A tourist desperate for a photo with the King’s Guard fainted after being bitten on the arm by the unsettled horse.
Footage taken in central London today shows swathes of tourists surrounding a King’s Guard and his horse outside the Household Cavalry Museum, desperate for a photographic souvenir.
The black horse appears bothered by the crowds around it, turning its head and nipping people to warn them if they get too close.
A woman, wearing a black baseball cap and a Pink Floyd t-shirt, then runs to stand next to the horse – standing directly underneath a sign that reads: ‘Horses may kick or bite’.
The alarmed animal does not hesitate to bite her on the arm.
The tourist wears a black baseball cap and a Pink Floyd t-shirt as she poses with the King’s Guard and his horse. She stands below a sign that reads: ‘Horses may kick or bite’
The woman screams as the black horse bites her on the arm
The unsuspecting tourist squeals and runs towards her friends, as the crowd watches on with their mouths ajar.
The group inspects her wound and one man uses a cotton bud to treat the bite mark.
But her condition worsens and she appears to fade in and out of consciousness before falling to the ground completely.
In a separate video, the woman is being fanned by her friends as she lies against the gate.
In an unprecedented move, the King’s Guard is seen using his sword to signal to the cameraman before saying: ‘Can you go and get the police officer?’
As officers tend to the injured woman, tourists continue to crowd around the King’s Guard and his horse – with some still trying to pet and stroke the unsettled animal.
Despite being on duty, the King’s Guards continue to have dangerous run-ins with members of the public.
Clear signage around the area warns of the horses kicking or biting but tourists still eagerly approach – often at their own peril.
A group attends to the woman’s arm after she was bitten by the horse
After fading in and out of conciousness, she falls to the ground
Last month a tourist hurtled to the pavement outside Buckingham Palace after she was seemingly headbutted by a King’s Guard horse – although not everyone watching was convinced.
The video showed a curly-haired woman standing and smiling next to a black horse as she posed for photos before the horse nudged her.
The woman then dramatically fell to the pavement, landing face down as her bag flew out away from her and a gathered crowd let out a concerned ‘ooh’.
In May, a King’s Guard horse bit a tourist after she touched the animal while posing for a photo.
Video footage, which went viral on social media with over 855,000 views, shows the woman putting her hand on the horse’s neck while posing for a photograph.
The horse then swung its head towards the woman before clamping down on her saree.
In January of this year, a female tourist posed for a photo opportunity with the King’s Guard horse when it bit down on the arm of her black puffer jacket and aggressively tugged her around.
Last month a horse gently nudged a woman who was seemingly so shocked she fell to the ground
The woman was thrown on to the pavement and landed face down as her handbag flew out from under her. Worried onlookers rushed to her aid and helped her back on her feet
In one incident, when a woman went to stroke the horse’s face, it bit down on the arm of her jacket. Refusing to let go, it tugged on the jacket and pulled her back and forth and up and down before finally releasing it
In another video a man was seeing touching the reins of one of the horses
This caused the King’s Guard to bellow: ‘Do not touch the reins!’
Despite many considering them tourist attractions, the King’s Guard consist of elite serving soldiers who are tasked with protecting the monarch’s life and properties.
The King’s Guard are generally not allowed to interact with the public, but may shout if they get too close or present their bayonets if they become aggressive.
The soldiers must not let anything distract them from their duties – with toilet breaks banned during two hour shifts – and will march through anyone in their way.