Have you noticed that many car brands put horses on their badges? But why? They can literally choose any other animal, but no. Most of them choose the horse, and there is a deeper reason for that.
Yes, a falcon suggests speed, a bull suggests strength, and a lion shows power, yet the horse keeps appearing.
Well, it makes sense. Long before engines, the horse was the machine people used for transport, speed, farming, war, and even status. Even the power of a modern engine is still described in horsepower (a unit James Watt developed when selling steam engines, but that’s a different story).
But horses are not used as emblems only because of their history. Horses also carry deeper symbolism often tied to speed, strength, loyalty, endurance, and beauty. Characteristics that every car brand needs.
So, let’s highlight all the car brands that have horse logos and find out more about their story.
Ferrari Has the Horse Everyone Recognizes
If you show most people a horse on two legs and on a yellow background, they immediately think of Ferrari.
But most people don’t know that the Prancing Horse did not begin with Enzo Ferrari. In fact, the emblem was used by Francesco Baracca, a celebrated Italian fighter pilot during the First World War, who painted a black horse on his aircraft. After Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio circuit in 1923, he met Baracca’s parents.
According to Ferrari’s story, Baracca’s mother, Countess Paolina, suggested that he place her son’s horse on his racing cars for good luck.
Ferrari kept the horse black but placed it on a yellow background, which is the civic color of Modena, his home city. The letters S and F on the early shield stood for Scuderia Ferrari.
Then the first Ferrari-branded car, the 125 S, emerged in 1947, and by then the emblem had moved from a good luck theme to the soul of every car.
But the Prancing Horse doesn’t only symbolize good luck. It is also connected to speed, power, and strength. After all, seeing a horse stand up on two legs in front of you looks scary, and horses have always been tied to racing, which is actually what the brand represents.
Horse racing has been around long before Ferrari existed, and they managed to capture the feeling of the sport with their logo. Yes, they’ve never been associated with horse racing, but horse racing fans can quickly notice the correlation. That’s why we can see many thoroughbred horses that are actually named Ferrari.
If you’re a horse racing fan looking to place a bet online, make sure you first visit TwinSpires to learn how odds work, just to have a better chance of choosing the right horse.
Porsche’s Horse Comes From Stuttgart
Ferrari and Porsche both use a black rearing horse.
This has led to a persistent question.
Did Porsche copy Ferrari?
No.
The similarity is real, but the stories are completely separate.
Porsche’s horse comes from the coat of arms of Stuttgart, the German city where the company was established. Stuttgart’s name is connected to Stuotgarten, an old term referring to a stud garden or horse-breeding farm. The horse, therefore, represents the city itself rather than a racing pilot, a founder, or a particular Porsche model.
The rest of the Porsche crest also has a geographical meaning. The red-and-black sections and the stylized antlers were taken from the arms of the former state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern. Place the Stuttgart horse in the center, add the regional elements around it, and you have a badge that effectively says, “This car is from here,” only with considerably more gold.
Porsche introduced the crest in 1952. American importer Max Hoffman had encouraged the company to create a proper emblem that would help distinguish the young sports-car brand in the United States. Designer Franz Xaver Reimspiess and advertising manager Herrmann Lapper were involved in developing the version that followed, and its basic structure has remained remarkably consistent.
The Ford Mustang Is Not a Car Brand, but It Belongs Here
Technically, Mustang is a Ford model line rather than a separate manufacturer.
Technically, nobody searching for car logos with horses wants an article that leaves it out.
The running pony is one of the most recognizable vehicle emblems ever created. It first appeared with the original Mustang, which Ford unveiled in April 1964 as an affordable, youthful sports car with a long hood, a short rear deck, and an enormous list of possible configurations.
The car was so successful that it gave its name to an entire category: the pony car. Ford describes the Mustang as one of the fastest-selling vehicles in automotive history, and it has remained in continuous production through seven generations.
Designer Phil Clark had been sketching horse emblems before the production Mustang was finalized. Early versions experimented with different positions and directions, including a horse running toward the right. Clark preferred the pony facing left, which is how it appeared on the production badge.
Ford has described the horse as running in the opposite direction from horses on a typical American racetrack. The explanation often repeated around the company is that the Mustang is a wild horse running free rather than following the field. It is an excellent piece of brand mythology, even if most drivers first encounter that freedom while waiting behind a delivery van at a traffic light.
Baojun Literally Means “Treasured Horse”
Baojun is less familiar outside China, but its connection to the horse is more direct than almost any other automotive brand.
The name Baojun can be translated as “treasured horse” or “precious horse.” The marque was introduced in 2010 by SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture involving SAIC Motor, General Motors, and Liuzhou Wuling. It was created to sell affordable vehicles to Chinese buyers, initially occupying a space below brands such as Chevrolet and Buick.
Its original badge featured a stylized horse’s head inside a shield. They later moved to a more modern version, which replaced the horse silhouette, but if you look it closely, the new logo still looks like a horse.
So, it’s not like every other car has a horse logo, but there is definitely a pattern, especially with supercar brands.
Matthew Wilde
Matthew Wilde is an automotive journalist with experience contributing to leading publications. He focuses on delivering clear, well-researched analysis of automotive industry news and vehicles. Growing up surrounded by a variety of cars, Matthew developed a strong foundation in automotive technology and design. His work emphasizes accuracy and depth, aimed at informing both enthusiasts and industry professionals with straightforward, precise reporting.
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