HOME IS WHERE THE HORSE IS

You are missing an eye. The left. Socket punctuated by flies. A lingering of violence. Your flanks a ripe fruit of ticks. Drunk. I will not interfere in your communion. Nor be your feeding hand. Remember. That night by the road. Beneath a canopy of burnt trees. Johnny K. You scaled the shallow bank of grass. Onto the cleft road. Vulnerable as a lip. I smelt of return. You of breaking surf.

The wild horses of Rooisand in the Overberg region of South Africa could trace their origins to the large-scale culling of farm animals during agricultural mechanization, the Birkenhead shipwreck at nearby Gansbaai, or herds hidden in the Botrivier wetlands during the Anglo-Boer War.

The horses play an important ecological role by creating footpaths through the reed beds, which keep the waterways free of debris, and the estuary an ideal habitat for many bird species, including the cattle egret. Over time, their hooves have evolved to navigate the wet terrain, and remain rot-free, while their coats grow especially thick to withstand the harsh Cape winters. Despite the threat of local traffic, and human interference, they face no predator but time.
 
Shortlisted for the
Sony World Photography Awards ‘24
Featured by Daily Maverick + World Press Photo