling in the hackamore, captured by our friend and uber talented photographer, Carolyn Simancik. Naomi just had to be painted was the unanimous decision. 2025 brought more triumphs: Naomi, in only her second time straight up in the bridle, carried Ronnie to the ultimate victory on Team Purple at the American Performance Horseman and the first Canadian to take home this title, cementing two legacies into one.  

August was set to begin the painting, but tragedy struck – Ronnie was tragically compromised and in a coma after a down the fence accident while competing in Vegas. I pressed on and the painting evolved, with each brushstroke carrying hope and intensity as Ronnie recovered. Now back in Texas, she was thriving in rehab, however not released to ride. With three entries up in the Snaffle Bit Futurity, she summoned her brother, John to catch ride for her. Ronnie attended every day, cheering from the sidelines as John and Bowie Nights, Spanish Nights’ half-sister, rose to the top and won the Futurity riding the young horse Ronnie had trained.

I don’t know how many more ways I could connect Spanish Nights and this painting to Veronica’s miraculous journey. For me as an artist, this is one of the most profound paintings I have ever done, filled with purpose, legacy, and rich layers of meaning. Every brushstroke carries the story of triumph, heartbreak and miracles.

When all is said and done, I am simply grateful: to know Veronica and everyone involved, to be a part of their journey and to be entrusted with depicting the Heart of Spanish Nights. 

-Shannon Lawlor