My entry for the Ancient Realms contest being done by Ellygator on DA.

I should mention that after working on this, I can safely say its making the critter itself that has caused me the most trouble with my shoulder. The leather and metal work didn't cause me any pain (in my shoulder anyway...those antlers are sharp).

This piece is a tribute to a civilization that is rather near and dear to my heart artistically speaking. It was a special on the Scythian people that helped to focus a set of ideas that eventually lead to the ornate horse armor that has become something of a trade mark for me.

The piece is based on primarily on four images (http://drowland.net/Baltics/Images/IMG_3454.jpg , http://drowland.net/Baltics/Images/IMG_3456.jpg , http://homepage.ntlworld.com/zareeba/pazyryk.jpg , http://www.turanianhorse.org/pazyryk_horse.jpg ) with a fair bit of guess work included. I also now remember why I so loath using non-soldered-down sheet metal...and why I absolutely loath brass.

The piece is roughly 10 inches tall (not including the antlers). The horse is wire core with fabric skin, the coloring is based on the modern horses who's ancestors were ridden by the Scythian. The armor is a mix of leather with wire embroidery and sheet brass. The embroidery wire is either brass or a copper core wire with a pale blue plastic coating. The piece that goes behind the tail is beaded. It looked closer to the images and it made tensioning the saddle easier. (for a horse people, the Scythian had some strange ideas about saddles...no girth, no stirrups)

I also have the pattern board for this piece, which i will post as soon as I get a chance to go to Kinkos to get it scanned.