Empty Saddles at Gunfire 2

“Despite their hunger and thirst, the horses’ courage gained from instinct kicked in – their hooves were like thunder – galloping through a red haze – they would not be left behind.” Judith Leman, 2017

In 2017 Melbourne based sculptor Judith Leman created a series of eleven sculptures in recognition of the vital role played by horses in the First World War, as demonstrated in the battle of Beersheba. Leman was inspired by her family’s history of service in the Australian Light Horse, and her experiences riding and raising horses. Her sculptures present a visual narrative of horses being transported to Egypt, suffering in harsh conditions, and charging into battle, and a soldier’s grief at returning to Australia without his horse. These sculptures are the artist’s tribute to the horses killed and wounded in the First World War, and an expression of the unique bond between a soldier and his equine companion.

Leman studied First World War saddles at the Light Horse and Field Artillery Museum in Nar Nar Goon, Victoria, to help guide the detail of her sculptures.