‘Minutes later, the horse disappeared’: Jon Tonks’ best phone picture

In a Texas dive bar, the photographer suddenly happened on a far from ordinary sight

Jon Tonks was on a US road trip bookended by photography exhibitions: his own in Indiana, and the Houston photography festival. This shot was taken in Austin, Texas, where he'd met a friend from back home in Bath.

We'd just arrived and had done a quick search of recommended bars in our area. This place, C-Boy's Heart & Soul, was just down the street from our Airbnb. The ground floor was like every American dive bar you can imagine. There were booths down one side, racks of bourbon behind the bar, even a singer who was the spit of Ray Charles.