I am not sure what it is about horses that seizes us. It could be their size—an assertion of presence distinct from other animals that have been drawn into domesticity.

I’ve been distracted by them in passing; there is a racecourse not far from where I live and an equestrian centre across the highway. I still smile at the memory of a chocolate-coloured horse who would peer over our back fence when we first moved to the outer-west fringe of Melbourne. It gave such an impression of an overgrown, inquisitive dog.