People can't tell if a horse is walking backwards or forwards in tricky optical illusion

Optical illusions, much like puzzles, have a unique way of captivating the brain. By playing with colors, lights, and patterns, these illusions can make us see things that aren’t really there—or distort how we perceive them. In January 2024, during a snowstorm in British Columbia, Canada, Alesia Willard (@rudniktheroan) captured one such illusion while recording her horse. She posted the footage on TikTok, asking viewers if her horse was “walking towards her or away from her,” leaving the internet stumped.

Rudnik is a 5-year-old blue roan and American quarter horse living with Alesia. The viral footage displays handsome Rudnik plodding in a beautiful contrast against a snow-white winter wonderland. In a valley covered with snow and bushes, the horse appeared so black that it was difficult to tell whether he was walking towards the camera or away. “When your horse is so black in the snow that you can’t tell if he is walking towards you or away from you,” Alesia wrote in the overlay text.

The video has been viewed over 16 million times and has gained more than 2 million likes since then. It not only left Alesia but other people perplexed too. "There were a couple of times I genuinely didn't know," she wrote in the caption. In the comment section, a discussion sparked on the topic of optical illusions. Most people found Rudnik’s footage “trippy.” Many said they couldn’t guess at all, while others said they were insanely confused. Several said that initially they were confused, but the direction of snow kicking gave them the clue that he was “walking away.”

“My head fell off watching this,” commented @tilltink93. @jjjn16 racked their brain and suggested, “If you look at the head it looks like it’s coming towards you. If you look at the rear it’s going away.” @themoodywife13 couldn’t guess, “The more I tried to tell the more I couldn’t. I had to look at his knees.” 

The video was also shared on Instagram where it got more than 4 million views. @thattoddcuban commented on the footage, saying, “It literally changes direction halfway through 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 to their last breath tryna figure this one out.”

In a series of Instagram posts, Alesia has revealed that she first came across Rudnik when he was 11 months old. He had a painful backstory. When he was just 9 months old, he was dropped at a livestock auction by his breeder, where he was set up for a certain slaughter. In his frenzy, the horse started behaving wildly, and seeing the wild horse, no one bid to buy him, except for a killbuyer. Soon enough, a well-known local rescue stepped forward and threw in their bid and the horse was set free for 50 bucks. This rescue owner gave Rudnik to another rescue owner and from there, Alesia eventually found him.

During the January snowfall, as Alesia was recording Rudnik in her camera, it took her a solid 10 to 15 seconds of watching him before she realized he was, in fact, walking away from her, she told Newsweek. She added that Rudnik is so dark against the snow, it is nearly impossible to distinguish his features. "I also realized that because he was so dark, it was hard to tell if he was coming or going at certain angles.”

You can follow Alesia Willard on TikTok and Instagram for more videos of her horse Rudnik.

This article originally appeared two months ago.