Picture Ref: 77407-151TODAY'S artists have sketchpads and pencils.

But in early times they turned to the hills and crude etching instruments to imitate nature.

Dotted around Wiltshire's stunning landscape are eight white horses, all carved into the chalk hills and all of varying design.

It's thought they got their inspiration from the famous Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire.

This piece of extraordinary artwork located close to the ancient Ridgeway path was created sometime in the late Bronze Age.

Given its age, it is perhaps no wonder the site is steeped in folklore.

One theory holds the horse actually represents the dragon slayed by St George, an event thought to have taken place on nearby Dragon Hill.

Wiltshire's oldest horse can be found near Westbury.

It is generally accepted that there has been a white horse on the site for more than 300 years.

In 1778 Lord Abingdon had the horse re-cut to a design nearer to its present day appearance.

The earliest mention of it is in a book published in 1742 called Further Observations on the White Horse and Other Antiquities in Berkshire.

The newest white horse completed in 2000 to mark the millennium can be found in Devizes.

During the Second World War, the Government ordered the sites to be covered up.

Officials feared the German Luftwaffe would use them to help pinpoint their positions.

Now the region's tourism bosses do all they can to promote the marvellous sites.

Community action groups have even been set up to preserve them.

If you're feeling fit you can attempt the gruelling 90-mile White Horse Trail.

It takes around six days to complete walking at a moderate pace.