I'm currently researching some equine artifacts to make some reconstructions and got caught up in a little side quest! I wanted to see if anyone here knew the specific significance of the ceremonial horse masks found in Pazyryk burials. These masks were very elaborate (ceremonial), often appear to be gilded and made of a combination of leather and felt. Obviously there was some symbolism or power associated with the animals depicted that was imbued into the horse wearing them - the examples I've seen most often are a stag's head or horns and a ram.
Can anyone tell me what meanings are associated with these animals within the context of the Pazyryk/Scythian culture?
TIA.
In his book Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppes, Barry Cunliffe talks about the deer/goat symbolism a fair bit. One of the most common motifs in surviving Scythian animal art is multiple predators - often big cats and birds of prey - compete over or simultaneously attack a prey animal, most commonly stags, but also animals including goats and lambs. This imagery is all over the place in Scythian art, and stags also appear as the pieces topping some scepters used by shamans. Cunliffe suggests that the stag represents a sort of tree of life concept, sustaining a world in conflict represented by the predators. Unfortunately we don't have many written accounts providing insight into Scythian spiritual practices and beliefs, so it's hard to say how accurate this assesment is.
As you said, the regalia was found on a horse buried in the same mound as a high status Scythian. Cunliffe interprets the purpose of these horse sacrifices and other grave gifts as being to ensure the buried had everything they needed for whatever afterlife they may have believed in - so the horses wearing this regalia were intended to serve as the deceased's mounts in the next life. Horses in Scythian burial mounds become fairly common after a certain point in time, but not every horse sacrificed as a grave gift has evidence of similar regalia. This doesn't exclude the possibility of these masks being more common than the archaeological record would indicate though. The Pazyryk tombs are exceptional because permafrost preserved biological material that rotted away before it could be documented at other sites, such as the felt used to make the masks.
Cunliffe's book can be a bit dry at times, but he covers a variety of topics and cites all his sources at the end so in my opinion it's a great introduction to the topic. There's a full chapter on Scythian spiritual beliefs, and another on burial practices.
Source: Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppes by Barry Cunliffe
I know this answer is a bit lacking, so here are some of Cunliffe's recommended readings in English related to the stag symbolism and Pazyryk burials: