ENThe paper studies the problem of the origin of the heraldic horseman of Eastern Europe. It was established, that for the first time it appears on the Old Russian seals of the 12th century. This symbol was shaped under Byzantine and Western European influence. From Novgorod the Great various versions of the image (a horseman with a sword, a horseman with a spear, a horsemanhunter with a bird of prey) penetrated into the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.