No man or beast should be subjected to this infringement of personal space, dignity & stress. The palace needs to stop this now. This man is a trained soldier & is being reduced to a circus side show! Absolutely disgusting!
This is at Horse guards Parade, not the Palace. Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and I expect Kensington Palace all have guards on foot, not mounted. The public can't get near the ones at Buckingham Palace as they are inside the fenced and gated yard. St James's is out of the way and probably Kensington too, so fewer tourists.
I would like to see a plaque which says DO NOT TOUCH THE HORSES. How would these people feel being forced to stand still while being pawed by every idiot that chooses.
@NattieChristopher It's about time that privilege was withdrawn. There was probably no need to ban touching in years previously when fewer people did so. Nowadays it seems that a visit is not complete unless a pic has been taken while touching a guard's horse. The constant patting, touching and milling around is stressful for these animals who cannot even back away.
The sign currently at the side of each horse, should be sufficient. What is required is for visitors to READ THE SIGN, put their brain in action and apply common sense, which will tell them not to stand or pass too near the horse. Do you think they would read another sign?
Waarom wil bijna elke toerist dit lieve paard aaien. Als je lange tijd kijkt. Zie je dat dit paard niet meer geaait wilt worden De gaurd is alleen maar bezig om het paard te beschermen. Door naar voor en naar achter te rijden.😢😢😢😮😮😮😮
Ok im going to put this question out there, could we start a petition to ask whomever is in charge to stop allowing people to pet the horse and stop crowding the horse? I live in America so i dont know who you would go to about this but im here to tell you these people are really pissing me off by not showing these guards and horses respect, i agree with many of you that their not at a petting zoo. Sorry this was so long 😊
Dont be sorry ,I am from Australia and i have left a comment and i get pissed off to , why do they need to have a photo next to the horse ,its sickening 😡
As the wife of a former soldier and retired police officer ,may I say you are soldiers first. Stay proud. May I apologize for America if any of these idiots are unfortunately fellow citizens. They are as disrespectful also at our precious Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Bless You and God protect you. .
I've seen a video of the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.I think a woman got too close to it,and the guard had a right go at her. Lack of respect from the woman.🇬🇧
I get so upset with the tourists. This is not a petting zoo.they should not be allowed near the guard and horse. They are on duty and cant concentrate on their job with this being allowed to happen. It is so stressful to guard and horse and if the guard tells at them, they laugh. No respect.
Charlotte it is not just American tourists. I have witnessed other countries being disrespectful. Asian, French and Dutch to mention just a few recently. So in other words rude and disrespectful tourists no matter what country they are from.
Or use common sense, like most people who are now staying safe & away from people. I noticed none of these people were wearing masks , they could infect that poor horse with a virus or disease
For goodness sake. When will people realise that these men and women, and their horses are trained military personnel. They are doing a job, keeping up tradition and should be respected. We are so lucky to be allowed to get so close and have photos taken. The patience and restraint they have to show just reiterates what fantastic soldiers they are. Thank you for everything you do, much respect.
Firstly to the guard thank you and all your colleagues for your service to our country and also for your patience on this duty. Secondly another thank you for the subtle way you stopped the public from overpowering your mount by moving him so they kept their distance (sort of). Third a suggestion (very tongue in cheek) add a working police dog to the petting zoo let’s see if the tourists get as close then
The new king will be amazing with horses like the nursery rhyme , although my favourite is Hickory, dickory Dock . Looking forward to next week & seeing the Royal carriage & all its jewels, although I will probably have to work as I have no money & not much food shame the Queen won’t see this but she is dead
Yes, and who knows what kind of lotion, etc. is on their hands and touching around the horses mouths, you can tell by the horse sticking it's tongue out and shaking it's head that there was something irritating the horse. Touching horses should NOT be allowed, zero tolerance!!
8:50 look how the horse is locked on the commotion, what a beautiful horse. It might sound bad but when someone stands close I kind of want the horse to whack them lol
If a horse could talk I wonder what it would say to those people, maybe hello or you are too close you could give me an illness. I like horse but squirrels are my favourite animals especially as they are wild unless they are in a cage
The home office or the department of defence should be watching these . and do something about protecting the serving soldiers which the guards and horses are. Foreign vistors are bloody ignorant they don't act like this in their own country because they know what will happened to them so why do they do it here the police either arrested orgive them adispercal notice banning them from the area until the go back home
Exactly catherine, i can think of some countries that if we did something in front of their soldiers/guards/ police we would be straight off to the nearest prison.
Wish people would stop touching his nose… the perfumes etc on their hands would irritate him . People have no respect for these working horses as long as they get their picture…
It is abuse. No true horseman would subject his or any other horse to this antiquated fancy dress tradition. The simple fact that the mounted King´s guard needs protection from the contempory police, proves that they can´t protect even them selves at this day and age. So what's the use? Tourist industry justifying the monarchy? These horses are trained to suppress stress. But that doesn´t mean that they are not suffering from this helll that goes against every single aspect of the essence of the nature of a horse. A true horseman would read the clear body language of this highly sensitive living being and put a stop to this antiquated abuse. Horses aren´t made for standing still solo even for an hour, getting their sensitive ears and nose overloaded, let alone for being approached and touched out of the blue by strangers that to them being prey animals, look, ie small ears and eyes close together, move, ie on their hind leggs like an attacking bear or wolf, and smell like carnivorous predators. Horses´ natural behaviour consists of roaming and grazing the most part of the day in silence with the herd, scanning the surroundings constantly for danger. For a people that claims to be proud of their love for their horses, this abuse is top level Brittish hypocrasy. Exactly like abandonning remaining war horses at the battle field polluted with bombs and landmines ,left to fend for them selves after the ´Great War ´, because that was cheaper than bringing them back home. Leave the soldering and ´duties´ to the humans who invented that stuff.
That Guard had more patience and discipline than I would've had. Warning a few times out of countless .. the professionalism of that Gaurd .. commendable!
Please can you put up a bloody sign informing ignorant tourists to tell them not to touch the horse😮that horse is anxious wow🫣hello I love when the guard shouted at them😅
How have we devolved as a society to the point where a middle aged couple doesn't know better than to go grab the reins of a horse?! We have all become so "Disneyland-ed" that people can no longer tell what's real from what's imaginary. Jesus, you'd think they'd know a real live animal with an armed guard on top of it should not be messed with!
These men aren't just there for decoration, they are highly skilled soldiers who have one job; to guard the palace. They are not to be messed with. I find it so hard to understand why the public is allowed to keep touching the horses. It must be so stressful for those beautiful animals to be constantly mauled. They should be off limits.
Everyone thinks they are a horse whisper. I wish that the King could see these videos so he can make changes! The disrespect to the Guards and horses is beyond the pale!
The composure the guard has is unbelievable. Don’t understand why people are so ignorant. If I was to see a guard approaching I would give him plenty of room.
😂😂😂 it’s just noise to them they been trained to handle louder noise and sounds special training is given for the horses to be used to noises, like the gun salutes and regimental bands, and they need to be comfortable in a procession, with noises coming from behind them.
As I stated in another post. People react differently in different situations. Just because they laugh does not mean they think being yelled at by the guard, they sometimes laugh because they are embarrassed!
I was thinking that I never saw any of this kind of behaviour when I lived in London years ago, and then I realised -- not everyone had cameras handy before mobile phones and the obsession with selfies
These people act like this is a Disneyland princess display!!! The guards are on active duty. These horses and guards are beautifully trained - but the tourists (especially the ADULTS) are rude, disrespectful and ignorant. I just wish that even one of them would just thank the guard for his patience and service to their king and country!
The training and temperament of these lovely animals is so impressive. Horses do not see well straight ahead and all those hands reaching for his sensitive nose are lucky not to get a nip.
The sign should be changed to "Do not touch the horses or interfere with the Kings Guard". This is not a tourist attraction but the official representative of the Crowns security.
It’s disgusting that people don’t respect a horses want to not be touched . It’s clear the horse is moving it’s head away from these molesters yet they insist on touching it …..
The poor horse that took off down the street yesterday had obviously had enough and the tourists still clustered around while the soldier and rider were bringing it back
That horse loves its job like the guard except the horse isn’t getting paid. Maybe it will get some hay, although I’m elergic & suffer from hay fever & herpes
I don’t understand the tourists not respecting the horse fidgeting and leaving him be, petting the horses that seem to enjoy it, makes more sense. I think the horses has the fidget spinner bits, to play with when bored or stressed. Almost all of them fidget with the bits from time to time.
I know how annoyed I got when people would walk up and try to pet my dog without asking first , and that's just when out for a walk, I can only guess how annoying it must be for the guard when they are actually on duty and people just assume it's ok to mess with their horse. Granted some guards seem to be a bit more ok with it than others....That said, they know their horses temperaments better than anyone else, and even the best trained animal can have a bad day. I'm not sure if a guard is allowed to answer if asked for permission, but I'd err on the side of caution and leave the animal alone.
I wish they’d realise that approaching the horse, arm extended and palm upwards is tantamount to teasing since that is the way to feed it, doing it with an empty hand is cruel and likely to encourage biting.
“We are living in a country where I can march down the street with a bullhorn yelling that I can’t match down the street with a bullhorn.” American level lunacy with a British accent. 😂
I was more impressed by the pose between the guard and the horse as they were both looking in the same direction, starting in this video at 8:37 - 8:45. *Part of the Palace Guard's job is to Shout Out Loudly if anyone places their hands on them, and by the end of each day, their voice is "Hoarse."* *(No Pun intended.)* I can't imagine having a job that inquires sitting on a horse throughout the day as people from all walks of life come on each side of you to have their picture taken, and have to keep control of the animal and control over the tourist to keep their hands off of you. Just like little kids, I watch some adults who push the Palace Guard to get a reaction, testing their patience. Horses are one of the most gorgeous and magnificent animals, especially seeing them galloping in sync in unity. I love all animals. 💟
The guards and horses are so damn patient honestly tourists are so disrespectful . I think eventually there will be ropes around the area to stop people standing/ touching the horses and pics etc just because people cannot follow the rules
I did see one respectful gentleman ask the guard if he might give the horse a stroke on the neck, which is a neutral area for the horse, and he was granted permission.
People are desperate to touch & pet something - anything like they've never seen a horse. They should just put a stature of a horse & guard & then let people take all the pictures & touch to their hearts desire. Save the horses for more important tasks.
Those folks act like they've never seen a horse before. Should respect the horse just as a working service dog is respected. Guards and riders and horses are very patient.
This guardscman is SO patient! These tourist shouldn't be this close and NEVER tiuching tge hirse without permission. Since the guardsman is on guard duty he won't answer them.
3:07 this has to be the most patient and friendliest Kings guard I’ve ever seen the guy literally moved horse in and looked at the camera just to get a picture with the tourist women
