There is a same-sized variant of the present work in the War Memorial, Canberra, titled Shell pack horses in the mud. The War Memorial picture's subject is described as follows: 'Two horses from the 1st Australian Division Ordnance units, one led, one ridden, struggling through mud, each horse carrying eight shells for 18 pounder field guns, shells in canvas holders at Zonnebeke in Belgium. Zonnebeke in Belgium was the scene of the most ferocious fighting of the First World War. The 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles fought by British, ANZAC and Canadian soldiers against the German army. The title for this work is from a hand written list by Power of works for exhibition No 2. ... He was commissioned to produce work for the Australian Memorial until 1938.' (Australian War Memorial)

One of Australia's finest equestrian artists, Harold Septimus Power was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1877. He studied in Paris in 1905-7 where he learnt his skills and passion for painting animals, and in particular, horses. He held his first solo exhibition in 1913 at the Guild Hall, Melbourne. At the outbreak of the First World War, Power and George Washington Lambert were appointed official war artists by the Australian government. Power was attached to 1st Division AIF from 4 September 1917 to 31 March 1920. He was in France between September and December 1917 and again in August 1918.