After the Dust Settles

The vision of artist D. Michael Thomas, was to portray a quiet spot that these war horses found, “After the Dust Settles”. Their riders fought relentlessly for their beliefs; However, the horses show no animosity, finding comfort in each other’s company, before they were rounded up and dealt with. / ©2019

12"H x 14"L x8"W

$5,800

In this scene, the cavalry horse carries basically 1874 tack. In sculpting the Indian pony, Thomas used their unique style of saddle to help balance the composition. The long zig-zagging lines on the horse’s hind quarters are lightning marks with the intent to speed them into battle and terrify their foe. The circles around the eyes were to improve the horse’s vision. The hoof tracks on the right shoulder mark successful horse raids. The handprint on the left front reveals that he killed his adversary by hand to hand combat. The horizontal line on the front legs and nose are coup marks which were the highest tribal honor.

Two war ponies, ravaged by the wreckage of war, have reached the end of their run. Their speed and their courage, sacrificed for the folly of man, have betrayed them and now only push at their hearts and their spirits. With their riders no longer driving them against one another they have found an escape, each becoming the refuge that the other seeks. Above them, an Indian arrow flies like a flag from a white man’s saddle, proclaiming a battle won and a battle lost. Behind them lies only dust and the terror that continues to pursue them. The frantic call of the bugle, the volleys of gunfire, and the screams of the wounded have thinned into a long, drawn out silence. All that remains are fear, comfort, and the sound of the wind in the sage.