For your consideration is this beautifully crafted, Lakota carved wood horse dance stick. Horse effigy dancing / ceremonial sticks like this were sometimes made to honor ones horse after its passing. This horse dance stick features amazing craftsmanship and attention to detail. Acrylic paint is used on the wood and shows a few geometric designs painted onto the wood near the horse's chest and hind legs. The front and back feet have been stained, giving them a darker look than the rest of the horse's lighter color. The front and back legs are wrapped in rawhide, along with the real horse hair tail. The saddle is constructed of multiple layers of rawhide, as well as the saddle blanket. The saddle blanket features a beautiful painted scene of a buffalo hunt on one side, while the opposite side shows birds, a starry night sky and a bear towards the bottom. The saddle blanket is adorned with multiple items including a trade blanket, ropes, two parfleche pockets and a section of Czechoslovakian bugle beads. On the left side of the horse is a leather knife sheath adorned with rawhide strips and two rows of Czechoslovakia bugle beads in various colors. The sterling knife is marked "sterling" and "RH" and appears to feature a small, bone handle. The horse's bridle is constructed of rawhide and has been painted with geometric shapes in colors of black and green. The mane of the horse is made from real horse hair. Hanging off of the saddle is a large, metal tipped arrow wrapped in rawhide and adorned with two feathers. This carved horse dance stick shows good condition overall with little wear present and no signs of obvious or major damage is noted. It measures 32 1/4" L x 6 1/2" W and weighs 15 ounces.