An Afghan man rushes to the target with his horse as a Taliban fighter stands guard during a spear racing in the sprawling Chaman-e-Huzori park in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 6, 2022. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

A rider picks up a hada, a traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarf, during a horse racing event of the 18th Mount Qomolangma culture and tourism festival in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on June 20, 2023. (Photo by Sun Fei/Xinhua News Agency/Alamy Live News)

Horse riders perform during the 23rd Hassan II Trophy of Traditional Equestrian Arts (Tbourida) in Rabat, Morocco, 28 May 2024. Tbourida was inscribed in 2021 on UNESCO's representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. (Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA)

A horse is evacuated as the Canyon Fire burns in brush-filled hillsides in Castaic, California, 07 August 2025. The Canyon Fire near Lake Piru, a reservoir about 60 miles northwest of downtown LA, has forced thousands to evacute and has grown to more than 1,000 acres according to Cal Fire. (Photo by Allison Dinner/EPA)

A horse-drawn cart passing through a section cut out of the base of a giant sequoia tree in the Mariposa groves of Yosemite Park, California. (Photo by Carleton E Watkins/Getty Images). 1870

American sculptor Michael Alfano has been sculpting for over fifteen years. A native of New York, he now lives and works in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His major influences are Salvador Dali, Jo Davidson, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, as well as Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi and other eastern philosophy and literature. He first studied at the Art Students League of New York, with an emphasis on life-size sculpture from the model. His formal education continued at Boston University and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)