In our mind's eye, when we picture a War Horse, most people usually think of the knights and their armored horses of medieval times.  But it was much earlier-nearly a thousand years-that the war horse had appeared in battle.  As far back as the 3rd to 2nd millennia B.C., equids had already been drawing the battle wagons and early wheeled war vehicles of the ancient world. 
     From the very beginning, a horse was an animal that represented prestige.  They were used as gifts between heads of state, and as key figures in religious and social ceremonies.  And, as soon as man began to recognize the horse's usefulness, it became one of the most important prizes in the spoils of war. 
     On many of the carved and painted surfaces on the walls of Egypt's tombs, chariot horses sweep into battle.  The horse of ancient Egypt was primarily a chariot animal, rather than one to be ridden.  Their strong, arched necks, flagged tails, and proud profiles are unmistakable; even a modern horseman can easily recognize these horses as predecessors of today's Arabian and Barb horses... 

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     Kim McElroy believes an ancient memory buried deep in the levels of human subconscious forms the energy that mysteriously attracts some people to horses.  She feels that her work, which sometimes triggers deep emotions in viewers, awakens people to this memory. 
     One of the most popular pastel equine artists working today, Kim's work manages to show the viewer what it means to know the horse as a spiritual creature. 
     "...Rather than merely creating beautiful horses, my compositions are usually intended to convey meaning to the viewer whether it is of a horse's state of mind which we can emulate, or to symbolically represent concepts of feelings which horses embody by their very nature.  I believe art should have some meaning. 
     "If I am creating a portrait of a horse, I interweave elements of what I intuitively perceive is that horse's own unique being, and often that includes a sort of message to their owner. 
     "When I am painting, the best moments are when I become every element of what I am painting.  It is like a shamanic journey into the elements of nature; the life and emotions of the being I am creating, the story, the moment, the light, the essence, and the message the horses themselves are conveying..." 

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     Swirling bits of sand slip through a silver opening, wafting down, settling silently.  Snuff, puff, whir; disturbed, they reanimate from the power of a delicate exhale, as a soft muzzle lowers out of curiosity.  Fragrant and warm, the grains of sand bring with them tales of adventure from outside the mellowed walls of his abode.  Temptation.  Promises.  Arabian Life. 
     Pinpointing the exact origin of likely the oldest purebred horse known to modern man has raged in debate since folks could get together to disagree.  Two theories, stemming from similar ideologies, consist of those who insist that the Arabian Horse evolved on the Arabian Peninsula some 4500 years ago (around 2500 B.C.), and those who speculate that the Arabian was first found roaming wild on the lands of ancient Syria, Turkey, Iran, and the piedmont areas surrounding the Fertile Crescent... 

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