The Hackpen White Horse

The Hackpen White Horse - Oil on canvas panel (6" x 8") by Benoit Philippe

This white horse has several name, probably because of the surrounding villages. It is named The Hackpen or Broad Hinton or Winterbourne Bassett white horse.

White horses are an ancient tradition in Wiltshire. There are made of chalk and you can see them from far away. You can read more on the subject on the Wiltshire White Horses website.

I did this painting on site last week-end, in the early afternoon of Sunday. I stopped the car on the side of the road and sat on an old tree trunk with my pochade box. The weather was splendid and I ended-up with sunburns on my forearms - noticeable incident considering the dreadful weather we had most of the summer in the UK.

I took a reference photo, just in case, but didn't use it.