The statue features a horse and nude young male rider, created in bronze with very dark patination.

[1] It was a major commission for Wynne, which took four years from his first idea and inspiration on receipt of the brief through roughing out, refining and foundry to the final unveiling and installation.

[2]As part of his preparation, Wynne visited Italy to see the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome and the Horses of Saint Mark in Venice.

In his introductory essay in the book The Messenger, Lucius Noël notes Wynne's dislike for statues where the horse is shown as merely the support for the rider.

His is, in fact, more conscious than the man, and has his feet firmly planted on the ground, one hoof pointing to the centre of the earth.

Describing his thoughts moments before the unveiling, David Wynne wrote in his 1982 book The Messenger:It is a proud moment for the sculptor when he sees a crowd of expectant and rather puzzled people gazing at an ungainly shrouded shape in the most prominent position outside a gleaming new building.