Our Favorite Art: Horses Part 1

Julie here with installment number 3 of our favorite HI2 equine artwork! I will cover the first half alphabetically of the light horses, riding horses, non-draft horses, or whatever you want to call them. Bethany will finish up with the second half. 

Alter Real

I think of Lusitanos and Alter Reals being very similar in real life, but their HI2 artwork is quite different. I find the Alter Reals to be exceedingly easier on the eyes, the most obvious difference being their much more pleasant faces! They have shiny coats, lush manes and tails, beautifully arched necks, and that unmistakable baroque horse look. 

Appendix Quarter Horse

These horses seem look long and lanky to me - mostly because of their long, outstretched necks, I'd guess. I'm not quite sure what to make of their expressions. Are they laid back and mildly curious, or are they possibly submissive or apologetic? At any rate, they have great manes, they can come in a wide variety of colors with or without cool pinto patterns, and they look like they're built somewhere in between Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred, as they should. 

Argentine Polo Pony

We decided to include these guys with the horses rather than the ponies because, contrary to the name, most are horse-sized. HI2's Argentine Polo Ponies give off the impression of being alert and ready for action. They are lean, muscular, and long-legged like the Appendix, yet they seem more compact and maneuverable - just what you'd want in a polo pony. Even though equines being used in polo in real life often have their manes roached (practical but unattractive), I'm very glad the artist let HI2's have a little mane.

Calabrese

Because I've seen so few photographs of real Calabrese horses, when I think "Calabrese" I now picture them in HI2 form. This is definitely not a bad thing! In real life, the breed has been influenced by the Arabian and the Andalusian, so I appreciate how I can see a bit of Arabian in their faces and the set of their heads, but also some Andalusian in their bodies and their thick manes and tails. 

Grade Saddle Horse

HI2's Grades look well-rounded, gentle, and happy. They also have great hair - I love their luxurious tails and the cute tufts of fur on their fetlocks. I really hope we get to add ones of these to our herd someday!

Hackney

The Hackney has our favorite artwork of all the high-stepping horse breeds on the game. I am not a huge fan of the fancy high-stepping horse build, but I am quite fond of HI2's Hackneys. Somehow the artist has made them look classy. In my mind, anyway, they pull off the high tail, high head, and "fancy extended back leg stand" without it looking awkward, silly, or haughty.

Hanoverian

Lily would not let us leave the sleek, sophisticated Hanoverian out, of course! I think their relaxed stance and the pretty arch of their necks are big parts of what makes us so fond of them. 

Kinsky

HI2's Kinskys strike me as confident, athletic, and beautifully proportioned. If it wasn't for their mane cowlicks, I'd call them sport horse perfection. =) Thanks to the cream gene, there seem to be lots of shimmery light-colored Kinskys on the game, but they come in tons of other lovely colors too, including this striking dapple gray.

Mangalarga Marchador

The Manga's sturdy, compact body, its alert, friendly expression, and its gorgeously long hair make it one of our all-time favorites on the game. Better yet, they come in all sorts of colors and pinto spotting patterns. 

Morab

It's no coincidence that we have 4 of these in our herd. The Morab definitely makes our collective top 5 artwork-wise. (It’s a shame the Arabian itself doesn’t have artwork this nice!) Their hair, their stance, their beautiful Arabian-esque heads… it’s all awesome!

Before I go, there’s something else I want to share. It was my birthday yesterday, which means I got to flute my entry for our sisterly birthday flute contest.

First, here is my birthday calendar page:

How lucky is this? I get a whole herd of possible matches!

And here is our entry! Parallax and I fluted her out by the grassy mounds on Prairie Isle. Her avatar isn't super exotic, but as far as browns go, she's on the more interesting side.

Here she is up close, and adorable Datong with awful stats! XD

All of the equines on the calendar page appear to be horse-sized rather than pony-sized, which may count against me. Still, she does look a bit like the chestnut behind the buckskin, or possibly the chestnut behind the appaloosa, though you can only see the top of that one's head...