Watch: Tourist bitten by King’s Guard horse as she posed under warning sign

A tourist was bitten on the arm by one of the King’s Guard’s horses while standing underneath a warning sign.

The female tourist, who was trying to pose for a picture outside the Household Cavalry Museum in London, quickly approached the unsettled animal despite the written notice that it may kick or bite.

Footage posted online showed the alarmed horse grabbing the woman’s arm with its mouth and dragging her closer - before she shouts and is released from its grip.

After being bitten, the woman fell to her knees and clutched her arm as a group surrounded her and inspected her injuries.

Members of the King’s Guard are generally not allowed to interact with the public while on duty.

However, the guard is seen in the footage gesturing to the cameraman with his sword before asking if he can go and fetch a nearby police officer to assist.

Two officers then attend to the injured woman as other tourists continue to crowd around the horse and its rider.

The video, taken by an onlooker, suggests that in the moments before the incident the animal had been growing increasingly agitated as tourists approached to take photographs.

Only seconds before another woman was also nearly nipped by the horse.

Previous incidents

It is not the first time a King’s Guard horse has bitten someone. Similar incidents have been caught on camera before, including earlier this year in January and May.

Last month a woman was also thrown to the floor face-first after being pushed by one of the horses while she was posing for a photograph.

The King’s Guard is made up of elite serving soldiers who guard Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace day and night.

They are generally known not to lose their composure while on duty but may shout at members of the public if they get too close while posing for pictures.

The Changing of the Guard takes place at 11am every day in early summer and four times per week at other times of the year.

Chloe Campbell, a qualified equine behaviourist, said that social media had contributed to the apparent uptick in horse-biting incidents.

However, she suggested this was mainly to do with tourists’ failure to understand or respect the horses’ space.

Aggressive behaviour

She said: “Biting and other aggressive behaviours are signs of stress and agitation in horses so it’s very important for the public to understand that these are horses, not statues.

“Obviously it makes it a little bit more attractive to put it on social media, but there’s a lot more behind it.

“People love horses, even more so that it’s the King’s Guards, but even I’ll go out on my horse and loads of people will stop me to take pictures.”

The expert also stressed it is “rare” to see a horse display this kind of behaviour, adding: “The sign clearly does say beware and the horses bite - but that’s also a concern - why are we putting horses in such an uncomfortable situation?”

An Army spokesman told The Telegraph: “Whilst every effort is made to ensure public safety, horses may bite or kick. We continue to remind the public to adhere to the very clear warning signs and maintain a safe distance.”

A Westminster City Council spokesman said that the council was “very supportive of the British Army’s efforts to keep people safe when they visit our city”.

They added: “While Horse Guards Parade is a popular tourist destination, the Royal Horse Guards are performing important duties and tourists are warned clearly about the dangers of getting too close.”