Like puzzles, optical illusions fascinate the brain. Through the interplay of color, light and pattern, these optical illusions trick the brain into seeing things that aren’t there or blending together. In January 2024, when a snowstorm hit British Columbia, Canada, Alecia Willard (@rudniktheroan) She was filming her pet horse when she caught the illusion, posted the footage to TikTok and asked people if the horse was “walking towards me or away from me,” and the video went viral.
Rudnik is a 5-year-old blue roan and American quarter horse who lives with Alecia. The viral video shows the handsome Rudnik trudging along against a pure white winter wonderland. In the valley covered in snow and brush, the horse looked pitch black, making it hard to tell if he was walking towards or away from the camera. “When a horse is pitch black in the snow, it’s hard to tell if he’s walking towards you or away,” Alecia wrote in overlay text.
The video has been viewed over 16 million times and has since garnered over 2 million likes. Alessia was not the only one to be confused. “There were a few moments where I really didn’t get it,” she wrote in the caption. In the comments section, a debate erupted about the illusion. Most people found Rudnik’s footage “hallucinatory.” Many were unable to guess at all, while others were very confused. Conversely, a few were confused at first, but got the clue that he was “walking away” from the direction of the snow kick.
“My mind fell off when I saw this,” he commented. Follow. Follow They racked their brains and suggested, “When you look at the head, it looks like it’s coming towards you. When you look behind, it looks like it’s going away.” Follow “The more I tried to explain it, the more confused I became. I had to look at my knees.”
This video is: Instagram The video has been viewed over 4 million times. Follow Commenting on the footage, he said: “It’s amazing how he literally changes direction halfway through. Look at the tail – at first it’s behind the horse, then it turns around and the tail is behind the horse too.” Jeremy Rudnick “My last two brain cells fought with their last breath to try to make sense of this,” he said sarcastically.
In a series of Instagram posts, Alicia revealed that she first met Rudnik when he was 11 months old. Rudnik had a painful past. At just nine months old, he was put up for euthanasia by his breeder at a livestock auction. Rudnik became frantic and started to rampage, and no one would bid on him except for those looking to euthanize the wild horse. Soon, a well-known local rescue group came forward and made a bid, freeing Rudnik for $50. The rescue owner then gave him to another rescue owner, from whom Alicia eventually found him.
Alesia was filming Rudnik on her camera during a snowy January day and said she watched him for 10 to 15 seconds before she realized he was walking away from her. NewsweekShe added that Rudnik is so dark against the snow that it’s nearly impossible to make out his features. “I also noticed that because he’s so dark, it’s hard to tell from certain angles whether he’s coming or going.”
Follow Alesia Willard Tick tock and Instagram To see more videos of her horse Rudnik, click here.
