"Hunnic horses" Topic

link

I'm starting on some Huns and I'm thinking most horses should be variations on these. I'll vary them in shade, but basically they look like some dun shade overall, whiteish belly, black legs and white muzzle, etc. For variety I'll add a few captured horses in other colors, but having the bulk Asiatic wild horses should simplify painting.

Why not, I probably should have painted some of those for my Huns and steppes people.

Im about to paint some huns too.

I agree the horses would look good being 'patchy' in colour.

The photos linked are of WILD horses- did Huns ride these? I doubt it.

"The photos linked are of WILD horses- did Huns ride these? I doubt it."

You're right, these are wild but the same colour of horse seems common in East Asian art e.g. picture
There are others which show even more of them but I can't find a decent working link. Even quite a few Japanese horses on the Invasion Scroll show a similar colour.
OTOH, by as the Huns had worked their way west the horses would have been mixed with types from the western steppes. Turkoman horses _may_ give an idea of what to expect (though an extra 1000 years will have a bearing) – they are a range of colours although a 'metallic' chestnut is common IIRC.
It is also worth looking at the coloration of modern Mongol horses which will have a mix of influences from across the steppe. They show the 'ancestral' colour quite often but plenty of other colours too.
Certainly this ancestral colour looks very nice on miniatures :)

beware a Glasgwegian talking about painting Huns, you never know quite who is is talking about. (are we on for Tuesday, blucher?)

Actually, back on topic.

Donkey's years ago, I knew a chap who had scruffy hun horses, unbrushed models,that sort of thing, since he figured huns wouldn't go in for stable grooming.

Does anyone still make those? (they were 80's era 25mm figs)

just mailed you

I'm not so sure I agree hun horses would probably be poorly groomed. Im assuming here there is no evidence either way?

They obviously depended on them a lot so surely would have a bit of a 'horse culture' going on & take good care of them?

It reminds me of how vikings have an immage of being kinda dirty and scruffy where as they were actually regular bathers for the time. I read that some women were rather impressed by it!

Hi

Many years ago, I had the chance to spend time with a small herd of these horses. Not to offend anyone, but I have been riding since little and have had a lot of contact with horses. These particular horses are extremely intelligent compared to "thoroughbreds" or any other type.

The stuff I had read in places like "Empire of the Steppes" about the way you manage the herds really make sense when it involves this breed of horse.

Rocky

"The art of veterinary medicine has long since fallen into a state of collapse …. Indeed recently, following the example of the Huns and other peoples, the practice of the art itself has ceased to exist, while people shrinking from spending money pretend that they are copying the usage of the barbarians and consign their animals untreated to winter pastures and to the mishaps liable to be caused by neglect. This has brought profit to no one and loss to very many. For in the first place, the nature of the animals belonging to the barbarians is different and their bodies are hardier in their resistance to every injury. Next, they are so brought up from the time that they are foals that they do not need any medicinal dose and they thrive in winter pastures and withstand cold weather and frosts without destructive consequences."

"The Hunnish horses have a large, hooked head, protuberant eyes, narrow nostrils, broad cheeks, a strong, inflexible neck, manes hanging down below the knees, larger-than-usual ribs, a bent spine, a bushy tail, very strong cannons, small bases to their feet, full, spreading hooves, hollow flanks and the whole body angular, no fat on the buttocks, no bulges in the musculature, their physical configuration tends more towards length than height, a drawn belly, large bones, a pleasing leanness and their very ugliness itself constitutes their beauty: their disposition is moderate, sensible and tolerant of wounds."

From Vegetius' "Mulomedicina".

Thanks for sharing GurKhan.

Thanks for all the input. I've started on the first 9 models-Old Glory 15s-the coat colors used were a tan, a greyish beige, sable brown, and darker beige. legs, tail, main done in charcoal. I'll use cream for the belly.

Along with the OG15 sets I also have Khurasan, Alain Toullier. and Blackhat(the old Martian Metals figures). All 15mm of course. All are nicely compatible. For some reason a guy sitting on a horse looks fine next to another guy on a horse, while the same manufacturer's foot figures look daft side by side.

I want a lot of variety so I'm planning to add Essex, Minifig, Viking Forge, Donnington, and Lancashire Games. I'm certain I'll find someone lousy or incompatible somewhere.

Maybe I can blog a "15mm Hun Review"

One thing more; it seems the most exhaustive book on the Huns remains Maechen-Helfin's "World of the Huns"-only a mere sixty years later.

Based on Vegetius' description, he must have known my first wife.

I checked Maenchen-Helfin's section on horses and his opinion is that the 'Hunnic horse' described by Vegetius was not the Asiatic wild horse due to the lack of an upright mane, though there are some evidence from neighboring nomads that the wild horses were also used.

link

Mongolian horses showing greater variety of colors, but still some appear with the dun with black mane, tail, and legs-maybe bred from the wild horse?

"I checked Maenchen-Helfin's section on horses and his opinion is that the 'Hunnic horse' described by Vegetius was not the Asiatic wild horse due to the lack of an upright mane…"

Sounds more like the tarpan – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpan , link – also usually dun or greyish.

cheers,
Duncan

Maybe I can blog a "15mm Hun Review"

Did you ever do this? I'm starting to look into mixing and matching a Skythian army from this lot of manufacturers too.

No I have yet to get around to it, but I should start working again on my Huns. I want to add the newer Lurkio figures.