The Dala Horse, also known as the Dalecarlian Horse has been around for many centuries The earliest references to wooden horses for sale are from 1623. It is widely accepted that the small horses were carved from scraps of wood left from furniture making. Many early Dala horses were not painted at all, but in the beginning of the 19th century painting them in a single color, white or red, became common practice. According to a local tale, a wandering painter (skilled in the traditional "kurbits" style of painting) came across one of these Dala horses in a farm he was decorating. When one of the children why that horse was not as beautifully painted as the ones in the decorations, he painted the Dala horse in the same style. This is the style of painting still used on the Dala horse today.

Another legend states that in the winter of 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden waged war throughout most of Europe, many soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden. It is said that one soldier carved a Dala Horse from some scrap wood in the home where he was staying. Before presenting it to the child of the home as a gift, he painted it a bright red. This was a readily available color in this area, being produced from the copper mine at a nearby community. In return for this bright toy, the woman of the house gave the soldier a bowl of soup. He made another horse and received another bowl of soup. When word of his success in bartering for food reached the other soldiers, they too began carving and painting horses in exchange for food.

The pendant is made of hand cast, lead free pewter and measures 1" x 7/8" comes complete with a 20" silver plated rolo chain.