Five equestrian portraits, those of Philip III, Queen Margarita, Isabella of Bourbon, Philip IV, and Prince Baltasar Carlos, belonged to the colossal decorative scheme of the Hall of the Realms in the Buen Retiro Palace. The scheme was organized by the Count-Duke of Olivares, with the aim of affirming the glory of the Spanish Monarchy during what was in fact a period of decline.

Velázquez's most impressive equestrian portrait, however, did not depict any member of the royal family but took as its subject Count-Duke of Olivares on Horseback. Olivares, the most powerful man in the kingdom, expressed his sense of his own dignity by having himself painted on horseback, an honour usually accorded only to ruling heads of state.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	Philip III on Horseback 1634-35 Oil on canvas, 305 x 320 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Philip III on Horseback (detail) 1634-35 Oil on canvas Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Queen Margarita on Horseback 1634-35 Oil on canvas, 297 x 309 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Philip IV on Horseback 1634-35 Oil on canvas, 304 x 317 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Philip IV on Horseback (detail) 1634-35 Oil on canvas Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Portrait of Philip IV of Spain on Horseback c. 1635 Oil on canvas, 126 x 93 cm Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
	Queen Isabel of Bourbon Equestrian 1634-35 Oil on canvas, 301 x 314 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback 1635-36 Oil on canvas, 209 x 173 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	The Count-Duke of Olivares on Horseback 1634 Oil on canvas, 314 x 240 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
	A White Horse 1634-35 Oil on canvas, 310 x 245 cm Palacio Real, Madrid