The horse has always been an animal of use to us humans. It has been used for work and transportation from the origins of agriculture, however their numbers have been declining with the arrival of mechanized transport and agricultural machinery. But in 2004 they still provided around 20% of the world’s transportation. With great trust, they have carried us on their backs since the dawn of time. The photographer Erik Kunddahl has, though his photography, captured how we have moved the horses with ud to the city.

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The horse and the city

In short - the horse has made it easier for us humans to be, well, human. The horse has blindly trusted us and faithfully followed us as we rode it out on the field and into the arena, thus changing its symbolic role from a working animal to one of sport in under 100 years. These are the exact thoughts behind Erik Kunddahl's beautiful and engaging photos, called The Horse and the City. 

Here Erik has photographed the renowned Danish military rider Vicky Mathiesen and her beautiful chestnut brown Warmblood in Copenhagen. The purpose of the story is to bring the horse back into the city as it was just over a 100 years ago, and to show how much the horse adapts to the environment in which we humans have placed it in. Whether country or city - the horse follows us wherever we go.

Erik Kunddahl talks with great passion about how he got the idea for the beautiful pictures several years ago. It turned out that he had a photoshoot with the professional horse-groom Tina Dufour and her horse in the heart of Copenhagen. At one point, they took a break from the photoshoot and Tina had her horse stand on the grass in the backyard of a building. The horse started grazing, confidently. It made Erik think about the very special bond that exists between horse and rider. The horse, regardless of its surroundings, tries to adapt as much as possible, as long as it's human is there to tell it that it is safe and secure. Whether in a field or in a hectic city, the horse is our faithful companion.

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Another message that Erik wants to convey with the photo exhibition is that the urban space and horse life are much more integrated than before. Once the horse used to belong far out on the countryside, but today we have housed it as close to the city as possible, for our convenience. We have moved into the cities - and the horse has followed...

A wise man once said: "A picture says more than a 1000 words." In this case, it tells us about the human relationship with the horse.

Behind the project:

We have talked to Erik Kunddahl about the thoughts behind the Urban Equine Lifestyle project. The project started back in 2017. Erik has photographed horses and riders on several different sites around the Danish capital. In the series, he has taken pictures at locations such as Tivoli, Fisketorvet, Amalienborg, and Christiansborg. You can see many more pictures at Erik Kunddahls Facebook and Instagram.