Today I’ll explain how to draw a standing horse side view in simple, clear steps. I’ll share useful steps to get proportions and details right without complications. You can follow along easily, even if you’ve never drawn horses before.
Main points to focus on when drawing the horse
- Proportionate, slightly elongated body shape.
- Neck smoothly connects to the back and chest.
- Head shape – clear and elongated, with a defined jawline.
- Eyes positioned slightly above mid-head.
- Medium-length ears positioned upright.
- Long, wavy mane flowing to the side.
- Slender legs with clearly defined joints and hooves.
- Tail positioned naturally, slightly curved downward with defined hair strands.
If you’d like to practice more animal drawings, you might find it interesting to draw a simplified horse I posted earlier, or a horse’s head side view. There’re also guides for dogs and cats waiting to be explored, and many more guides coming soon.
Colors in this guide explained
- Red Color: indicates the new step you should focus on drawing.
- Black Color: shows the lines drawn in previous steps.
- Grey Color: illustrates basic sketch lines to help with proportions.
For visual learners, the SketchOk YouTube channel posts new drawing videos as they’re produced, so it’s worth subscribing if you prefer following along with moving examples. Now that you know how to draw a standing horse side view, you can practice the proportions and posture until it feels natural, and if you want to share what you came up with, the Pinterest post for this guide is a good spot to drop your version. There’s also a weekly digest of new guides you can sign up for at the top of the page.