The Cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Richard Horne, who worked under the name Harry Horse, was regarded by both his peers and by commissioning editors as one of the finest political cartoonists of the day. Before he became a celebrated cartoonist, Horne had already made a career as a musician, and was a good banjo player. A devotee of cajun music, he founded the spoof bluegrass band Swamptrash during the Edinburgh Festival in 1985.

When he began submitting cartoons to the press, Horne adopted the pseudonym Harry Horse, which he would say stemmed from his bad handwriting at school. He would also say the name derived from the Damon Runyon character, Harry the Horse, and liked to see both versions quoted. Horne’s gift for intelligent observation and craftsmanship soon made him a popular source of cartoons for newspaper editors, and he was rarely without a commission to hand. He worked for The Scotsman, The Independent, The Observer, Scotland on Sunday, The New Yorker and The Guardian. One of his regular weekly slots was with the Sunday Herald, whose Editor Richard Walker said in tribute: “Harry was a remarkable talent and a remarkable man . . . His style was unique and is really irreplaceable.”

The individualism was also apparent in his book illustrations, and he became a popular writer as well as illustrator of children’s stories (the contrast between his edgy political cartoons and his gentle, pastel children’s work was remarkable). His first solo book was The Ogopogo or My Journey with the Loch Ness Monster (1983), and he found a wider audience with The Last Polar Bears (1993), the adventures of a grandfather and his individualistic wee mongrel Roo who travel on a quest to see how polar bears live in their natural habitat (The Last Polar Bears has been made into a popular animated film).

Horne won a much coveted Smarties Prize with the further adventures of the couple in Australia, The Last Gold Diggers (1998), and Little Rabbit Lost (2002) won the Scottish Arts Council children’s book of the year award.

Horne and his wife, Mandy, had settled on the Shetland Island of Burra after much wandering. Mandy’s multiple sclerosis was worsening, and they moved to the island to be near her parents. His friend and fellow cartoonist, Martin Rowson, describes Horne as “funny, kind, clearly deeply in love with Mandy”.

Richard Horne, cartoonist, children’s author, book illustrator and musician was born on May 9, 1960. He was found dead with his wife, Mandy, on January 10, 2007, aged 46.