Drawing a Celtic Line on a Horse

Drawing a line on the body of a horse to give it a Celtic character is a challenge. I want to catch the flow and push of a line with the movement of a horse and its beautiful conformation.  The swirling and swinging of lines synchronise with the canter and the trotting or walking of the horse. I want to catch the feel of riding a horse in my drawings with a gestural line.  It is an idea for art; and it is worth trying on other animals.

I have just added horses from the battlefield since the Fall of Rome in 476 AD has just come up in the history of the Celts.  The riders must have been highly skilled in the Middle Ages to ride bareback without stirrups and a proper saddle. It took a while for horse equipment to catch up to the needs of the cavalry fighting in a battle. Paired stirrups to riders were as significant as the invention of the wheel to transport in human history. Saddles, stirrups, and chariots were a significant leap forward in the Middle Ages.

The extraordinary courage, strength, and spirit of the horse through history has meant friendship and love of a rare kind. The bond between war horse and rider was like no other.  Stories from old, returned soldiers and their mounts pull at the heartstrings as do some stories of dogs and their owners.  Loyalty beyond life. Horror and sacrifice.