Merida’s Horse Gets Caught in a Balloon at Disney World Magic Kingdom During Small Princess Parade 

A raise, a bonus, grape soda, the works! Impressive most impressive!

How about the rest of the pandemic off.

They need to pay all of their performers better in general aren't they paid minimum wage

They treated the animal with love.. You are right

Dominic Conner ~ While we don’t make minimum wage, I appreciate your appreciation.

The guy in the white shirt and beige hat tossed the plastic piece at the end of the string at the horse's leg.

@@Pen_Pal_with_Sarah tbh i think it was a kid that did it and he was trying to stop it :/

Yeah it says it in the description

The horse can't be at fault of anything. It's just an animal

@@eve0nline03 wow rude

I feel bad for the kid. It clearly upset them seeing the horse get scared and the commotion after and the mom just dismissed them with ‘what’re you crying for?!’ Tell your kids everything is okay lady, reassure them, wtf.

Her kid started the whole freaking thing. Morons!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it was pretty obvious why she was crying. Pure arrogance from the parent there.

Karen’s will be Karen’s.

thanks for saying what I was thinking. She's crying because she is a tender child/human being with compassion...(for animals and people) and more brains than "mom" apparently to see this situation as potentially dangerous to horse and people.

This is an old comment, but what makes a dismount different from an emergency dismount? Just the fact that the horse is freaking out, or is it also a physically different technique?

@@homeiswonderland it is definitely different because you gotta find good timing and the way you go down is different as the horse is moving

Nornally you would dismount by putting all your weight on one leg stand on the stirrup and raising the other to go over the horse and to the ground. If you imagine the movement, you can easily realize that doing that with a crazed horse could be extrememly dangerous as by moving he could simply throw off your balance and make you fall, maybe with one of your feet still stuck in the stirrup, and drag you around or kick you. The emergency dismount is all about finding good timing, strongly holding onto the horse's maine with your hands and kind of leaning on him, letting go of your stirrups first to free your legs, and sliding down the side at the right moment.

​@scarlett8895 The only way that is EVER taught to dismount, is to take both feet out of stirrups to prevent any risk of being dragged.

All performers go through two weeks of riding training with all types of scenarios that could happen on parade route if their characters ride horses and any type of November

@@Wheels518 that's good to hear! Props to all the CMs

@@Wheels518 That looks like *way* more than two weeks of riding experience - her hips stay glued to the horse during the bucks, she was ready to go up with the rear, and she doesn't crouch forward until she's looking for a chance to dismount (...looks like she's talking to the handlers on the ground..) and then times the dismount and is calmly down... That's the sort of comfort with bucking that usually takes a couple years and an experience with bucking to develop.

Im picturing how Gaston would handle this as he and Merida are the two characters riding a horse in the cavalcades.

Yup. I've been on a horse that spooked. It is scary. She kept her head, and her seat, and did what she had to. She took the first safe chance to dismount. Good call.

Lol- also? I know the balloon was the catalyst for this whole shit show for poor Jacob (the horse) but we have to give props to how strong that freaking balloon is 😂

I was ready for it to fly off lolllll

lmao😂

I'M CACKLING THIS IS SO FUNNY

Cat Needham we do have to. even though their balloons deflate before you get to your hotel

do they lead the horses for the rider/cast safety even if they know how to ride? I notice there’s always a handler

Tbh i thought it was the dad who let the balloon go

So you worked for and with a bunch of pedophiles. Disney is disgusting.

I know this is like 11 months ago, but agreed, leash wouldn't have done a thing here. Balloons should always be tied down in some way though, even just to the kid's wrist or stroller (if they're that young) and that would have prevented this. The team did a great job!

@@TC-ep5hy agreed

They are pros.

If the dad hadn't been watching his kid, they would have made it all the way to the horse and may have ended up getting hurt. The balloon being released by the kid as the dad did his job and pulled them back was a byproduct, but he DID keep his kid away from the horse. It was definitely an unfortunate situation and I'm sad that it happened, but without having his kid on a leash (I have complicated feelings about child leashes), he did the best that could have been expected when his kid started dashing out into the street. The speed at which kids do such things means the dad WAS watching his kid, and showed admirable reflexes in preventing this from being worse. Props go to all cast members involved in this situation (Merida, the horse handlers, and that manager, even the stage hand who followed Merida offstage to make sure she was okay). This could have ended VERY badly and instead only resulted in some frayed nerves. These cast members turned an unfortunate situation into a minor hiccup instead of the disaster that it could have ended up as. My only qualm is the mom who asks her kid why she's crying. BECAUSE THERE'S A HORSE IN DISTRESS AND SHE KNOWS IT AND IS PROBABLY A BIT SCARED. I would have cried too, at her age. You can't hold kids to the "hold it in" standard that adults hold themselves to. She "Let It Go" and let her feelings show. This is something that should not result in the kid being chastised. Let the kid who tried to run out to Merida know that there are times that you cannot just run out into a performance, but also kids who react to what they see (especially in such unprecedented times where kids are trying to process a LOT of bad news) shouldn't be chastised for showing emotion.

Dude same! They say it every time on rides and shows! And on the shuttles!

Looks like the dumb guy in the video slid it towards the horse.

Parents can watch their kids as much as possible but it takes one second for something to happen. Luckily there wasn’t any kids involved.

Shit happens relax Jesus I’m sure those workers know it was a pure accident.

Exactly just for the fact they cost 20$ and something like this

Right?! 😂 Accidents happen but yes tie to stroller, kids wrist, back pack, anything works lol

Me too.

Freak accident, don't act like you've never made a mistake.

Ryan Stannard exactly you guys want the stuff so Disney sells it the best respected follow the rules control your kids accident or not even if you have to hold the balloon for a bit that a parents job

anne candreva how do you know

dancingangel95 read the description.

I wasn't sure if this was Jacob or not (after all, horses can look similar). In that case, no surprise. I've met this horse twice and he's been an absolute gentleman in the face of the endless insanity that is WDW (from a horse's perspective).

Yes this is Jacob! He came to Disney in 2008 as a colt after his mom abandoned him. We got to see him when he arrived and he was the cutest little guy. We go over to see hime every time we are in Disney and watched him grow up through the years. Now he is the tallest horse they have and he is absolutely stunning!

Maybe y'all should train bratty kids and their shitty parents .....it was that kid's fault.....

Exactly. This pissed me off so much.

For real...the audacity of the woman sayubg that to the child. In my mind, she would have gotten bibbidi-bobbidi-BOOPED in the face. Some adults can be so insensitive.

right like damn she was probably sorry

The mom is stupid and so is the dad he let go of the bullion near the poor horse I hope they are never ever allowed back

Was gonna say the same.

Prey response to predators. Simple as that. The sensation that something's trying to take it down from the rear...doesn't even matter if it's light (balloon weight!) pressure.

Called a emergency dismount in the equestrian world (: they’re super handy

why am i seeing you everywhere

Your everywhere

omg you everywhere is this like MUSIKENNA and JUSTINY AND LITTLE KING RYAN AND cRaZy FoR mYsElF IN ONE ACCOUNT??

@@HK-fm5ob fr

Definitely Girl she rlly is from a movie , coming from an equestrian they handled this so well, u can tell the horse is treated well. And that they had a real rider riding and helping out. They calmed him amazingly!!

Yep, she shortened the reins as soon as he started to tense up.

I noticed that too! I'm glad they hired someone who actually knows how to properly ride

Yea she handled it pretty well

@@kenny6912 That's like 2 tons of horse. I would want an experienced rider, especially since you never know what crazy bullsh#t tourists are going to do.

Prayerfully lol because I’m hoping next year is like that

Hidden meaning than a hidden Mickey 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Lmao

Well stated, Bigbird420. Well stated.

Your reply WINS the internet today.

👏 👏 👏 👏

Was that a pun??

That’s nothing compared to what is equestrian go through we get bucked, trampled, thrown, bitten, crushed, stepped on and we still get back on she should not have gotten off she should be able to calm the horse down on her own no matter the situation if she knows how to ride but she doesnt

@@cheyenne6765 well she might not be as experienced as you she was extremely brave and she got off for her safety also it would be quite disturbing if she got bucked off and trampled on in front of all those children, she was very brave.

@@nikkibullas4884 she was not brace because there were two people holding the horse as if she was a beginner rider at a lesson going on a trail ride at a camp, honestly shame on them for not putting a actual rider on the horse

That would have only resulted in the opposite effect. So why would experienced handlers do that?

too bad they are severely underpaid.

@@ctraltdel3558 I saw a bunch of workers getting laid off now 😢

That was very dangerous for the horse and handlers. Not funny for those involved with the horse. Such a beautiful horse with lots of power.

@Desconocido I know right

Yes. A good trained horse can get scared too so they need people who can handle that

A skilled equestrian? Keeping your standards low on that department lol

@@jrmints80 Obviously not Grand Prix or Olympics level babes. Its just impressive that she didn't freak out and sat those bucks so gracefully.

@@jrmints80 i mean, she kept in that saddle really well. especially since she's on a fairly large horse.

@@pomegranatejuice5139 Also she is short, in a western saddle (tge stirrup leather cut is way too long for her) and barely a good grip in the stirrup. Another reason why I highly dislike western tack.

@@simplypaul8681 I'm like _thee_ furthest thing from racist but be uneducated all you want 🙄

i would believe they do put experienced riders on a live horse & they don't just put any cast member on a horse in a costume

Usually they don't have experience. Just the handlers

That is wrong. They do not have experience

The handlers helping at the end do as shown, but not performers

More like I’m outta here.

They did a great job of keeping control of a large powerful animal, keeping him turning in circles to keep him from deciding to take off running.

In my experience draft horses tend to be calmer and less high strung than light horses. Easier to calm down.

Disney actually has a rigorous training program for all horses that come to their ranch and will be used IN the parks. Tons of desensitization, tons of exposure to noises, people, etc. In this situation you can see the horse brace his hind end to see if whatever was touching him would stop, when it didn’t that’s when his horse instinct of “get it away” kicked in, also doesn’t help he couldn’t see what was “attacking” him. Props to the handlers and “Merida”, kept his feet moving in a circle to prevent a dead bolt down the slippery street, got him calm and all ended well. ZERO PROPS to the parent who allowed their kid to let a damn balloon go.

Clydesdales are beautiful horses, but when spooked.. look out. Glad that Disney at least invested some thought into the people handling the lovely horse, and thank goodness the actress portraying Miranda knew what to do. I was 'oh dear', but she handled it pro style!

Especially with all that loud ass music. This is the main reason I don’t go to Disney. Their music is so loud you can’t even talk to people

She kept atop with bucking... most people topple alone on that one... definite raise for that girl. Though with Disney, doubt it.

No doubt about it, knowing how strict Disney is with actors needing to stay in character regardless of the situation

@@museluvr ONG the horse didn’t buck it was simply spooking and somewhat rearing, that’s nothing compared to what I’ve been through while actually riding a horse not just having two people lead me (I do barrel racing) I’ve been thrown into a fence I’ve been on a horse that has reared like fully reared, I’ve been on a horse that bucked, I’ve been knocked off of a horse a few times, I’ve been bitten by horses, I fell off a tall horse while leading a yearling

@@museluvr honestly she did nothing, she didn’t even try to help calm the horse Horses come first than people she should of tried calming the horse

@@cheyenne6765 lol what? She has to stay in character and it isn't her job. That's why the trainer's are there! -_-

LMAO!

Omg thats an amazing idea 😌

@@ashleyisawesome28 ❤❤🐴

Hells yes

Ok but did you see the guy roll the thing with the balloon attached to it right to horses leg?

@@Finninlimbo yeah i did notice that

Everyone who works at the D ranch are experienced with equine . They did an amazing job handling Jacob...... GREAT JOB

That is true but the balloon also has a weight so it doesn't fly away. I think the child was probably holding onto the weight.

Well... I think it's her sister..

Honestly!! Thank you, finally someone said it 👏😂

Her child sister whatever is part of thr family who let the balloon go.

I'm just saying that the girl may not know how to react and that's why she is so abrupt, since she is still a child...

@Shantal Blaze no... The fact is that I'm the horse..so...EAT COFFE AND BANANA 🍌

And she was wearing that flowing costume when she dismounted!!! This was an accident that turned out well, there would have been a lot of injuries otherwise.

calming her down*

Yes! Agreed!

I was also positively surprised by the horse friendly handling of the two, they know how to act around horses. :)

My horse does things like that whenever she gets worked, I do tighten the reins and release when she stops

@@Faeyeful YES. YES AND YES! loooved to see it. There’s so much animal abuse and cruelty everywhere it just crushes me. So it made my soul happy for once, seeing how good they treated that big girl.

Yes. It honestly makes me teary-eyed seeing them handle that with care and consideration for the horse. I am so happy they didn't just hit the poor horse to make it obey them.

THIS!!!! You took the words right out my mouth.

I think it was that families balloon too, the little girl obviously has some emotion too her unlike the unbothered mom.

I think it was a balloon she was holding in addition to the other one, and felt guilty that it got away from her.

Hhahah wie der dud denkt sie wäre echt

@@mzrobbinzoriginalz7239 Exactly!! I was searching specifically for someone who realized that too lol

And buy all year homework

That too with a tight slap

Seriously. With a different actress and different handlers....

@@someonesomewhere9115 cant read? He said the RANDOM lady...the idiot that ran in like shes a horse whisperer only to run away and almost trip over herself..

@@bobsaget9675 Actually I can. Maybe you can’t? I reiterated what this commenter said by pointing out that this situation could have been a lot worse with an inexperienced rider or inexperienced handlers.

@@bobsaget9675 I think she was a handler, she was wearing some kind of plastic tag around her neck.

By the looks of it, wasn't a random woman. She was keeping pace with the parade & watching the horse, second horse acted up she ran in, also didn't try to get the balloon while the horse was freaked out at the end, random person would've immediatly tried to get the balloon from the horses leg- woman knew the horse was spooked still & could kick, so she was waiting with a gentle touch to the flank. Body language is someone who seems to know the horse.

I don't think it's possible to completely train out the startle reaction when something literally wraps around its leg.

My horse would probably rear up or back up fast and run into the crowd

For the most part the horse handled it very well. Remember they’re fight or flight animals and it’s their natural instinct. You can’t really train natural instinct out of the horse

@@kimj6369 hobbling is a perfect solution

Most horses get training with stuff they will and may encounter. So if you have a parade horse you work them around banners and noises (like bands and random yelling) and even balloons. But like everyone said no matter how used to something a horse gets, a surprise is a surprise.

For real, I hate balloons.

My horse would’ve reacted the same haha! he spooks at my own dog when she tries to lick his nose lol

Actually, it’s the irresponsible mother that is evil.

😂😂

@@shizukagozen777 you are not fun at parties are you?? No wait, sorry you're probably not invited to any.

It isn't funny to get kicked by a horse, so you shouldn't be afraid, but you should have respect....

@@paluca9859 I know, I own a horse myself and my uncle works with them, I know the force they have in their legs and the damage they can make. Thats why I think we should give them credit for managing the situation in such a way they dont demostrate they're scared because that would make the horse panic.

@@soft_bunnybun I have got horses too, and I think it was great from them but I just got kicked at riding in the countryside😒😂

I've been kicked by a shire. That shit hurts!

@@erintubb9860 I got kicked once (it was subtle tho) and got stomped on my feet twice lmao

and that he was afraid of the horse everyone is afraid of a horse

bless angus, he was so scared. you can tell he was doing it out of genuine fear. was so glad to see the handlers patting him well done after he calmed down a little.

This is too good

The employees: 😱😱

Everyone: wHy a rU cryInG

Merida : What the??? Heeelp somebody!

Balloon:I’ll be part of the parade to

The horse is not an “it” 😁

Elsa Moore when i said it i was referring to the event of the horse getting excited, not the horse

@@suzinarumi6260 the horse wasn’t exited it was scared bruh

sanne van baak excited doesn’t necessarily mean happy, it just means higher energy

It can be used as gender neutral when you can’t tell if the horse is male or female. It’s not disrespectful and the horse certainly doesn’t care.. and yes excited is used in the horse world sometimes when meaning a horse is not being calm. Not always in a happy way.

1. If someone is inexperienced with horses he would only make it worse 2. They are professionals, they know what they are doing 3. The person who let go of the balloon was a toddler. How do you expect a toddler to help? 🥴

No, he threw the balloon anchor at the horse's leg on purpose.

They didn’t seem to remorseful. They just got pissed at their kid for crying instead. Complete Karen’s.

@@sharkstriker1 the girl asking her "why are u crying for?" Is the sister. The little girl's balloon was the one that went to the horse and she was crying cuz she felt it was her fault, also cuz it was her balloon.

@@mechelemede4579 yeah the dad threw the balloon. 😠

@@setofreakinkaiba8553 It says in the description; A toddler ran out into the parade route. The father grabbed the toddler to safety, but the balloon the toddler was carrying kept going into the route and spooked the horse. Both Merida and the horse were okay. I recorded this video myself and I own all rights to this video.

She certainly handled that situation like a champ. The attendants did a fabulous of handling Angus.

I guarantee you every single horse at Tri-Circle D will be getting a whole lot of desensitization with balloons after this.

People? You mean the three year old?

It looks like the dad or his kid threw it- it hits the ground and skids before getting caught, and a women with them goes “wow really?” as if she knew they did it

@@charliemacsart The dad wasn't holding onto the kid with a one ton horse passing by. The kid tried to run out to see Merida, dad grabbed the kid, but the kid let go of the balloon and momentum carried it forward. Hard to tell if the person saying 'wow, really' was mad at the dad for not watching the kid closely enough, or if they expected the horse to handle it better. Either way, you should make sure you're firmly holding your children when a draft horse walks by. It's asking for disaster if you're not.

what makes it worse is that she took the mask off just to yell at her kid

Man I was crying at this situation....and I’m a Disney loving, animal loving 44 year old!!

Yes it’s the classic: “This is the happiest place on Earth, so shut up!” If you haven’t done it, you haven’t taken your kids to Disney!

I took my son and his friend a few years ago. The families bickering is one of the main things that he remembers about the trip.

It’s unfortunate but its just normal family behavior. Believe it or not people get short tempered with their family members when they’re in hot humid conditions with packed crowds and hurting feet from waiting in lines all day. It’s expected, Disney’s not the most comfortable place but it’s definitely the most magical.

lol

🏠🤭

Yep! That's how I react to spiders!

HORSE

NOT HOUSE

Is the balloon made in usa or you know who?

I hate balloons

Pat rice lol 😆

yolanda's lemon s it’s made in China 😂

The year is whatever you make it. Not everybody has to collectively feel the same way about something.

Hello

Hello how are you

I think that was an older sister

@@marissaoconnor7561 Yeah, I agree. I can see an older sister being that way.

ya what a joke poor kids sorry but I dont think kids should be at disney in florida right now anyways with the number climbing . they put their fingers in their mouths all the time . that kid will remember that about disney for the rest of her life .

I don't think you can understand what was going on with the two specifically it could have been something entirely different no need for the pointless words

OMG her name is totally Becca! Lol

Hello

With all the other strict I wonder if the Merida’s have to pass a riding test or something. If not then what luck that they hired an equestrian.

@@someonesomewhere9115 yes they do. Along with the headless horseman

@@someonesomewhere9115 She *and* the handlers HAD TO know what they were doing for the sake of the crowd's safety. That horse had at least as much training as any big city mounted police horse. And instinct *still* took over when the balloon string wrapped around its hock. It could have bolted into the crowd in a blind panic. Kudos to the whole staff involved for keeping the animal, all of the actors, and the crowd safe! People, please remember, to keep common sense in mind when you are a bystander at parades! No matter how much training an animal has, self-preservation will take over and blind panic will cause a tragedy. Keep things like balloons, bubbles, and flashing lights out of the animals' sight!

@@meganfedor I know that. That Merida clearly rides and what idiot would have inexperienced horse handlers handling horses in a parade? And the lack of concern from most of those bystanders was scary. People don’t tend to realize how dangerous horses are or how fast they can move when they want to. I was once with a group of new riders who were putting a horse back in his field and didn’t know why I told them to stop at the gate. They were shocked when a galloping horse came into view and at how quickly he was moving (I’d heard him coming, they didn’t know what a gallop sounds like).

Merida would of had to take at least 2-3 lessons before she would be allowed to be on that horse. I wouldn’t call her an equestrian but she definitely knew some stuff about being around horses so that’s good