To learn how to draw a horse, start with a long oval for the body, then draw a long face that slopes down to a rounded nose. Connect the head to the body with a thick neck, add four long legs with hooves, and finish with a flowing mane, a tail and the face details.
Horses look hard because of their long legs and long faces, but this easy horse drawing breaks them into simple shapes. It works for beginners, kids and horse lovers. The free PDF has the step sheet, a tracing page, a practice grid and a coloring page.
What’s in the free PDF
- Step-by-step sheet with 6 numbered steps; new lines are black, earlier lines are grey
- Tracing page with a large horse in light grey to trace over
- Practice sheet with a small reference and two boxes with a light grid
- Coloring page with the finished horse in bold outlines
How to draw a horse step by step
- Body. Draw a long oval, about twice as wide as it is tall, a little to the right of center.
- Head. Up and to the left of the body, draw one line for the head: start at the forehead, slope down to a rounded nose, go around the chin and back up under the jaw.
- Neck and ear. Draw two lines from the head down to the body for a thick neck. Add a pointed ear at the top of the head.
- Legs and hooves. Draw four long, straight legs under the body: two near the front and two near the back. Make each leg a little wider at the bottom for the hoof.
- Mane and tail. Draw four wavy strands of hair along the back of the neck for the mane, and two long curved lines with a third strand for the tail.
- Details. Draw an eye with a dark pupil, an oval nostril, a short mouth line and a line across each hoof.
The long legs are what make it look like a horse. If your horse looks like a dog, make the legs longer: about as long as the body is tall.
Easy horse drawing: common mistakes and fixes
- The legs are too short. Horse legs are long; make them about as long as the body is tall.
- The head is round. A horse face is long and narrow, with the nose at the bottom.
- The neck is thin. Draw a thick neck that gets wider where it meets the body.
- All four legs are in a row. Put two legs near the front of the body and two near the back.
Trace, practice, then color
Trace it first
If drawing freehand feels hard, start with the tracing page. Go over the grey lines with a pencil, pressing lightly, and you learn the shapes and their order without worrying about mistakes. Then try again on the practice sheet.
Practice on the grid
The practice sheet has a small finished horse for reference and two boxes with a faint grid. Count how many squares wide and tall the reference is, then draw your horse the same way. The grid keeps the parts the right size next to each other.
Color the finished drawing
Classic horse colors are brown with a black mane and tail, white or grey, black, or golden with a cream mane. Color the hooves dark grey and leave a small white dot in the eye.
Horse drawing tips
- Sketch the body and legs lightly first; it is easier to fix proportions before adding details.
- Add a white stripe down the face (a blaze) or white socks on the legs.
- Give the mane more strands for a fancy pony, or braid it.
- Draw a fence, grass and a barn behind the horse for a farm scene.
Download the pages one by one
Prefer a single page? Click a link to open the full-size image, then print it or save it. The PDF with all pages and a cover is in the download box.
- How to draw a horse: step-by-step sheet (PNG)
- a Horse tracing page (PNG)
- a Horse practice sheet with grid (PNG)
- a Horse coloring page (PNG)
More to draw: how to draw a dog, how to draw an elephant, 45 cute animal drawings and drawing ideas for beginners.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to draw a horse?
Draw a long oval for the body, a long head with a rounded nose, a thick neck between them and four long straight legs. The mane and tail come last.
How do you draw a horse head?
Draw one line from the forehead down to a rounded nose, around the chin and back up under the jaw. Add a pointed ear on top and an eye high on the face.
How do you draw horse legs?
Draw four long, straight legs, two at the front and two at the back of the body. Make them slightly wider at the bottom and add a line across each one for the hoof.
Is this horse drawing good for beginners?
Yes. It uses simple shapes and six short steps. Start with the tracing page, then draw it freehand on the practice grid.
