When handling animals, expect the unexpected.
The biggest challenge of working with animals is that they can’t verbalize their needs.
Sometimes, even the most experienced handlers can experience trouble when working.
Audience members held their breath when a situation like this unfolded right before their eyes.
And while the team of horses is famous in their own right, this doesn’t exempt them from getting all tied up.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are one of the most iconic animal teams in the world.
You can almost say that they’re almost as famous as the reindeer team pulling on Santa’s sleigh.
This prestige meant that they get to go on events, especially those that involve other animals.
The Clydesdales attended the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Then, as they were introduced to the audience, two horses became noticeably antsy.
The two lead horses began to turn.
The horses who went rogue began to turn and fold the queue in itself.
It happened so quickly that it was too late when the handlers realized what was happening.
The pair tried to shove their way between the second and third horses.
With straps and yokes in place, it didn’t take long before the herd became a tangled mess of straps.
The horses, weighing around 1,800 to 2,300 pounds, fell on top of one another.
Handlers from outside the field rushed in to help and stop the rest of the herd from panicking.
While the event didn’t descend into a stampede, it was enough to make the audience anxious and stressed.
To calm the crowd, the announcer assured them that while this was unexpected, it was not entirely beyond the capabilities of the handlers.
“Anytime you are in the rodeo business, the livestock business, when you are working with animals you never know what can happen,” The announcer can be heard saying in the video. “Everybody think positive.”
The straps were so tangled up that the handlers had no choice but to unstrap the horses.
The next minutes of the videos showed the handlers unhitching the horses pair by pair. The other members of the team, meanwhile, tried to soothe the downed horse.
The two remaining pairs and the wagon was taken to the side to give the downed horse more space to recover.
In the last minute of the video, the crowd cheered when the horse finally got back on its feet.
Anheuser-Busch, the company managing the Budweiser brand, said in a statement that no horses were injured.
Their team of veterinarians carefully examined the horse that fell.
“The safety and well-being of our beloved Clydesdales is our top priority,” the company said in a statement.
“Combined with our highly trained staff of professional caretakers, we partner with an equine medical expert to ensure our animals receive the highest level and quality of care.”
Currently, there are three teams touring the United States.
The Clydesdales were introduced in April 1933 when people celebrated the end of the Prohibition.
Watch the tension-filled moment that pushed rodeo audience members to the edge of their seats.
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