Final Salute

"From you my friend we learn that a horse without a rider is always a horse, but a rider without a horse is only a man." - H.-H. Isenbart

The idea of Final Salute began with thoughts surrounding my son-in-law who was employed at the time with the Washington DC police. I feared so much for his life. He told me that DC maintains a mounted unit and thus began my interest in police horses and military funeral traditions. One of the oldest traditions is that of the riderless "caparisoned" horse who follows the funeral procession with the boots of the deceased placed backwards in the stirrups. The empty boots symbolize that the fallen will never ride again and the backwards position symbolizes taking one last look back at his or her comrades. I find the power of the symbol overwhelming. Final Salute embodies my desire to honor the horse and all those who have fallen.

Final Salute was an award winning entry in the Tryon Painters and Sculptors Gallery, For the Love of Horses Juried Exhibition, September 2018.