I took this in a Chinese exhibition - Treasures from the Forbidden City - in Germany in 1985.
Always a favourite photo, I manipulated it in PS to soften the background a little more for a desktop.
That was also the first thing that made it stand out to me. The lighting that frames the horse'.s head. The horse itself displays an "aura" to me of strength and pride.
No, I made several copies(layers) of the original, and used a combination of cut-outs and gaussian blurs. (About three layers). Still resembles the original well, but distracting elements were removed. (Hey, maybe I should do a tutorial!?!)
"When I think of God, I think of what I can see, smell, taste, feel and benefit from; then I walk outside. I will not be contolled by any religion, I will simply bathe in the warmth of the sun and take within me, the sweetness of the earth. This is the only God I know and I will NEVER fear him!"