Wildwood Tarot: Knight of Stones

Someone remarked that this is not a nice horse card because it looks more like a Donkey. I was also wondering about this so I did some research.

I think the reason why it looks a bit odd is that it´s supposed to look like the prehistoric horse (Equus ferus subsp.ferus) rather than the modern one (Equus ferus subsp.caballus). So it´s not the horse as we know it but a different subspecies which is more or less gone extinct today.

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpan

In another web page (about some modern and very-small-part-Tarpans) it says: The Tarpan has a very calm disposition. They are friendly, curious and affectionate. The Tarpan is extremely intelligent. They are independent and quite stubborn. The Tarpan, unlike the domesticated modern horse, has not surrendered its freedom to man in trade for food and care, and therefore tends to rely more on its own view of a situation rather than to allow its owner to make decisions for it.
They seem to enjoy being ridden, but they do not like being told where to go.

I must say that calm, intelligent and stubborn sounds just like a Knight of Stones (Pentacles) to me.

You know, after I posted that, I stared at it awhile and wondered if it was supposed to be an older version of a horse. Thanks for that!

I didn´t really like this card very much either but you got me interested in this Thank you
And now when I know more I like this card a lot more. It seems to fit the Knight of Pents rather well, doesn´t it?

On the scans of the deck that I saw - I hated this card. I thought the proportions were all wrong, that the essence of the horse was different (especially when I have been spoilt by the wonderful artwork of the Way of the Horse Oracle).

However, on getting the cards its so obvious that this is the prehistoric horse, the ancestors of our modern horse who was free to roam across the land without a man on its back if it didnt want to. So many times the Knight of Pentacles (stones) cards have a knight who is well protected by expensive armour, or a shield to highlight its cautious nature. However here we have something that will freely give its heart and its back, but only its own terms and easily remembers bad treatment.

I often feel connected to Horses, and this card, and my typing just now makes me realise how very much like the Horse I can be. And how I can appreciate how wondrous and mysterious its guardedness and its generous spirit would have been to the ancient folks on the hills drawing the White Horse at Uffington and such like. Infact, from this card I can see how the White Horse easily comes from this ancient species.

Another thing I find so interesting about this card is the lack of trees, plants and foliage that is the signature of Will's work. It is as though he didn't want a single thing to detract from the energy of the horse itself, how the landscape can be a blur when your galloping by.

I really like this card. The dynamic angle of the horse's path shows lots of motion of the knight, and the stones closing in on his front hooves imply his groundedness. I, too, immediately saw this as a wild, ancient horse. Something primal, old as the stones, and really earthy. Very interesting take on the pentacles, and I think very successful.