Optical illusions captivate the brain like puzzles. Through the interplay of colors, lights, and patterns, these illusions trick the brain into seeing things that aren’t there or something in a mixed-up way. In January 2024, when a snowstorm hit British Columbia, Canada, a woman named Alesia Willard (@rudniktheroan) caught one such optical illusion while filming her pet horse on camera. She posted the footage on TikTok, asking people if the horse was “walking toward her or away from her.” The video sparked a lot of confusion online.
Rudnik is a 5-year-old blue roan American Quarter Horse who lives with Alesia. The viral footage shows the handsome Rudnik trotting along in beautiful contrast to a snow-white winter landscape. In a valley covered in snow and bushes, the horse appeared so black that it was hard to tell if he was walking towards or away from the camera. “When your horse is so black in the snow that you can’t tell if he’s walking towards you or away from you,” Alesia wrote in the overlay text.
The video has been viewed over 16 million times and has since received over 2 million likes. It has confused not only Alesia but other people as well. “A few times I really didn’t know,” she wrote in the caption. A discussion on the topic of optical illusions erupted in the comments section. Most people found Rudnik’s footage “out there.” Many said they couldn’t guess at all, while others said they were insanely confused. On the contrary, several said they were confused at first, but the direction he was kicking the snow gave them the clue that he was “walking away.”
“My head fell off when I saw that,” commented @tilltink93. @jjjn16 racked his brains and said, “If you look at the head it looks like it’s coming at you. If you look at the back it goes away.” @themoodywife13 couldn’t guess, “The more I tried to say it, the less I could. I had to look at his knees.”
The video was also shared on Instagram, where it has been viewed over 4 million times. @thattoddcuban commented on the footage, saying: “It literally changes direction halfway through and is outstanding. Just watch the tail: first it’s behind the horse, then it turns and the tail is behind it.” @jerremyrudnik quipped: “My last two brain cells fought until my last breath to figure that out.”
In a series of Instagram posts, Alesia revealed that she first encountered Rudnik when he was 11 months old. He had a painful history. When he was just 9 months old, his breeder dropped him off at a livestock auction where he was being prepared for a specific slaughter. In his frenzy, the horse started acting wild and upon seeing the wild horse, no one offered to buy him except a slaughter buyer. Soon after, a well-known local rescue came forward and placed their bid and the horse was released for $50. That shelter owner passed Rudnik on to another shelter owner and from there, Alesia eventually found him.
During the January snowfall, when Alesia was filming Rudnik with her camera, it took her a full 10 to 15 seconds to realize that he was actually walking away from her, she told Newsweek. She added that Rudnik was so dark against the snow that his facial features were hard to make out. “I also noticed that because of his darkness, it was hard to tell from certain angles whether he was coming or going.”
You can follow Alesia Willard on TikTok and Instagram to see more videos of her horse Rudnik.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 26, 2024. It has since been updated.
