The horse's rider is Saint George fighting a dragon. The three crowns were added in 1625. Through time, their meaning has changed. They have been seen as the conquered kingdoms of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia, or as the coming together of 'All the Russias' - "Grand Russia" (Russia), "Little Russia" (today's Ukraine) and "White Russia" (Belarus). In the modern time, they became the symbol for the three parts of government: Executive, legislative and Judiciary.