The Painting of the Horses

History

The Painting of the Horses was originally started by the second Ruler of Fearojan. He pained on his white stallion with a body safe paint/dye while infusing it with his Grace to allow it to take on a magical quality marking his stallion for so long as it was his. This was repeated by their wife and then again by their son and eventually spread to the court and eventually the rest of Fearojan. Through the years it became common for the new owner of any horse to take it to a temple of Dehvian to buy the special paint/dye used to mark the horse as theirs.

Execution

Once a Horse is purchace and then once every two years after one must buy the paint/dye of marking From a Temple of Dehvian or from a Devote of Dehvian and using a brush made fresh of Horse hair and paint a pattern on the horse with the paint/dye.
If the Horse happens to be a draft horse built for hauling heavy loads or working the fields a Circle is painted around the left eye, while if they are ridden for hunting, or travel then the circle is painted around both. However Nobles and Soldiers often paint a circle around both eyes as a warning that the horse may be trained for war.
From there a single dot is placed upon the legs of the horse to show the number of years this horse has been owned by this particular owner, one for every two years. Typically it is a max of six spots per leg and may be done in any order starting on any leg. This also helps a person to know how old a horse may be.
Beyond the dots and the circles of the eyes a variety of patterns are often painted on the horses from runes for protection or strength to symbols to show the grace of the person owning them. These painted markings are used to help people know who the horse belongs to and cannot be removed without consent of the one who originally painted them, the death of the owner or the help of a devote of Dehvian.

Components and tools

A special paint made by the devotes of Dehvian made from elderberries, beetroot and according to the devotees "spun moonbeams, woven winds, and collected dreams." It is unsure how reliable the last part of the recipe is as only the Devotees are taught to make the paint.
A brush of horse hair made within the last two weeks that has never been used before.

Participants

The only beings required for this tradition is the owner of a horse and the horse itself however the paint and brush may have to be bought by the owner of the horse.

Observance

The ritual is done every two years along with the day of purchase of the horse. Often times as horses are born in the spring this tradition will be performed in the spring or summer months.

Primary Related Location

Fearojan