If The Fallen Jockey was the climax of Degas’ depictions of the tumultuous relationship between horse and jockey, his sculptures are the conclusion of this relationship. The last depictions of the mighty horse that Degas did before his death, his sculptures reveal exactly how he felt about the majestic animal and man’s ability to control it. To Degas, the horse was legend, and his sculptures of the majestic animal reflect not only his reverence for the legendary creature but also the duality of his respect for both the beauty and grace of the horse as well as for its overwhelming power and strength.
Degas earliest sculptures of the horse reflect not only a reverence for the animal as a legendary and majestic but also his relative ignorance concerning its movement. In Horse in Full Gallop, 1870s-1880s, Degas depicts a rider-less horse with both hind and front legs outstretched in full gallop. Remarking on his knowledge of the anatomy and movements of the horse, Degas said, “even though I had the opportunity to mount a horse quite often…even though I had a fairly good understanding of the animal’s anatomy and mycology….I was completely ignorant to the mechanism of its movement.” (qtd. Degas, Boggs, 185). Degas’ admission is telling, as it suggests that even he himself did not have control over the horse, as it was far too powerful and autonomous a creature for even him to control and to accurately portray in his sculptures.
Eadweard Muybridge was a photographer who captured the horse in full gallop. His photographs showed that, contrary to popular belief, all four of the horses legs were tucked in when galloping (Barbour and Sturman, 196). After learning more about the motion of horses from Muybridge’s studies, Degas sculpted a relatively more accurate, rider-less single colt rearing back with two legs off the ground in Rearing Horse, 1880s. The animal is correctly portrayed both anatomically and realistically with, “bilging eyes and flaring nostrils” (Barbour and Sturman, 192). The Muybridge studies may have changed Degas depictions of horses to be slightly more accurate compared to his other works, as he gained a better understanding of the anatomy and movement of a horse from them, but they had no effect on his feelings about the horse itself: his sculptures continue to portray the animal as a powerful and legendary creature, as is evidenced by the grace, power and autonomy displayed by the horse in Rearing Horse. The animal is so overwhelmed with its freedom that it cannot help but rear back in jubilation.
Degas loved sculpting horses, and he did so until the end of his career. In total, there exist over 150 sculptures in wax and bronze. Responding to a request and remarking on his affinity for the subject matter and the medium, Degas said to his friend Albert Bartholome, “Happy sculptor…but I have not yet made enough horses. The women must wait in their basins.” (qtd. Degas, Barbour and Sturman, 197). As Degas himself admits, his love for the horse was unparalled. And this love is evident in two of his last bronze sculptures, Horse Standing, cast 1919, and Rearing Horse, cast 1921, both of which serve as Degas’ final statement of not only his feelings about horse autonomy but also the horse as legend. 
In Horse Standing, Degas presents the horse as a symbol of strength. The animal stands powerfully in all four legs; its strong chest protruding outward and its head raised high. Its sound posture exudes both security and strength, and the position of its head- held high- echoes a confidence and autonomy that is unequaled.
Rearing Horse reflects the same reverence. In it, Degas sculpts the horse in the act of demonstrating its full power to the viewer, as it violently rears its head and front legs up. Degas’ sculptures are a key element in completely understanding his feelings about horses. In almost all of them he has completely removed the jockey, reflecting his belief of the horse as an autonomous creature that is only happy outside the servitude of man.
Sculptures(from top to bottom):
Degas, Horse in Full Gallop, 1880s. Musee D’Orsay, Paris.
Degas, Rearing Horse, 1880s. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia.
Degas, Horse Standing, 1919-1921. Norton SImon Art Foundation, Pasadena, California.
Degas, Rearing Horse, 192. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia.