On the Timeless Bond Between Humans and Horses — through the Lens of Art History
By Anna Archinger
Horses (1933) by Pablo Neruda
From the window I saw the horses.
I was in Berlin, in winter. The light
had no light, the sky had no heaven.
…
I looked. I looked and was reborn,
for there, unknowing, was the fountain,
the dance of gold, heaven
and the fire that lives in beauty.
I have forgotten that dark Berlin winter.
I will not forget the light of the horses.
As an equine photographer, my artistic fascination with horses is boundless and continually expanding. Like many artists, I am captivated by their majestic power and elegance, key features that contribute to, as Neruda so eloquently put it, ‘the light of the horses.’ Artists and writers’ fascination with horses motivates me to look more into my own bond with horses and reflect on the reasons why they are so inspiring, making one experience an almost unearthly joy and, strangely, a sense of purpose.
Both Western art history and literature are fountains of inspiration, proof of the artists’ timeless fascination with these creatures whose presence has contributed to the quality of their lives by enhancing commerce and goods exchange, transporting traders from village to village (hundreds of years before e-commerce), or helping their human partners on the frontline. In war scenarios, to rely on a horse meant literally that – to trust the horse with your life. No other animal would be capable of such a deep connection and devotion, but building rapport with them is an art form that – equestrians or not – we all can learn and would gain from reflecting on this gracious, almost mythical bond. I first acknowledged this by studying not only through my photographic lens but also the “academic art of riding” itself, which has proven to be a never-ending source of inspiration for me.
When riding became an art form
The art of riding is a complex process that involves communication and creative negotiation. Its history, as trainer researchers like Bent Branderup have extensively documented, helps us gain insight into how the horse as a means of combat transitioned throughout centuries until what can be called today as “leisure riding.”
Academic horsemanship dates back to the Renaissance when horses were important military vehicles – a tradition that’s been inherited from ancient times. In times of war, horses had, for centuries, two very precise purposes: -1- to protect the prince on the battleground; -2- to help fearless warriors win the battle. The goal was, to quote other professionals, very practical: “As long as the princes themselves fought in the front ranks on horseback on the battlefield, … it was simply a matter of survival, so the weapons exercises were given higher priority than the dressage.”
As princes and key members of European monarchies slowly withdrew from close combat, the demand for war horses decreased, and riding became a practice based on the concept of art for art’s sake. Cavalry schools began to recruit passionate people instead of professional soldiers. With this, the old riding techniques that involved a lot of training to handle weapons on horseback were also given up, and riding started experiencing its highest perfection.
The art of riding flourished for the first time in Naples around 1530, when Frederico Grisone founded the first riding academy in 1532. During the Renaissance, riding academies became so popular that horses captured the interest of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael—all of whom left us some fascinating horse representations. Sandro Botticelli’s Pallas and the Centaur, a mythological painting tempera that fits in the Early Renaissance Genre, depicts two life-seize figures from classical mythology and probably, like most of his allegorical masterpieces, forms an allegory whose iconography still remains an enigma. The two figures dominate the bare landscape displayed in a vertical composition, focusing one’s gaze on the relationship between the two subjects. Though the composition does not unfold horizontally, its narrative force lies in the symbolism of the figures, which enhances the reading of the piece.
The centaur, a hybrid half-men half-horse creature from the Greco-Roman mythologies, was viewed as a lusty being, a wild and untamed beast, even a barbaric creature who commits violent acts to indulge their lust. Boticelli’s artwork represents the centaur being brought under control after having trespassed on forbidden territory. The tamer, an armed woman depicted as a confident guard, grabs the trespasser by the hair, determining him to take a submission posture. The female figure has been identified by art historians both as the goddess Pallas Athena and the Amazon Camilla, the chaste heroine of Virgil’s Aeneid — the Greek and Roman goddesses of wisdom and strategic warfare.
Some art historians have interestingly expanded the interpretations of this artwork to the point of explaining the political influence of the Medici family in the epoch – with Pallas as the embodiment of the Medici virtues and vision for peace (the rings emblem and the olive branches). Others have claimed that the female guardian encodes the state of alertness that Lorenzo de Medici maintained in Florence against the chaotic and cunning adversaries represented in this artwork by the Centaurs. What is without doubt hard to dispute is the moral content of the painting, in which virtue is depicted as victorious over sensuality and fierce behavior.
Connecting with a 500+ Kg horse requires their consent, and that’s captivating
I’ve been personally invested in horses as an equine photographer and a horse trainee, so I prefer to say that I connect with horses instead of taming them. Adult horses can weigh 500 kg (+/-). If you learn to connect with them, you can reach the point where you truly feel their power and that they generously share control over their own strength, making you feel almost like a centaur. To put it short, the bond can be empowering and, at the same time, humbling.
It became increasingly accepted that you can establish a predictable dialogue and body coordination with a horse by showing them that you are safe and know what you are doing. That means working with horses is based on learning to control your energy and compensate for the horses’ vibe. Riding, or horse training in general, is a sport that requires excellent control over your own body and coordination. But it is also a lot of intention. A high-energy horse requires a calm presence to calm them down. A low-energy horse, you can bring up by adding energy into the communication. Sometimes, just thinking of a correction will convince the horse to behave as expected. It’s like unconsciously giving them a signal with your body language, but there is definitely also a mental connection, especially with the more sensitive horses. Simply put, the relationship between a rider and their horse is based on respect and trust. Yet, there is no such thing as full control of horses. If they would change their mind, they could simply run us over. It is more about “consent,” about building trust and learning to negotiate with them respectfully, which I find fascinating!
The Horse in Motion: Between objective and pictorial lenses
My photographic practice draws inspiration from Western art and how artists have expanded their understanding of horses’ value to our existence. During the Renaissance, painters mostly created anatomical studies of horses in various scenarios, especially military scenery. However, the invention of photography revolutionized knowledge in terms of its mechanical reproduction and distribution.
Eadweard Muybridge’s first scientific study to use photography in the late 19th century perfectly shows that. Muybridge elaborated on a camera-shooting system that allowed him to capture the movement sequence, contributing to the understanding of “animal locomotion” and enriching visual effects with a perfect succession of images. His horse-riding studies became icons of the first visual research, demonstrating that a succession of images can represent movement.
Muybridge pioneered motion pictures and is considered today the forefather of cinema due to his objective visual analysis of movement. His photographic inquiry of movement brings me back to my own artistic research and language. My equine photography is grounded on a strong bond with horses. My study of the “academic art of riding” informs my ‘portraiture’ of these monumental presences. Whenever I am commissioned for a horse shooting, I focus on its unique character and try to bring it out without pressing the animal to behave. Rather, I’m giving the horses space to express themselves; I observe their movements and capture their particularities, which often surprises many horse owners with accurate representations of their beloved friends. When you hear ”That’s exactly how my horse looks at me!” or people’s excitement when they recognize the particularities of their horses, I feel like an accomplished witness of a strong bond, and my photographs are ‘visual proofs’ of this special human-horse connection.
My artistic language is informed by studying the “academic art of riding”, as learning to control one’s energy and gaining a fundamental understanding of equine biomechanics is a prerequisite to a harmonious riding experience. This precious dynamic and a horse’s authentic character are aspects I’m trying to capture. However, I am meeting any horse without expectations from them. Even if I have certain visual compositions I might want to try beforehand, any of my sessions are horse-friendly as I adapt to the horse’s attitude. In a way, my artistic approach to horses is based on an objective reflection on a horse’s character and mood.
Unlike Muybridge’s objective lens, it’s important for me to play with different photographic techniques. For instance, long-exposure photography allows me to follow the horse’s motion, filling the frame with pictorial traces whose effects make the images almost look like drawings. My series Spirit in the Darkperfectly encapsulates this idea. The series consists of nine photographs depicting horses moving on a black background. The long-exposure technique gives the series a painterly aesthetic, almost Surreal, recalling Pictorialism, the first aesthetic movement in the history of photography to reclaim photography as an art form and not a mere device to represent reality. Dating from the same period as Eadweard Muybridge’s visual research. Pictorialism was an international style among photographers who explored the artistic potential of the new technology, often looking to iconic paintings for stylistic models.
Given that I live at an equine education center, and I practice “academic at of riding” myself, my photographic language also builds on both objective and subjective approaches to photography, like Muybridge and the Pictorialists. Far from having reached a strict visual language, I’m boldly experimenting with techniques, composition formats, and chromatics, seeking to emphasize the beauty of horses in fresh ways.
Though equine representations in Western art history seem to be dominated by anatomical studies or glorifying and tragic postures in the military genre, horses have also been carrying humans in less dangerous scenarios, nurturing self-reflection on one’s inner power and true nature—freedom. Never in history was leisure riding so celebrated until today, enriching our timeless bond with horses more than ever. Because a horse is like a mirror. If the rider is insecure and hectic, so will the horse; if the rider is calm and relaxed, the horse will behave like them. This responsiveness inspires riders to seek harmony in the relationship and understand they must be present and aware of their own energy.
Like any mirror, another element whose symbolism has been fascinatingly reflected in art across centuries, the human-horse friendships expand a sense of immaterial space. This bond is timeless that, like any mirroring effect, it can be best reflected and celebrated in the present moment, in the here and now. A horse offers a mutual exchange to those who show them respect and confidence. It’s a symbolic exchange that can accompany the rider’s move through life and its unpredicted storms in one of the best companies. Actually, it would be accurate to say that horses are capable of more than symbolic exchange because their power and distinct characters help us forget ‘dark winters’ and replace uncomfortable emotions with their well-composed attitude and ‘light’ that shines from within.
After one experiences the depths of the timeless bond with horses, it’s almost impossible to forget it. It’s a relationship you just want to nurture and sustain because it enhances the quality of your life. It is for this reason that I enjoy my commitment to equine photography and explore my fascination with horses through my lens — and I can only experience joy in sharing this passion with others.
Anna Archinger (b. 1994, Neuburg an der Donau) is a self-taught German artist based in Dronningmølle, Denmark. Her art practice focuses on horse photography as her fascination with horses goes beyond a mere passion. She lives at the farm Enggaarden, an education center specialized in teaching the “Academic Art of Riding,” where her connection to horses recalls seminal artists’ fascination with horse study. Within the last three years, Anna has been elaborating a stunning body of equine artwork, some of which was distinguished with the Honorable Mention in the Professional category by International Photo Awards USA (2023) and was shortlisted in a private competition run by the Motif Collective Photography Gallery, (2023). Anna’s work is also scheduled to be presented to the public throughout 2024 in venues such as The Glasgow Gallery of Photography (Glasgow, United Kingdom), the Black and White Photography Festival (Athens), and the Chateau Gallery (Louisville). More about her work: http://www.archinger.dk/
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