Three-flowered horses were popular in the Tang Dynasty. One is represented by the relief of six horses in Zhaoling of Emperor Taizong, and the mane of the horse neck is cut into a machete shape. The other kind of neck flap is square, represented by the war horses on both sides of Ganling Shinto. The flower horses in the Tang Dynasty were mainly three-flowered horses, but there were also some one-flowered horses.
Guo, a poet in the Song Dynasty, said in Picturesque: "Between Tang Kaiyuan and Tianbao, it lasts for a long time, and the world is still light and fat. There are three flowers in Han Gan's old painting "Reading Horses with Your Majesty". I have seen Su Jia's "Three Flowers on Horses" by Han Gan. Three flowers, cut you into three petals. Bai Letian's poem says: Feng Jianshu has five colors, and Ma Xiao cuts three flowers. "
"Flower Horse" refers to trimming the mane on the horse's neck into petal shape, and then calling it "One Flower Horse", "Two Flower Horse" and "Three Flower Horse" according to its number.
According to Guo Song Xu Ruo's Picturesque, "Between Tang Kaiyuan and Tianbao, it has been a long time, and the world is still light and fat, and three flowers are dotted with horses. The old collection of Han Gan's painting "Reading Horses by Noble People" has three horses. Three flowers, three manes. Bai Letian's poem says: Feng Jianshu has five colors, and Ma Huan cuts three flowers. "
The practice of trimming horse neck mane appeared in Qin Dynasty. For example, the royal horse of No.2 bronze chariot unearthed in the burial pit of Qin Shihuang mausoleum is a flower horse. It is also common to spend two horses on portrait bricks in Han Dynasty.