BELLAIRE — The United States Postal Service is set to release a new series of stamps featuring stunning horse photography, with artwork by Ohio Valley native and current Bellaire resident Stephanie Moon.

Scheduled for release June 17, these unique stamps are already available for pre-order.

Moon contributed four out of the five photographs gracing the stamps, in addition to the salvage image. The fifth photograph is courtesy of Karen Wegehenkel. Notably, one of Moon’s photographs captures a local horse, now deceased. Her other captivating images showcase horses from central Ohio, where she resided for 20 years before returning to the Ohio Valley.

“My family had horses growing up, and we rode them all over the hills of Belmont County. I have loved them ever since,” Moon said. “For most of my adult life I have not owned horses, but I have ridden others’ horses from time to time. Once I took up photography, horses were a natural subject for my lens.”

USPS Art Director Derry Noyes said, “We’ve done horses in the past (on stamps), mostly formally, such as show horses, or Secretariat, steeplechasers, and the Quarter Horses,” she added, sharing that she wanted this new set to stand apart as more informal — portraits out in a field or a barn. “And I chose to use photography because we’d illustrated horses in the past.”

To secure your set of these extraordinary stamps, visit your local post office or pre-order online today. For more information, visit these links:

stampsforever.com/stamps/horses

stampsforever.com/stories/equine-portraits