Garrard often dramatised his paintings of horses, like his father-in-law and mentor the painter Sawrey Gilpin of whom the critic for the Morning Herald commented in 1794: 'Mr. Gilpin is inferior to Mr. Stubbs in anatomical knowledge, but is superior to him in grace and genius.' Although horses frightened by lightning were a common subject, rarely did horse painters make their subjects shimmer in this unusual way, the flanks of the horse gleaming like silver, the mane and tail like gold. Garrard was also a sculptor, and was probably thinking of modelling animals in precious metal.