Horse Tattoo Meanings: Ideas And Pictures For Girls And Guys

Horse tattoos are a little out of the ordinary, or at least they are not quite as common as many other popular design choices, but mankind's passion for these beautiful creatures has been in existence for a very long time. Early man drew pictures of horses on the walls of caves.

There were certain tribes in ancient times that worshiped horses. The horse has been man's companion for thousands of years. In Greek mythology, Pegasus, the winged horse is known for the magical powers he possesses as well as being immortal.

Horse Tattoo Meanings
The meaning associated with horse tattoos today likely has a lot to do with the companionship they have provided to mankind over the years. Warriors of old believed the horse was their most faithful companion and would not go into battle without them. The horse is a majestic animal and can recognize their owners in addition to returning the love they receive from them.

Horse tattoos can be a symbol of faithfulness, strength and beauty. Noblemen used to keep horses in stables where they were well taken care of and bred for sports and for transportation. Owning several horses was considered to be a sign of wealth.

Passion For The Racehorse
The racehorse is another reason for horse tattoos. There are several in the world of racing today that are considered legends. Winning the prestigious races such as the Kentucky Derby assures the horse of a lifetime of ease when they are too old to race. The owners of these racehorses will sometimes get tattoos that are symbolic of their horse.

Horse Tattoo Symbolism
Often a horse tattoo will be a symbol of strength such as one carrying a warrior into battle. Celtic horses are popular choices for tattoos. Rodeo riders often choose the horse tattoo because this is their life. They love the horses and are more comfortable on a horse than anywhere.

As you can see, the basic meaning of a horse tattoo is strength and courage in recognition for carrying man and providing companionship over several thousand years.

The horse is also credited as being one of the largest providers when it came to improving civilization. They have contributed in so many ways that they are viewed as one of the most noble animals on earth.

Native Americans recognize the horse as a messenger. Believing that they relayed spiritual knowledge to humans and thereby provided wisdom, the horse is immensely popular as a tribal tattoo.

The belief held by the Native Americans was that the horse was a wild and powerful spirit but when mutual respect between man and horse was achieved, this power could be harnessed. These are just a few of the reasons the horse tattoo has become so popular.

Women Often Adore Horse Tattoos
The horse tattoo for women is a symbol of stamina, strength, stability and often chosen for the special bond they have created with horses. The preferred horse tattoo for most women is the stallion. This is due to the untamed beauty that is symbolized by the stallion.

Also, in many cases there is a strong bond between girls and horses at a very young age, as many girls wish for a pony during their adolescent years.

Tattoo Style Ideas
The typical drawings for these designs show the animal in motion, with their manes flowing as if the wind were at their back. The tattoo can be of a personal favorite horse, a favorite breed or one that simply catches the eye of the individual.

Larger designs are typically located on the back or the torso area of the individual, while the arms and shoulder area is always a popular area for these gorgeous animals to be inked.

Gecko Tattoo Meaning and Pictures

For many centuries, various cultures ranging from ancient Greece to tribal Polynesia have celebrated the gecko meaning. Due to the gecko's ability to quickly regrow its own tail when needed, it is said to be magical and will symbolize regrowth and luck.

The gecko tattoo is a popular lizard design which often appears in Polynesian tribal tattoos. It is believed to possess supernatural powers. Polynesians regard the gecko with both awe and fear. It is thought that if you are 'laughed' at by a green gecko it is a dreadful omen of bad fortune and illness.

The history of the gecko tattoo design and the gecko meaning can be credited to the islands of Polynesia that include Hawaii, French Polynesia, Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Easter Island and Samoa.

Basically, there are two kinds of traditional tattoos that come from these islands. Which are the 'Enata', which is the natural design symbolizing your island of birth and origin, social level, work and life, and the 'Etua' which possesses a stronger spiritual representation.

Popular designs from Polynesia that have had a symbolic meaning include the shark, dolphin, turtle and gecko.

A tribal gecko tattoo will pay homage to distant ancestors together with the symbolism of the gecko meaning that they held true with their own beliefs. These tattoos are often bold and dark and are somewhat abstract in style, yet appear as a simplified version of an original form.

The tattoo's edges are angular and sharp and will often repeat in patterns that circle around a forearm or bicep, or is symmetrically placed on either side of the back or chest as mirrored reflections.

A gecko tattoo design can be created in brightly vibrant colors but many people still prefer the quirky abstract shapes to be done in boldly black ink.

Despite missionaries trying to eradicate the cultural traditions of this unique art all those years ago, tattoo designs from Polynesia have had a rebirth in the Western world today.

Elephant Tattoos

Elephant tattoos are undoubtedly beautiful, however these designs are rather uncommon in the world of body artwork. But perhaps one of the most commonly seen elephant tattoos is the Hindu god known as Ganesha, a figure portrayed to have four arms, a large stomach, one tusk and a big crown atop its head, among other detailed characteristics.

The traditional elephant is also seen from time to time, perhaps designed in the classic circus attire, a unique and unnatural color or maybe even a standalone portrait of the mammoth grey land mammal.

Enjoy this picture gallery of marvelous elephant artwork which is surely a great first step for discovering lovely artwork ideas.



Elephant tattoos look outstanding with other large African animals such as the giraffe.



I hope these excellent high quality design pictures help you uncover some sensational ideas for your own personal tattoo.



As you may know, elephants are the largest living land animals around today, and only three species are left in existence, which are the African bush, the African forest and the Asian/Indian elephant. So perhaps a tattoo of these beautiful creatures will trigger awareness for their well being.

Eagle Tattoos

As we mentioned before, if you are an animal lover and seeking a bird tattoo of any type, you are in for a treat, because bird tattoos are hands down some of the most captivatingly beautiful works of art on the market.

Not surprisingly eagle tattoos are perhaps the most common of all bird designs, which comes naturally for those of us in America, when you consider that eagles go hand in hand with the American flag and are symbolic of freedom, prosperity and patriotism towards the United States.

Enjoy this picture gallery of fantastic eagle artwork which will most certainly help you come up with a few ideas.



The most common location for an eagle tattoo includes the back, chest, bicep and calf area.



As for the details of the actual design, it seems that many people like to have the eagle donning open wings to appear in flight or perhaps swooping or striking its prey.



Some people choose to combined multiple designs into one piece of art, however unlike many other tattoo ideas, an eagle is such a prominently beautiful creature they look exceptionally bold as a stand along piece of artwork.

Dragonfly Tattoos

The dragonfly is an exceptionally beautiful creature which seem to possess a certain mystical quality, perhaps because of their resemblance to what a fairy is imagined to look like, or maybe its because of the ancient Asian myth that a dragonfly represents virtues including happiness, success and victory among other positive aspects.

Dragonfly tattoos are also enjoyed by both men and women, unlike butterfly and fairy artwork which is most commonly seen on women alone.

Checkout these cool pictures which will most certainly give you some great ideas for your dragonfly tattoo masterpiece.



Dragonfly tattoos are very rangy in both style and size, as we see a few of excellent designs above, one being a large back piece and another much smaller ankle pic.



Some other common locations include the foot, which is perfect for very small tattoos, and the hip which is popular among girls.



The is no color restrictions for this type of tattoo, in fact we've seen just about every color under the sun, but perhaps more commonly, blue, purple, green and black ink are used.