Originally published at: A tourist ignores sign at Buckingham Palace that says "horses may bite" — so the horse bites (video) | Boing Boing
…
A tourist ignores sign at Buckingham Palace that says "horses may bite" — so the horse bites (video)
3 Likes
It looks like two different moments cut together—first the horse sends her scampering by biting her ponytail, then she comes back (!?) just to get knocked away again.
Some folks just don’t have horse sense.
For the record you shouldn’t mess around with the horses in the real Disneyland either.
11 Likes
Granted that they’re probably not training cavalry horses to bit and trample these days, but still.
3 Likes
Once again, this is at Horse Guards in Whitehall, not Buckingham Palace.
The guards at Buckingham Palace are infantry (i.e. they don’t have horses).
16 Likes
I think it was the ponytail.
I do wonder if the horses undergo the kind of war-horse training for combat that used to be standard for military mounts, or are just as annoyed at the tourists as most employees of a touristy location.
(edit for clarity.)
2 Likes
they are also not NOT training them to bite and trample, either
4 Likes
Of course. These aren’t the ponies at the fair.
1 Like
Was over there recently,stoked to get some good footage of guards changing… those guys are laser focused, I respected the job they had to do. Others though… OMG … those videos of people getting yelled at … it happens ALL the time. People think it’s like Disney with actors in fancy costumes all over the place. Nope.
1 Like
I hope someone gave the poor horse something to wash away that nasty tourist taste left in his mouth.
4 Likes
She really didn’t get the message. If the clips are in chronological order, you’d think a hair-pull like that would have taught her to keep her distance, but noooo…
1 Like
It must be from having grown up in a tourist town, but I find videos of tourists being berated, yelled at, and bitten for standing too close to or touching the guards at Buckingham palace or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier extremely satisfying. I think it points to a character flaw in my otherwise extremely compassionate nature.
2 Likes
Good horsie. Fucking tourists with no respect.
3 Likes
That horse must have a cultural aversion to the taste of American tourists since it stopped at only one bite.
But seriously, if this happens on a regular basis (and it seems to), why don’t these venues cordon off the area so tourists aren’t allowed close enough to get bitten? Or do they want tourists to get bitten?
I mean it kinda is. Those guards are there to drive tourism. This is not the most effective way to guard a building that is a high value target for terrorism and espionage. That would be a host of electronic sensors and a guard detachment with modern weaponry and equipment stationed out of sight but ready to go. Those doubtlessly exist as well in Whitehall. Because a dude on a horse doesn’t cut it.
It’s also not just tradition. If preserving tradition was all that was wanted, it would be trivial to keep away the tourists and have all the pomp and circumstance behind closed doors for government ministers only.
So the reason these guards still stand there every day is because of the tourists. That doesn’t mean that the audience should feel entitled to do whatever they want, but people should also not delude themselves that these soldiers do a more noble job than any cast member at Disneyland.
3 Likes
Not a Brit, but the sign would be enough for me too.
Not just out of sight, there is a small number of armed (carbines and handguns) police in the small courtyard just behind the sentry box. No doubt there are reinforcements based nearby.
1 Like
Exactly. There is some pomp and ceremony aspect to them being out there… but they aren’t actors, they have legal authority to crack your skull if needed.
Around the corner I found a fully-armed soldier/cop who didn’t have a cork in his pop gun. He told me oddly enough people don’t mess with him like they do the King’s Guard.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
