The Independent Horse: Entry for #LMAC #13

---

The horse: beautiful, graceful swift. It's a little startling to learn that its closest relatives are the rhinoceros and the tapir. I began reading about the horse after I finished making my entry into @shaka's #letsmakeacollage contest.

This collage is called: The Independent Horse.

---

---

---

The picture changed quite a bit from @shaka's original:

---

---

---

Perissodactyla

When it comes to horse relatives, you might say it's all about the way they walk. Horses, rhinos and tapirs are in the taxonomic order Perissodactyla. Animals in this order have odd-number toes. They walk on their toes and their toenails form hooves.

---

A Young Brazilian Tapir

---

This tapir has four toes on each front foot and three toes on each rear foot.

---

---

A Rhinoceros with Her Young at the Nuremburg Zoo

The rhinoceros has three toes on each front foot and three on the back

---

The feet of the rhinoceros and the tapir differ from the horse's in that the bottoms of their feet are soft and only the tips of the toes form into a hoof. Horses today walk on one toe, although their distant ancestors walked on three.

---

---

A Few Interesting Facts About Horses

---

Horses actually originated in North America, but became extinct on that continent about 10,000 years ago. It was only during the Age of Exploration, when the Conquistadors brought horses from Europe with them that horses were reintroduced to the "New World".

As the Conquistadors abandoned settlements, their horses were left to roam free and these became the foundation for wild herds that ever after roamed the countryside.

In a kind of butterfly effect, the presence of horses changed Native American culture. Some tribes became more nomadic. Hunting territory expanded and contact with other tribes increased. Conflict became more likely. The horse became one of the most prized possessions a tribe member could possess.

Today, wild horses still roam across approximately 27 million acres of land in North America. In the U. S. , responsibility for these horses rests with the Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau finds itself under seige as horse advocates try to protect the wild herds and ranchers seek to have the herds limited. Wild horse herds and ranch livestock compete for access to open range.

---

---

---

Development of my collage

This one went through many stages. At first I went through still images, some that were abstract and some that were merely artful. But, the horse kept coming back. I tried to keep the rainbow, but as I made subsequent layers for my GIF, the rainbow was obliterated. I regretted that.

The first step was to increase the foreground by doubling the image. Then I went over to Paint 3D and collected a horse and fence. Lighting, etc. went through many iterations until I came up with something somewhat acceptable. At least this GIF expresses the idea I was going for... one day and night in a horse's life.

---

The #letsmakeacollage Contest (LMAC) is a wonderful way to exercise the imagination. It's pure fun. There are prizes, but every week I feel I've won when I complete my project. Please check out the contest. So many wonderful, creative entries there.