Two Horse Heads

Resting on pyramid-shaped, one-piece cast-iron bases.
Dimensions
Total height: 63 cm / width: 21 cm / depth: 59 cm.
Head only: height 46 cm.
Base: height 17 cm / base dimensions: 21 cm x 22 cm.
Late 19th or early 20th century.

Provenance
Stable of a former private estate near Tarbes, in Bigorre, which collapsed during the 1999 storm.
(The forelock and muzzle of the head were very slightly damaged when one of the two pillars on which it had been placed collapsed. Not visible once in place)

In 1806, Napoleon I decided to build an imperial stud farm in Tarbes, where the famous Anglo-Arabian horse breed was created by crossing local mares (Tarbais, Navarrin, or Bigourdans) with Arabian or English stallions to meet the army units’ requirements for size and endurance.
The Empire had a great need for hardy, resilient, fast, and courageous horses to serve as replacement mounts for the light cavalry in its campaigns, particularly those toward Spain.
The estate expanded over time and benefited the region by producing military mounts.
For breeding and raising foals, breeders established operations from the area around Tarbes to the Adour plains, from the Bigorre plains to the semi-wild pastures of the Pyrenean summer pastures, in order to maintain the animals’ natural hardiness.
To encourage and evaluate breed improvement among private breeders, official races were established. In light of their success, the Laloubère racetrack was inaugurated in 1809…
Thus, throughout the 19th century, numerous private breeding operations and stables developed in this region, right up to the present day, when it is not uncommon to see, in the meadows near family homes, pairs of horses kept for the pleasure of riding through the surrounding forests and woods.