A horse presented as a votive offering (hōnō), to serve as a mount for the kami, also called jinme or kamikoma. Horses were viewed as agents for bearing the kami since ancient times, and it was customary to present a horse to the kami as an expression of gratitude when making a vow or entreaty (kisei) at a shrine. If it were not possible to present a living horse, one might offer a wooden carving of a horse or a horse painting on a wooden plaque to serve as emblem (katashiro) of a horse. It is believed that the latter custom was the origin of the votive horse paintings called ema. In some cases, shrines specified the color of a horse to be offered as a votive. The custom also existed of dedicating a black horse when praying for rain and a white horse when praying for rain to end. Shinme might be given to a shrine in perpetuity and thereafter raised in a special stable, or they might be returned to pasture once they had been dedicated to the kami.