Fact Check

Is This 'Horse Drinking Water' Rock Formation Natural?

Perhaps not even rock horses can be made to drink.

Published July 9, 2015

Claim:
A natural rock formation resembles a horse drinking water.

On 7 July 2015, the Twitter account @OurGreatEarth shared a photograph purportedly showing a shoreline rock formation that bears a remarkable resemblance to a horse drinking water:

Although this image was presented as a natural formation exemplifying "the art of Mother Earth," it's actually a digitally manipulated photograph created for a 2006 Worth1000 (now DesignCrowd) contest ("Canvas Earth 3") in which entrants were challenged to create pictures depicting "when God is feeling artistic."

This particular entry, submitted by Worth1000.com user Sugar Cane and titled "Sea Horse," took second-place honors in that contest.

Sugar Cane did start with a photograph of a real location: Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch found along the beach in Dorset, England:

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

Article Tags