With all the magic and wonder of a Disney movie, Painting with Metro: How a Crippled Racehorse Rescued Himself (and Me) with a Paintbrush by Ron Krajewski (with New York Times best-selling author Susy Flory) tells an inspirational story. Ron is a shy, Gulf War Air Force veteran. Metro Meteor is a feisty, bad-kneed two-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse destined for the slaughterhouse. An unlikely pairing, the two bonded through art: creating stunning abstract paintings to be exact. Each painting brought much needed strength and hope, plus a new lease on life to both man and horse. For Metro, painting became an escape from a death sentence; for Ron it meant overcoming his extreme introversion. Today, Metro and Ron have used their fame to highlight the perilous nature of the racing industry. Thousands of Thoroughbreds are bred for racing each year, but only five to ten percent ever see a racecourse. Unless they are lucky enough to find another career, these horses are disposed of.
To date, Metro's paintings have raised over $50,000 for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and he and Ron are regulars on TV, radio, and print, spreading the message that "every horse deserves a loving home."