#626 Horses, con't . . . the Arabian

Please start this series of posts bout the horse with blog # 616

There are many different breeds of horses and nature designed each breed according to their intended use.

The Arabian horse is the oldest known breed of riding horse and evolved form ancient equine stock brought together
from the middle eastern deserts and  the barb;  which is a related breed from the  Barbary Coast - the name for western North Africa.  Throughout history, it's interesting to note that the Arabian Horse was the chosen mount of
Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and George Washington.

Arabian horses have developed a close affinity to man due to the centuries old requirements of desert nomads
sharing their water, food, and tents, with their cherished animals during harsh conditions. 

While there are many complex theories about the Arabian's ancestry, perhaps no other breed has been so deliberately bred for horseman of the desert and beyond.  Today's Arab stands approximately 15 and 1/2 hands, has a long 

arched neck, a distinctive dished head, a light muzzle, a large,  powerful chest, and interestingly - 

 has 23 vertebrae instead of the 24 of other breeds. 

Below, is a silhouette of the Arabian horse. The breed has a trot, a smooth walk, and a fast gallop.
The animal is hot-blooded and usually requires an experienced rider.

 Nature designed horses to be ridden and I have found that when modeling the animal, it's helpful to imagine yourself astride and riding bareback.  Try it!  You can truly transport yourself and imagine the mass, shapes, barrel of the ribcage behind you, the narrowness behind the withers and scapula where your legs are. and the "feel" of how the horse is put together.




Go to the BLOG INDEX  and Reference Page for more information.  See post #616 and #655

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#622 Equine conformation and proportion . . . con't.

Please start this series of posts with blog #616

There are many different breeds of horses and nature designed them according to their intended use.  

Their individual conformation is the method of evaluating a specific breed's proportion, shape, bone structure, 

and musculature with "form follows function" used as the guiding criteria.
Generally, a breed is a man-made creation, the product of centuries of selective breeding.

This blog highlights the proportion and shape of a very popular breed, well known in this country:  

The  American Quarter Horse . . .  strictly an American breed, the foundation sire of the modern 

Quarter Horse was a Thoroughbred named Janus who was brought to this country from England in 1756.
The early mixture with Spanish mares produced a compact and heavily muscled animal.

My Dad raised and bred Quarter Horses in Northeastern Oklahoma and my roots go back to the 1950s
when I was a kid growing up with knowledge of the revered names of Quarter Horse stallions such as Leo,
Joe Hancock, stud horses from the Waggoner Ranch in Texas, and Tulsa's own:  Bert.
This was the golden age of the Quarter Horse and the American Quarter Horse Association {AQHA}. . . 

the popularity of the breed continues to dramatically increase since those early days.

Below, is an original etching of a Quarter Horse entitled, "Yucca", my Father's all-time favorite etching.

The Quarter Horse was originally bred for fast starts and 1/4 mile straightaway racing. . . thus, the name. 

The legendary "cow sense" of the Quarter Horse makes the breed the rugged and durable horse of the West.   

In the early years, the stocky horse originally averaged 14.2 to 15.2 hands and had a low center of gravity which 

enabled great "turn on a dime" maneuverability.   More recently, Thoroughbred crosses have refined the animal.

Below is an original etching entitled, "Headin' a Quitter".

The breed has powerful hindquarters, low withers,
deep chest, very short cannons, wide-set forearms,
close-coupled back, a thick neck, and a short,
broad head with little fox ears and a short muzzle
. . . the ideal ranch horse.


At right, is a silhouette of the American Quarter Horse




Below, is a sculpture of a mare and foal entitled, "Southern Comfort".

Southern Comfort
11"H 16"W 6"D

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  See posts #616 and #655

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#621 Equine conformation and proportion

Please start this series of posts with blog #616

Equine conformation is the method of evaluating correctness of a specific breed's body proportion, bone structure, and musculature.  While judging a horse's conformation, "form follows function" is considered:  What is the animal's intended use?  For instance, a Clydesdale is certainly not intended to be used in the same manner as the American Saddle Bred!

While researching a specific breed for sculpture subject matter,  I refrain from slavishly analyzing strict conformation and typically experience the breed in its environment, up-close and personal.  I pay attention to my first impression of the animal and what impressed me most.  Afterwards and in the studio, I usually have a more analytical approach - particularly to proportion -  while going over my sketches and photography.  I also obtain all the information

 and imagery I can in my library and the internet. . . I'm after the "look and feel" of the breed . . . 

the GISS, or General Impression, Size, and Shape.

Below, is a great source of equine reference:  The visible horse, purchased in a toy store.

Below, is a sketch of my approach to basic equine proportion which was discussed in the previous blog.  

Two different breeds are highlighted in this post:  The American Saddle Bred and the Clydesdale.

 I do not hesitate to exaggerate and/or distort proportion while seeking an artistic statement about the specific breed's conformation and proportions.   For instance, making the waist of the Saddle Bred a bit smaller causes the animal to look more athletic and modeling the head of a Saddler slightly more refined creates a more elegant appearance. 

 A great place to experience the beautiful American Saddle Bred is a horse show.   

I'm researching and planning a sculpture of a Saddler and below is an image of the horse's silhouette.

The American Saddle Bred - whether three-gaited or five-gaited  - is an elegant horse with well-sloped shoulders, 

flat croup, long and fine neck, and strong legs.  Three gaits are natural to most horses: The walk, trot, and cantor.  

The five-gaited horse must learn two more: The rack and the amble [also called the broken trot].   

Whether bred for show or pleasure riding, the Saddler's conformation is stylish and proud. 

The foremost quality that a Five-gaited Saddler must have when ridden in the ring is presence and flashy animation.  

The judge looks for high action and high carriage of the head and tail.  I never fail to get a lump in my throat when the show ring announcer shouts, "rack on!". . .  the horse accelerates and goes faster and faster as the crowd goes wild!
The rack is a fast, smooth gait whereby the horse travels with each foot touching the ground separately to make four distinct beats.  The horse must be trained to do the rack . . it's demanding and tiring for the horse but comfortable
for the rider.  The Five-gaited is shown with long, flowing mane, while the mane of the Three-gaited is roached.

Big draft breeds like the Clydesdale were useful on farms and pulling wagons with heavy loads and have been replaced with tractors.  In towns, the nostalgic clopping of the Clydesdale can be imagined pulling carts piled high with beer kegs. 

The Clydesdale's history dates from the 18th century and originated in Scotland.  The breed evolved from the English draft horse and heavy Flemish stock and is not as heavy as other draft breeds such as the Shire, Belgian, or Percheron.


The Clydesdale has a distinctive style that is characterized by a brisk walk and stride.  The neck is well arched with long shoulders and high withers.  The back is short with well-sprung ribs and the strongly muscled hind quarters and legs convey an impression of strength and pulling power.  The long, sloping pasterns are feathered at the rear of the legs below the knees, wrist, and hocks . . .  most Clydesdales are either black, brown, or bay with white on the face and legs.

Below, is a recent bronze sculpture of a Clydesdale with tack entitled, "Horse Power".

Horse Power


There are many books about equine breeds and conformation . . . a good one is
"Storey's Illustrated Guide to 95 Horse Breeds" by Judith Harris Dutson;
Storey Publishing; 2005.  Also available on Kindle.

Go to the BLOG INDEX  and Reference Page for more information.  See posts #616 and 655

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

     

#619 In the studio . . . horse anatomy and bony landmarks

Please start this series of posts about horse anatomy with blog #616.

The artist must understand the location of bony landmarks when drawing, painting, and sculpting a figure such as the horse.   A painter creates the illusion of form by showing shadow, middle-tone, and highlights while the sculptor models a form in space that creates its own.  It may sound simplistic, but when asked what my main concern is in sculpture . . .
my reply is to make sure all of the shadows fall in the right place!


But how does a sculptor make sure all of the shadows fall in the right place?
The answer:  Bony landmarks.

The best way to analyze bony landmarks involve the following considerations:

1.  How does the skeleton influence the surface appearance?

2.  The artist must understand the animal's skeleton and the location of bony landmarks in the figure.

3.  Where does the skeletal structure rise to the surface?    

4.  Bony landmarks are typically hard edges while muscle structure is not.  Their relationship to each   

     other, where muscles attach to the main bones, must be understood.

5.  Observe the horse:  Where there are dips, curves, bumps, and knobs, projection and indentations -
     there is an anatomical explanation that the sculptor must understand.

6.  A bony landmark is a "waypoint" for the sculptor and is any identifiable point on the figure that     

     can be referred to such as where the femur joins the pelvis, where the humerus joins the scapula,
     or the tibia joins the metatarsus [cannonbone], etc.

                 Shown below is a clay model of a horse with body landmarks identified with dots.

7.  Bony landmarks occur at places where different parts of a form meet or come together.  This is  
     also called  "points of articulation".
8.  Understanding anatomy takes the mystery out of drawing, painting, and sculpting.   Start with the
      largest bones and compare them with your own.  All mammals have the same basic design.
9.  Bony landmarks can assist the artist in establishing proportion and a point of reference which is      
     discussed and illustrated in the next blog post.
10. Beyond bony landmarks and waypoints, the sculptor must keep the large masses simple. clarified,          
      and unified . . . more is said with large shapes, planes, and masses.
11. Indicate the simple, underlying masses of the skeletal system:  Skull, rib cage, pelvis, lumbar,
      abdomen, neck, shoulder, upper and lower leg, etc.
12. Bony landmarks are generally the joining of limbs and the points of articulation . . . be aware of

      your own body and movement when modeling the horse.   See drawing below.

13. Don't give premature attention to detail . . . there will typically be problems with proportion.

14. It's really true:  Sculptors sculpt what they know and painters paint what they see.

Three-dimintional form creates shadows . . .  when the sculptor understands anatomy,  

the shadows fall in the right place.

Eclipse
26"H 25"W 9"D

                 

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  See posts #616 and 655

Blog, text, photos, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

     

#618 In the studio: Bone structure and musculature of the horse

There are approximately 205 bones in the horse's skeleton and the artist must understand the skeletal structure. 

The artist must also know the major muscle groups.  Some of the muscles are deep and are hidden by outer muscles that lie over them.  The outer muscles - called superficial muscles - are those that lie just beneath the skin and are of major importance to the horse artist.  Some animals, such as bears are covered with thick fur but a horse's musculature, like humans, is revealed.  Please see blog #448, posted July 31, 2013; and blog #450, posted August 7, 2013 

for more information about this subject.

www.Blog#448

www.Blog#450

Shown below, is a drawing of the horse's superficial muscles with some of the main muscles identified.

Neck and shoulder:    1.  Deltoid                               Back and trunk:    10.  Latissimus Dorsi

                                   2.  Triceps                                                             11.  Longissimus

                                   3.  Brachiocephalus                                              12.  Fascia of Back and Loins

                                   4.  Splenius                                                           13.  Ventral part of Serratus

                                   5.  Trapezius                                                         14.  Intercostals

                                   6.  Cervical Part of Serratus                                 15.  External Abdominal 

                                   7.  Sternocephalicus                                                    Obliques

                                   8.  Trapezius                                                         16.  Ascending Pectoral

                                   9.  Pectoral

Hindquarters:             17.  Tensor Fascia Latae

                                   18.  Gluteals

                                   19.  Biceps 

                                   20.  Hamstrings

                                   21.  Hamstrings

                                   

    Although tissue, skin, and hair cover these muscles, they influence form.

The very nature of the horse's coat breaks reflections so that muscle masses become soft 

and fused into one another.  The artist must know what lies underneath. . .
In other words:  What causes the bumps, bulges, and hollows that I see on the animal?    

I have sketchbooks full of bone structure and musculature drawings of many animals including the horse.

I have found that drawing the skeleton and superficial muscles is an extraordinary way to analyze physical 

construction while a sculpture is in progress. . . much better than looking at pictures.

Keep in mind, drawing the animal from life allows the artist to portray the true character of the animal.

 I constantly refer to the authors, illustrators, and publications 

that are posted in the previous two blogs for anatomical information.

    Below, are drawings from my sketchbooks after A. Szunyoghy; credit resource.

                         

Below, are images of a great source of information . . . a plastic horse that I use in my studio for reference.

Contact Breyer Animal Creations - copyright, Susan L. Harris  2005

Go to the BLOG INDEX  and Reference Page for more information.

Blog, text, photos, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish