The White Horse

david hobbs · The White Horse

If you look across the canal from the Barge Inn at Alton Barnes you see on a distant hill a huge white horse cut into the side of the chalk hill. It can be seen for miles and as it is pure white it stands out against the green hill.

Recently some of the locals together with the aid of black polythene sheeting turned the horse into a giant Zebra.

The council reacted that very day saying that it was an ancient monument and it was disgraceful behaviour to deface this well known landmark and quickly removed the black polythene returning the white horse to it's rightful condition.

Not the be thwarted the local lads came up with a plan which they executed during the dead of night.

The next day this time with the aid of white sheeting the whole of the area was treated to the sight of a new white and very obvious stallion.

I like it.

I like it a lot.

Raymond

Adding a penis probably returned it to it's original form because so many of those hill carvings were so obviously male, think of the Cerne Abbas Giant.
It was our prudish Victorian ancestors who removed a lot of the genitals from those carvings.

david hobbs

Do we have any idea as to the age and culture responsible for the Giant?

Raymond

There are a lot of theories but not a single one that everybody agrees on. A bit like most ancient monuments.

david hobbs

Oh well I suppose it's the mystery that makes the more than just interesting.

wackyjacky

The 'white horses' are in a few places. Theres one that I've visited as a child... I always know when I'm close to home when I see that particular one from the motorway up north.

Does anyone know what they represent>?

I'd love to know.

Raymond

Not really, what does Stonehenge represent? Who knows?

The generally accepted 'reason' behind all hill carvings are they represent some kind of fertility symbol.
Others have suggested the horse carvings in particular are honours to the Goddess Epona who was worshipped in various parts of Britian.
Others say they're just pretty decoration.

Who can say for sure?

Click to see full size image

white wolf · white horse

i live just a mile or tweo away from the white horse westbury wilts.
its a great land mark and can be seen for miles.there be a good hill fort
on top of the area aswell ,it was where the vikings were beaten back to chippenham by the saxons.

ww