"Horses in Art with a Military Slant" A Talk by Barbie Thompson

"Geri Parlby’s series of art lectures sparked my interest in preparing a talk on horses in art. As I delved into the subject, I became aware of a significant number of artistic works inspired in the wake of conflict. A starting point is the cave paintings discovered in Europe which appear naive to our modern eyes. When compared with the wild horse species the artists were familiar with, their depictions prove surprisingly accurate.

The domestication of horses by Eurasian tribesmen transformed their nomadic society, warfare, and trade routes An urban myth maintains equestrian statues reveal how the rider died by the position of the horse’s hooves. I dispel the legend with illustrations of famous individuals mounted on horseback and the true cause of death. The talk ends with a tribute to the role Dockyard horses played until after the Second World War."