Meet the woman who runs like a horse and dreams of being a dog

Science and Health

Meet Ila Kirstin, a young Norwegian sensation who has taken the internet by storm.

What’s her claim to fame, you ask? Well, it’s not for any particular reason other than her love for sprinting across open fields. Sounds ordinary, doesn’t it? But wait until you witness how she goes about it.

Ila, known as Ayla, dashes across the landscape on all fours, mimicking the posture of a horse.

What’s more astonishing is her ability to gracefully leap over wooden benches, as if her body were custom-made for this peculiar pastime.

Why does she engage in such an unusual pursuit, you wonder?

The answer remains a mystery.

In articles about her, it’s mentioned that her fascination with dogs began at the tender age of four. She started imitating them, strolling on her hands and feet, and even declared, “I love dogs and want to be a dog myself.” A few years later, she developed a similar obsession for horses, honing her talent for moving on all fours.

When media outlets from across the globe attempted to contact her to uncover the reasons behind her eccentric behavior, all they could ascertain was that she was an individual who simply relished running, jumping, and galloping like a horse.

Ayla has been trotting like a horse for an extended period, and after sharing her videos on YouTube and Instagram, she gained international stardom. As for the bewildered onlookers who regarded her as though she were insane, her response was simple: “Some people perceive it as an odd act, but I try not to dwell on it and continue doing what I love.”

However, it appears that the pressure of fame and the accompanying ridicule became too much for her to bear, prompting her to delete most of her social media accounts.

And she’s not alone!

You might be surprised to learn that the phenomenon of running on all fours is not entirely new. Numerous individuals have already achieved fame for their prowess in this peculiar discipline, with one standout being Anna Salander.

Salander embarked on her horse-like running journey at the age of 10. She adopted this unusual hobby in 2013, and four years later, she had the opportunity to showcase her skills as a guest on Steve Harvey’s show, “Little Big Shot.”

If you were contemplating trying it out for yourself, we would exercise caution.

Although fitness trainer Nathaniel Nolan from Indiana asserts that running on all fours is an excellent way to maintain fitness, having practiced it for 326 days and achieving an incredibly muscular physique, there are contrasting opinions from medical professionals. Some experts believe that this form of running is perilous and detrimental to the human body, which is inherently designed for bipedal locomotion.