Karen Trempus of Penn Township shows off some of her horse art collection, including this weather vane below, which she will talk about for a Maridon Museum program on Sept. 15.

Retired school teacher Karen Trempus of Penn Township became interested in horses when a student in her second-grade class brought in ribbons from a horse show.

She taught in the Allegheny Valley School District in Springdale.

That tiny spark bloomed into Trempus taking riding lessons along with her husband, John. She has been riding horses for about 17 years.

Now she has collected more than 100 horse items, such as pictures, statues and wall hangings, plus a real horse, which she has a model of as well.

She's learned all about the care of horses, visiting barns and race tracks, leasing horses and eventually buying a retired race horse named Smoken Due, which she has had for seven years.

Trempus' collection of equestrian articles has been part of her passion and ranges from her first wooden horse wall carving to a wide variety of objects including statues, more wall hangings, an Arthur Armour horse tray, and jewelry, among other things.

Pieces from her collection will be exhibited during her program “Horse Tales” at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Maridon Museum, 322 N. McKean St.

Reservations for the program are required; call the museum at 724-282-0123. Admission is free.

The horse artwork can be viewed at the museum starting Sept. 8.

Other presentations in “The Collectors” series at the museum will feature:

Kimberly Vensel, the “Butler Butterfly Lady,” Oct. 13

“Go with the Flow” about flow blue china with Ellen King, Nov. 17.

The museum is open regularly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and free for children younger than 8 accompanied by an adult.