Truss, A Hunter

Truss, A Hunter from around 1770 by George Stubbs is a named horse portrait documenting an individual hunting horse, the animal valued for the combination of speed, stamina, obedience, and jumping ability required by the demanding sport of riding to hounds. Hunters were a distinct type from thoroughbred racehorses—typically stouter, calmer, and bred for endurance over a long day's hunting rather than speed over a short racing distance—and Stubbs rendered their different physical type with the same precision he brought to racers. The name Truss suggests a firmly built, compact animal, and Stubbs's rendering would have captured whatever physical characteristics justified the name. The work is held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and represents the hunting stable subject that complemented his racing commissions.

The hunter is rendered with Stubbs's anatomical precision, the horse's conformation reflecting the athletic demands of the hunting field.