Horse love is universal by Wim Romijn

About "Horse love is universal"

by Wim Romijn

About the artwork

HORSE LOVE IS UNIVERSAL
(Ouddorp, South Holland)
On the Zeeland-like island of Goeree, a field is being sown with winter barley on the edge of the sea dunes. As I lie down by the side of the ditch and contemplate the scene in peace and quiet, the realisation that it is not difficult to enjoy and love all the horses comes back to me. Being able to deeply embed horses in my life has not remained a dream for long; the way it has turned out is, to my mind, somewhat remarkable.

An unsuitable living environment for a child: small single-family houses close together and overlooking drab apartment blocks, revolutionary buildings from the 1950s and 1960s. A neighbourhood where many families lived in quiet poverty. To escape this dreary neighbourhood, I regularly took long walks in the woods with my dachshund. Meeting groups of riders was not uncommon: once I approached, I turned my gaze away from the shiny, well-groomed horses, looked quasi indifferently in the other direction and, although I had been taught otherwise at home, walked on without greeting. There was something magical about the horses' body odour. Shortly after the moment of passing, I turned around and continued to stare at the horses. Our Lord has not distributed it well, I thought as a child. Yet envious feelings and thoughts of any kind have always been foreign to me. I was born that way and consider that a gift for life.