THE 70-year-old Pewsey White Horse, carved into the Wiltshire countryside near the village of Everleigh, is to receive a facelift.
The horse was created by White Horse expert George Marples in 1937 and was cut out of the hillside by Pewsey fire brigade to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.
It is one of the most recent examples of its type, the oldest being the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire which has been dated to the Iron Age, over 2,500 years ago.
The Uffington White Horse is believed to have been an offering to the pagan sun god Belinos, who was associated with horses.
The Pewsey facelift is being paid for by equine worming manufacturer Eqvalan to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
For more information and pictures of Wiltshire’s white horses visit: www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk
Photo courtesy of www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk
