There are countless optical illusions on the internet, but one that has haunted us here at Creative Bloq for years is the humble rotating horse. If you’re an optical illusion fan, you’ve likely seen the spinning equine making the rounds already, but what if I told you this viral phenomenon has come to life?
It was shared by an eagle-eyed Redditor who caught the real-life illusion as they were driving (for the record, I do not condone optical illusions when behind the wheel, but I shall make an exception here). It’s one thing to see the illusion from behind a computer screen, but this IRL mind trick has well and truly melted my poor brain.
Giant horse statue on trailer goes from facing forward, to facing backward, to facing forward again from r/opticalillusions
The original rotating horse optical illusion does exactly what it says on the tin. While it appears that the equine is rotating in one direction, the illusion mysteriously shifts when you look at it for too long, causing a mind-bending effect on the viewer.
I regret to inform you that it’s no less bamboozling in real life, as this video from Redditor u/dericn reveals. Featuring a mesh wire horse on the back of a trailer, the beast appears to shift the direction it’s facing right before our eyes. No lighting tricks, no internet witchery. Just a good ol’ bit of bistable perception.
For more mind-bending illusions, check out this astounding optical illusion art that feels like pure witchcraft or learn how to create your own op art with this optical illusion painting tutorial.