Being a horse with the King’s Guard must suck. Not only are you forced to earn your keep and your boss is the literal King himself, you’re often surrounded by tourists who have seemingly never met a horse before and have no idea how to conduct themselves.



Take this tourist who stood next to one King’s Guard horse for a photo only to be bitten so hard that she collapsed. Directly behind her is a sign on the wall that reads, “BEWARE: Horses may kick or bite. Don’t touch the horses. Thank you!” Which means she was either so excited by the prospect of the photo that she overlooked this sign or perhaps isn’t able to read English. The latter definitely isn’t her fault, but it’s common sense to not quickly approach animals that aren’t familiar with you, particularly ones as strong and as easily startled as horses.


After the woman is bitten, she runs back to her group, who check her for signs of injury. Immediately after the bite, she’s clearly in shock, but fortunately doesn’t look too injured. Within a couple of minutes, however, she drops to the floor before members of her group move her over to sit down near the fence, propping her up as they check her once more.


The incident took place at London’s Household Cavalry Museum over the weekend, found in Westminster and home to the King’s Mounted Bodyguard. While the King’s Guard is generally not allowed to interact with the public, they may shout if members of the public get too close or become too aggressive. In the above video, one can be heard asking for someone to go and get the police officer nearby.


There are two lessons to take away from this woman’s unfortunate ordeal: 1) Be more aware of your surroundings if you’re in an unfamiliar place; and 2) develop a healthy fear of horses. If you need help with the latter, just remember that over 65,500 people are seen in U.S. emergency rooms each year as a result of horse-related injuries.