Free coloring pictures: Horses are a child’s best friend
Strong, fast and smart, the horse is an animal loved by children of all ages. This makes horse coloring pictures very popular, and with good reason – children are able to color the animals as they wish, and also learn about the different breeds and colors of the animals. But first and foremost are the educational benefits of these free printable horse coloring pictures – coloring helps your kids to develop their concentration and motor skills by coloring in the images within the outlines of the drawing. The precision required to do so is also beneficial to developing neat handwriting. Skills are enhanced while fun is had – a winning combination for children and parents.
Whether ridden by a cowboy in the Wild West, or a princess in an enchanted forest, horses are an animal beloved by kids of all ages. These free printable horse coloring sheets will provide your children hours of fun coloring in their favorite equine, and ignite their imagination with a sense of adventure and excitement.
Any medium will work for coloring in these horse coloring pages. Crayons, colored pencils, felt tipped markers or even watercolors are all options. Start by choosing a drawing to print - perhaps an action picture of a foal in full gallop, a rearing stallion, or a horse jumping into a river! There are also horse head coloring pages to choose from featuring a central horse head with a flowing mane adorned by flowers or butterflies.
Take a pencil and draw two oval circles and choose a distance similar to a third circle between them. They should not be directly on a line and slightly offset.
Connect the top of the ovals (circles) with a slightly curved line. Do the same with the bottom section. This structure will be the body of our horse.
Now let's start with the head. For this step we draw two more circles but smaller as the ones before. We will paint the first one on the left side of the body. The second one is a little bit smaller and slightly shifted below. Later this object will represent the horse's snout.
Similar to the 2. step, we connect these two circles with two slightly curved lines. This new structure is the head of the horse. Now we connect the head and the body and draw the neck. And again: Always with slightly curved lines.
The next step needs to be done twice: under the body we draw two small circles on top of each other. The distance should be approximately the same like between the head and the body. Try to paint these circles at the same height. Now draw a kind of triangle under the bottom of the two small circles. Try to shift it to the left. These objects will be the hooves.
Now connect the body with the 4 small circles below. Use curved lines that run to the right and left of the edge. You see: we have almost finished the horse!
Rub out the inner lines in the body of our figure so that only the outline remains. You can also trace these outlines with a marker / felt-tip pen, making it easier to erase the rest.
Penultimate step: we add the missing details! The ears, the eyes, the mouth ... and don't forget a beautiful mane and a long tail. Add two more legs by tracing them next to the ones you already have.
Now the part that is the most fun: coloring! Choose the horse type you prefer, white, black, Knabstrup... Colored pencils and wax painters on normal paper are suitable for coloring. If you want to paint with watercolor, it is best to use strong paper that does not absorb colors too quickly.
Once you have printed your drawing, the fun can begin! Now your children can fill in the image however they choose. Perhaps realistic colors like brown or tan or white with black spots for a Knabstrup horse. Maybe your child prefers to invent an imaginary breed with purple fur, rainbow hoofs and a golden mane! Anything is possible!
Your child can also add to the printed pictures by drawing their own elements. Drawing a horn or wings can make a horse a unicorn. They can also draw a self-portrait of themselves riding the horse. In this way, coloring stimulates your child’s creativity and imagination. This is just one of the many benefits that coloring provides kids. It is also proven to help improve hand eye coordination and train your child’s concentration – valuable skills for school and life.
Horses have existed for more than 50 million years. They originated in North America, then spread to Asia and Europe, only to be reintroduced to North America by Europeans colonizing the land. Now they are found in almost every country and continent of the world. They are believed to have first been domesticated and bred around 3,000 - 4,000 BC, but the practice of taming of wild horses likely began long before that. It is also believed that domestication was taking place across the world in many different locations at roughly the same time.
Now there are more than 400 different breeds of horses, including the Arabian Horse, Quarter horse, Shetland pony, and Lipizzaner to name a few. The Lipizzaner are especially famous, not only for their “dancing” in Vienna, but also because they are the most popular breed of “Gray Horses.” Gray horses have a gene which causes the progressive silvering of their hair. They are born dark and gradually lighten with age, but maintain dark skin tone under their coat, as well as dark eyes. Gray horses appear in many different breeds, but the Lipizzaner is the most famous example.
In the past, horses were primarily a tool – a means for transportation or to help farmers plow fields. These days, they are primarily companion animals. Children love them because they are dynamic, strong animals. They gallop and jump, they’re smart but also sensitive. They symbolize independence. Riding horses is a very rewarding hobby, with many benefits for children. However, if riding is not an option, coloring is the next best thing!
How to Draw a Horse - Step by step instructions
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