When I was a child in the 1970s, one of my favorite books was Indian Two Feet and His Horse. Looking back, even though the title and some of its portrayals feel dated, yet the story of a boy searching for his horse always stayed with me. Recently, I re-imagined it with my own horse, Ímir—who, in his own way, found me.
Sadly he’s injured now and out of action for a long while, but our bond makes that old tale feel more real than ever.”
What I’m about to share with you is a series of illustrations I made based on that true story, making that childhood tale feel more real than ever.
Ímir is special. I saw it when I saw him for the very first time. I fell in love immediately, and even though I knew he had a history of injury, I knew I had found my horse.
He had a serious leg injury, so he needed care and rest. Instead of riding, I took care of his injury. I had a horse, but I found myself walking, and walking, and walking.
I dedicated my time studying and learning more about horses, and I spent many days, weeks and months drawing and sketching them. I learnt so much just from watching—how they move, how they sleep (by standing still), and how their limbs move in different gaits.
Things I didn’t learn just from watching, I learnt in the quiet hours just from listening and looking up into the night sky. I missed the riding, but I knew I had to be patient and wait for him to be strong enough to carry me.
Spring passed, and then summer. By the end of the summer, I had climbed many hills and mountains. I was grateful for the sweet and loyal company I had along the way. I think without them, I might have started questioning whether I was doing the right thing. And I kept going.
When we got tired, we stopped and rested. When the heat of the day slowed us down, we found a cold stream to fetch some water. In the most desperate hours, we discovered some unexpected beauty, often with wings or even tails.
You might ask—what’s the desperation about? Well, without revealing too much about how the story continues, I think I am generally not comfortable with not-knowing and open endings.
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