Horse Dream Interpretation: Insights from 39 Unique Sources

Dreams involving horses can carry various meanings depending on the context and details of the dream. Horses often symbolize power, freedom, and success but can also indicate challenges, deceptions, or warnings.

Positive Interpretations of Horses in Dreams

If you dream of seeing or riding a white horse, it suggests favorable prospects for prosperity and enjoyable interactions with congenial friends and fair women.

To see fine stallions indicates success and high living, and that strong passions may take hold of you.

To ride a horse through a clear stream foretells good fortune and rich pleasures.

If you dream of horses pulling vehicles, it denotes wealth, though there may be obstacles in love.

Negative Interpretations of Horses in Dreams

If the white horse is soiled or lean, it indicates betrayal by a jealous friend or woman.

To dream of a black horse foretells success in fortune, but it suggests deception and moral challenges.

To see a wounded horse indicates trouble for your friends, and to dream of a dead horse signifies various disappointments.

If you dream of falling while riding a horse, this points to enemies and jealousy hindering your progress.

Mixed Symbolism in Horse Dreams

To dream of dark horses signifies prosperous conditions but also discontent and fleeting pleasures.

For a young woman, dreaming of riding a black horse suggests a need for wise counsel, and her wishes may be postponed.

To dream of swimming on a horse’s back through clear water symbolizes swiftly realized passionate bliss. However, if the stream is murky, anticipated joys may be disappointing.

Dreams of Horses in Different Contexts

If you see yourself riding a fine bay horse, this indicates a rise in fortune and satisfaction of desires. For women, it predicts yielding to advances and enjoying material pleasures.

To ride or see passing horses suggests ease and comfort, while riding a runaway horse indicates that your interests will suffer due to a friend's or employer's folly.

Unexpected Situations with Horses in Dreams

If you attempt to shoe a horse or fit a broken shoe that is too small, it suggests fraudulent dealings with unsuspecting parties.

To see a horse with a tender foot indicates that unexpected unpleasantness will interfere with your otherwise positive state.

Unusual Horse Dreams

To dream of animals in human flesh signifies great advancement and new friendships through modesty and well-earned honors. However, if the flesh appears diseased or freckled, it suggests the failure of well-laid plans.

For a young woman, dreaming of a friend riding behind her on a horse suggests she will be favored by many successful men, but if frightened, jealousy may arise.

Warnings in Horse Dreams

If a horse kicks you in the dream, it means you will be repulsed by someone you love, and ill health may affect your fortune.

To dream of being thrown from a horse indicates a strong rival, and your business may suffer due to competition.

If you dream of a horse turning into a pig, it warns against carelessly passing up honorable offers, risking the loss of desirable opportunities for marriage.

See Success, Deception, Wealth, Obstacles.

Dreaming of horses is often symbolic of wealth, honor, and power, and can be connected to a variety of life’s circumstances, from family to prosperity. Depending on the context in the dream, horses can convey messages about success, family, relationships, and personal challenges.

Ownership and Wealth

Owning horses in a dream symbolizes prosperity and victory over enemies. Riding a horse indicates dignity, honor, and wealth, and may also suggest forming alliances with noble people or meeting good companions. Owning a mare, specifically, signifies begetting a beautiful son, while a nag or workhorse suggests satisfaction in life or marriage to a wealthy and noble woman.

Symbolism of Color and Devotion

If the horse in the dream is blond, it is associated with knowledge, devotion, piety, and fear of wrongdoing. Horses can represent spouses as well, with a nag symbolizing a wife or husband. In certain dreams, a saddled horse may represent a woman during her menstrual period, implying a time of restricted intimacy.

Social Gatherings and Leadership

A gathering of horses in a dream may signify a gathering of women for either a wedding or a funeral. Managing a herd of horses suggests presiding over people or running a business successfully. If a horse dies in your presence, it could symbolize the loss of a home or business.

Family and Legacy

The fit and state of a horse reflect the dreamer’s own condition. Descending from a horse implies committing a sin or losing one’s position. A hairy horse may represent a large family, while the tail of a horse cut off could signify the loss of children or one’s legacy. Clipped tails suggest that the dreamer’s death will result in a forgotten name.

Challenges and Trials

If a horse attacks in a dream, it means a noble person or a young boy will demand justice. A flying horse with two wings may symbolize being tempted by a perverted individual. However, if someone from the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad sees themselves on a winged horse, it represents rising in station and leadership.

War, Conflict, and Responsibility

If horsemen are seen flying through the skies, it could signal impending war. Riding a horse with a spear suggests coercing others to fulfill their obligations. A drowning horse symbolizes possible death from illness. Buying a horse signifies profits or financial gain from teaching, while selling a horse denotes acts of kindness and gratitude.

Leadership and Victory

A horse’s bite may indicate leadership in a military conflict. Killing a horse represents being awarded status, rank, and wealth. Slaughtering a horse for purposes other than food, however, may signify spoiling one's livelihood.

Community and Social Standing

If an unknown horse enters a town, it suggests that a noble person will arrive and stir competition or fear among the locals. Should that horse leave, it may indicate the impending death of a significant, though unknown, person. Horses running through the streets could represent destructive forces like floods.

Weakness and Strength

A feeble horse symbolizes the weakness of its owner and may reflect personal insecurities or struggles.

See Dung, Horse fright, Nag.

Dreaming of horses often signifies a range of deep psychological meanings, from sexuality to emotions, instincts, and personal growth. The presence of horses in your dreams can offer valuable insights into your unconscious mind and current life challenges.

Sexual Symbolism

(1) A horse, especially a stallion, may represent sexuality, and mounting a horse can symbolize the sexual act.

Instinctual Energy

(2) A horse might represent your instinctive, primal energy, which could potentially 'carry you away.'

(3) A galloping horse may symbolize ecstasy, or a need to rise above sensuality and material ambitions, reminding you to be 'in the world but not of it.'

Perspective and Change

(4) If the horse in your dream is blinkered, it might suggest that you're too set in your ways. This indicates a need to open your eyes to new possibilities and broader horizons.

Freedom and Emotional Expression

(5) A tethered horse may indicate that some part of your instinctual nature needs more freedom. Alternatively, it could signify that you need to free yourself from guilt or anything holding you back from enjoying life.

Emotional Symbolism

(6) Horses may symbolize emotions. If the horses are wild and uncontrolled, it could mean your emotions are on the verge of taking over, or that you're allowing them to rule your actions. Conversely, tightly controlled or tethered horses might suggest emotional repression.

Inner Wisdom

(7) Horses in myths and folktales often speak. If a horse in your dream talks, it might be the voice of your unconscious or your true self, revealing deeper truths.

Confronting Fear

(8) A threatening horse could represent your fear of your unconscious, repressed desires, or sexuality. The fear can be overcome by embracing these aspects with love and acceptance.

Emotional Control

(9) If horses are pulling you in a carriage, they may represent your emotions. Are you guiding them, or are they leading you?

Symbol of Death or Transformation

(10) Black horses are often associated with funerals. This could signify something in your life that is dead or dying, perhaps an old habit or emotional attachment that should be allowed to pass.

Fertility and Expansion

(11) A horse’s hoof might symbolize fertility or sexuality, representing your psychological growth and ability to expand as an individual.

See Archetypes, Sexuality, Emotions, Growth.

Vision: Dreaming of a horse and a rider, or riding one yourself, symbolizes taking control of a situation. Successfully managing a project depends on remaining steady and holding the reins firmly. However, if you fall off a horse in your dream, it may suggest that it’s time to let go of a project that is bound to fail. Seeing a horse in a pasture indicates a desire for more freedom and independence.

Dependence and Independence

If a horse is pulling a wagon in your dream, it represents dependence on others and a longing for personal freedom. Seeing many horses in a pasture signals regaining your independence or preparing to work for yourself.

Overcoming Obstacles

A restless or bucking horse signifies that you’ve overcome great difficulties, and lasting success is on the horizon. Leading a horse by a halter suggests that it’s time to carefully evaluate a critical decision about your future and move forward with determination.

Symbolism of Horse Colors

A white horse intensifies positive symbols, while a black horse adds to the negative ones. A calm horse reflects control over physical urges and emotions, whereas a black horse is often associated with death or separation. In contrast, a white horse represents spiritual meaning, intellectual strength, and ambitious goals.

Depth Psychology

Horses in dreams can be a sign of heightened desires, sexual needs, or passions rising to the surface. The more wild the horse, the stronger these energies. A rider on the horse symbolizes that your intellect is governing your urges. A stallion represents masculinity, potency, and strength, while a mare signifies femininity, gentleness, harmony, and fertility.

Creative Energies

Pegasus, the winged horse, symbolizes imagination and transformation, indicating that you’ve turned instincts and desires into creative energies.

See Animals, Racetrack.

Horses have long been symbols of movement, transition, and power, much like modern vehicles such as airplanes, buses, and cars. In dreams, they can represent various aspects of life, from burdens to spiritual journeys and even male virility.

Work and Burdens

Horses were often used as work animals, especially on farms, where they were highly valued. The condition of the horse in your dream can reveal how you feel about your own efforts. A run-down horse may symbolize feeling unappreciated no matter how much you contribute, whereas a well-fed and groomed horse signifies recognition and appreciation from those around you.

Spiritual and Mythological Associations

In ancient times, horses were revered. The Greeks, for instance, associated horses with Artemis, the goddess of the moon and forests, which can also connect horses to earth or tree dreams. In Islamic tradition, Mohammed rode a mystical horse on his journey to heaven, symbolizing spiritual sojourns. Dreaming of a stallion often symbolizes male virility and strength.

Emotional and Ambitious Symbolism

Galloping horses in dreams can represent ambition, ecstasy, and the emotional self. On the other hand, a tethered horse may indicate that one of these aspects is being restrained. Pay attention to who is holding the reins—whether it’s you or the horse. If the horse is in control, it might be time to reclaim control of your life.

Good Luck and Psychic Powers

Finding a horseshoe in a dream is almost universally seen as a symbol of good luck. White horses, however, are often considered harbingers of death in German and English traditions. If the horse is playfully cavorting, it may be a sign of "horseplay," a reminder to be mindful that your joviality doesn’t accidentally cause harm.

Horses are also said to have psychic abilities, being able to sense spirits and foresee events, similar to dogs. Seahorses in dreams may symbolize diving into intuition and the subconscious for significant insight.

Winged Horses and Imagination

Winged horses, like Pegasus, are symbols of fame, eloquence, and the muse. Let your imagination soar as you explore the realms of creativity and poetry.

See Animals, Farm, Airplane, Bus, Car, Spaceship.

Dreaming of horses can carry a wide range of meanings depending on the specific details and actions in the dream. Horses are often symbols of power, freedom, and wealth, but the exact interpretation can vary significantly based on the color, behavior, and other circumstances of the horse.

General Meanings of Horses in Dreams

If you dream of seeing horses, it suggests a period of ease and comfort in your life. Riding or sitting on a horse signifies a coming rise in status or success. However, if you are thrown from the horse or fall off, it could indicate that you will need to deal with a rival or challenge. A bucking horse symbolizes unexpected resistance to a current plan, while being kicked by a horse serves as a warning against complacency.

Signs of Conflict and Fortune

Dreaming of horses fighting can be a precursor to troubling news about a friend. If the horse in your dream is being shod, it may suggest unexpected financial gain or a fortunate turn of events. Trading horses, however, warns of deceit from someone you trust, and cleaning or grooming a horse foretells a lucky speculation or investment. Seeing a foal, especially with a mare, is an auspicious sign of positive news.

Speed and Success

Galloping or racing horses predict swift success and achievement in your endeavors. A horseshoe appearing in your dream is a general symbol of good luck, and finding one promises wealth or success beyond your wildest expectations.

Color and Interpretation

Color plays a significant role in horse dreams:

• Black horses indicate delays or obstacles.
• White horses amplify the positive elements of the dream, signifying purity and success.
• Gray horses suggest that difficulties may precede success.
• Sorrel or Piebald horses point to confusion or uncertainty.
• Brown horses relate to mental pursuits and intellect.
• Tan or Palomino horses symbolize love affairs and romantic matters.

Additional Symbols

If your dream involves a game of horseshoes, you may want to consult the interpretation for Quoits. Similarly, other horse-related elements, such as a bridle or saddle, can offer further insight.

See Bridle, Saddle, Quoits.

General: pleasurable energy and exuberance; dynamic sexual drive. Example: ‘As I talked to the pale golden horse it felt more and more as if I were talking to a male companion who was in union with me’ (Alison B). Alison’s horse is obviously ponraying her feelings for a man.

The dream shows how easy and integrated she is with these. Controlling the horse or fear of it: fear of feelings of love and sexuality.

If the horse dragged the dreamer along: impetuosity of such feelings; feeling dragged along by natural urges. Running away from a horse or horsemen: fear of sexuality, which includes responsi­bility for parenthood and relationship; fear of life drive.

The winged horse: shows how our life or drive is not limited to sexuality or survival, but can lift into wider activities—a woman turning her love of her children into social caring.

A horse race: one’s life; everyday competition and where you rate yourself in it.

A sick or dying horse: loss of health, energy, enthusiasm. Black horse: unaccepted passions. White horse: changing sexual drive into love and wider awareness; a meet­ing with our feelings about death.

The mare: femininity, re- ceptiveness, fertility.

The stallion: masculinity, power and vi­rility. Idioms: back the wrong horse; from the horse’s mouth, horse sense; you can take a horse to water, wild horses.

See dream as spiritual guide.

The horse has always been a mythical animal. Centuries ago, especially in England and Germany, dreaming of a white horse was considered a harbinger of war. According to Jung, the horse expresses the magical side of man, unconscious intuition. Indeed, from this magical character comes the belief that horseshoes bring good luck. Because of their speed, horses can also embody the wind, the fire, and the light.

Dreaming of horses means you can tame your passions and, therefore, your will has control of your actions.

If the horse runs wild it means you have lost control and let yourself get carried away by your passions.

If you are afraid in the dream it also indicates that you fear your most natural instincts. The horses are also sex symbols and, according to Freud, they represent the terrible aspects of the father figure. In short, horses are the wild forces of the subject’s psyche, whose primary need is that you master them without repressing them.

In some myths and fairy tales, horses have the ability to speak like humans.

If this happens in the dream, it is the voice of your unconscious contacting you. In Greek myths, horses were linked to Hades, god of the underground and death. However, the most common oneiric prophecy says that horses announce news from a faraway place.

If in your dream someone is putting shoes on a horse, you will soon have the best of fortunes.

The horse in a dream represents the energy at our disposal.

A white horse depicts our spiritual awareness, a brown one the more pragmatic and down-to-earth side, while a black horse is the passionate side of our nature.

A pale horse has the same symbolism as the figure of death with this scythe.

A winged horse depicts the soul’s ability to transcend the earthly plane and, therefore, pass through the astral planes.

If the horse is under strain or dying there is a severe weakening of the dynamic power that carries us forward. Too much pressure may be being experienced in our lives.

If the horse is being harnessed to a cart we may be concentrating too hard on thoroughly utilitarian objectives. In a man’s dream a mare will denote the anima, a woman, or the realm of the feminine. In a woman’s dream, being kicked by a horse may indicate the animus or her relationship with a man.

A horse that can get through any door and batter down all obstacles is the collective shadow – those aspects of the personality that most people attempt to suppress.

The horse as a beast of burden is often the great mother or mother archetype. Even though the horse has been superceded in waking life by the car, it still has huge significance in dreams. Also consult the entry for car as well as the information on archetypes in the introduction.

Along with cats and dogs, the horse is one of the most common animal themes in dreams, particularly amongst women. Like dogs, horses are domesticated animals, and so they represent urges and drives in yourself that you have learned to harness or direct. The big difference is that the horse can carry us. Tame, working or domesticated horses in dreams therefore suggest energy and the sort of enthusiasm or feelings of well-being that can help to ‘carry’ you through the day. According to Freud, horses are also symbols of the sexual drive, and the physical energy and life processes that ‘carry’ us around.

The astrological sign of Sagittarius is depicted by a half man-half horse hybrid, so a dream of horses or horses that are half human may be referring to someone born under that sign. In myths and fairy tales, horses often speak and talking horses in dreams may represent the voice of your unconscious—a message from your inner self. In Greek myth, horses were associated with Hades and the underworld but ancient dreamlore suggests that to dream of horses indicates that you will receive news from a distance. To dream of a horse being shod is thought to be extremely lucky because of the association with the horseshoe, a well-known symbol of luck.

See ANIMALS.

The horse is a noble and powerful animal. As a dream symbol it can represent a wide range of positive thoughts and ideas about self or others. Depending on the details of the dream, horses can symbolize freedom, power, and sexual energy. At times, they can also be considered messengers, relaying information from the unconscious to the conscious, from the spiritual to the physical.

If you are horseback riding it suggests that you are self assured and feel a sense of control in your daily life. Old dream interpretation books say that the color of the horse is also significant.

(Remember that this is based on superstition.) Black horses are said to point out delays; white horses reinforce the positive and transformative aspects of life; gray horses may point to the difficulties in the dreamers current situation; piebald horses are symbolic of confusion; brown horses are associated with mental pursuits; tan horses are said to be symbolic of love and sex.

The powerful and strong part of yourself – your faith and beliefs, ethics in life. Are you riding it and in harmony with it? 

Studies show that the animals that most often appear in dreams are horses, along with cats and dogs, and women seem to dream of horses more often than men do; indeed, Artimedorus of Daldis (2nd century AD) lists horses amongst the most common dreams of women. Some dream interpreters suggest that horses represent male sexuality.

According to Freud, horses symbolize the sexual drive. Jung noted that horse dreams could often be indicative of health conditions. Horses, like dogs, represent urges and passions in ourselves that we have learned to harness or direct, and in general they represent positive things that are about to happen in a dreamer’s waking life. Horses suggest the sort of enthusiasm or feelings of well- being that can carry us through the day and through life. Having said that much depends on the context of the dream; for instance, if the dreamer falls off the horse, this may suggest relating badly to urges and passions and the resulting tension this creates.

If the horse is wild, this suggests undirected energy, such as sexual desires which override personal or interpersonal needs.

For Freud, riding a horse is a symbol of sexuality. The gallop suggests passionate intercourse, and the trot, gentle enjoyment. Another interpretation suggests that horse riding suggests a desire for a slower pace of life, whilst galloping or horse racing suggests a competitive streak. Falling or being thrown from a horse suggests that you are worried about taking on too many responsibilities and finding it hard to cope.

If the horses pulling a carriage are out of control in your dream, this suggests loss of control in your waking life but if the carriage is plodding along, it suggests an old-fashioned approach to life and reluctance to look forward to the new.

If you dreamed of riding a horse, or being pulled by one in a carriage or other horse-drawn vehicle, try to decide what the horse symbolizes to you and then note if it was doing your bidding. This will help you see if your unconscious is going along with, or rebelling against, you.

See ANIMALS.

Horses symbolize strength, speed, and endurance. It also indicates having control over things and directing them towards your aim.

The same holds true in dreams involving horses.

The common expression, ‘get off your high horse’ refers to the need to be less arrogant and to be more down to earth.

To dream of a dark horse reflects mystery and danger. Such dreams are commonly among gamblers and those who take too many risks.

To dream of a white horse signifies purity and good fortune. It indicates the image of a prince charming and his white horse coming to save the princess. Being chased by a white horse reflects trouble in dealing with sexuality. Seeing a dead horse in a dream demonstrates loss in a relationship. Seeing a herd of wild horses refers to freedom and wildness.

To dream of riding a horse suggests scarcity of resources that hinders achievement of goals. Riding an untamed horse is a sign that you’re being carried away by your emotions.

To see a white horse while dreaming is an indication of prosperity.

To see a black horse, tendency to deception.

To see a runaway horse, be careful of misuse of your money. All dreams of riding a horse turn into dreams of fantasy, such as those of children who love excitement and the joy of action.

To adults, these dreams are expressions of passion, such as riding a wild or bucking horse, which represents the active sexual display.

For women, it may add the element of fear because they dread the results or because they are not prepared for marital life. Men are harassed with fear of impotency rather than death when they dream of dangerous horsemanship.

Dreams of a horse symbolize sensitive, compassionate strength, and untamed sexual energy.

If you dream of stealing someone’s horse, then this represents jealousy and an attempt to take someone’s power.

If you dream of a black horse, then this represents your connection to the place within you where the answers live.

If you dream of a yellow horse, then this represents illumination and inspiration.

If you dream of a red horse, then this represents playfulness, humor, and balancing hard work with joy.

If you dream of a white horse, then this represents balance, wisdom, and power.

See Stallion, Animal.

Vitality, energy, mobility, and honor. It may mean speed, power, potency, and drive. Dynamism. According to 2nd century dream interpreter Artemidorus, luck in love. Other classical authors see in the horse a symbol for the woman the dreamer would love to possess physically. In late medieval books on dreams, hitching horses to a carriage meant that one had many love affairs.

According to Freud, a life as well as a death wish.

Folklore: Horses can be messengers of death. This shows the influence of Christianity, which stated that, in Celtic religion, God was the “Horse Goddess Epona.”

(See Mare).

Dreaming of a black horse is unlucky for a married woman as it denotes unfaithfulness on the part of her husband.

Brood mares indicate companionship and connubial happiness.

Being kicked by a horse is a sign that the object of your affection will do something to make you realize that you have made a mistake.

Having a horse shod is a good omen for lovers, both married and single.

To see one or more horses drawing a cart foretells wealth, but accompanied by distress, especially to lovers.

A horse may offer its power to the dreamer as a vehicle for moving forward in life. Horse brings the attnbute of strength to deliver you to your destination.

For the hero, the horse cames him to his mission, perhaps over long distances, and thus it may signify the need to travel.

A wild horse can represent unleashed and untamed power. Horses may also trot into your dream to indicate the need to stand your ground in a power struggle.

Something you’re doing requires stamina and strength, which is why a horse has made its presence felt in your dream. Associated with power, longevity and going the distance, the appearance of a horse means you’re about to, if you haven’t already, begin a process which will take a huge amount of effort and tenacity. Whether you’re riding, stroking or watching the horse, it’s a sign that you will be successful.

If you dream of a herd of wild horses roaming wild and free it could be a fantasy wish fulfillment for your waking daydreams of freedom from cares and responsibility.

To dream of riding a dark horse shows that you will be successful in your business but use shady dealings to get where you are.

If your dream is of white, or light colored horses then your fortune or your love is assured.

Good fortune, in business and in the home.

A white horse or a grey one indicates prosperity.

A black or brown one indicates power and position.

To be mounting a horse indicates you will be well rewarded for work done.

To shoe a horse is to be assured of comfort in your old age.

A stallion represents sexual power.

A mare is sexual fulfillment.

The horse is the ultimate symbol of power. We even use the horse as a measurement of an engine with the term “horsepower.” When harnessed, this mighty beast can take you to extremes of speed and strength. As a totem animal, the horse will visit in a dream when you need to be in touch with this visceral energy to move.

These animals are generally good signs, but the colour must be noted, such as Black, White, Brown, and so on. This affects the omen.

If you are riding a Horse and are thrown, it is a bad sign.

If someone on Horseback comes to visit you, expect news from a distance.

It is very lucky to dream of a horse being shod.

1. Works/the flesh; Gal 5:19;

2. Swiftness;

3. Strength;

4. Power;

• Black horse

- Famine; Rev. 6:5

• Pale horse

- Death Rev. 6:8;

• Red horse

- Warfare

• White horse

- Righteousness/false Rev 13:2 (14

• Race horse

- Competiveness;

• White horse Rider

Jesus; Rev 19:11

The horse is a powerful animal representing noble and forthright actions.

If the dreamer is riding the horse, the dreamer is most probably in control of his or her life.

The drives of power and sex can also come into play in this kind of dream.

A dream of happiness, to dream of riding signifies success (Gypsy). Jung regards this as an erotic dream; courage and generosity are symbolized by the horse, while Swedenborg regards it as the emblem of the “intellectual principle.”

The horse is a lucky animal in dreams, suggesting the dreamer is in control of her life.

If you dream of a runaway horse, you are scared by your own strong passionate feelings. Also see “Horseback Riding” and “Horse Shoes”, below.

You see a horse or horses dancing in your courtyard: an impending disaster will not materialise • You ride on a galloping horse: you will make an easy and rapid progress • You ride on an ambling horse: you make no progres

a horse in the dream symbolises person’s status, rank, honur, dignity, power and glory.

If he sees any increase in its quality and excellence it means similar increases in the quality and excellence of the above.

1. Sexual energy.

2. Intelligence.

3. Wildness, mystery (dark horse).

4. Purity (white horse).

Freedom, power; sexual energy. Riding horseback suggests oneness with nature, expanded sense of self.

work or war, Prov. 21:3.

A white horse is symbolic of Christ’s return, Rev. 6:2

The power of the world, opposite of the power of god

See animals.

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