Tourist tossed: Stanley Park horses spooked at anti-pipeline protest

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A handful of people were hurt after tourists in a horse-drawn carriage in Stanley Park were tossed or jumped from the cart when the animals became spooked during an anti-pipeline protest.

Protesters were walking in the opposite direction of traffic down Stanley Park Drive to the HMCS Discovery to greet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and blocking one of the two single direction lanes. In the other lane, a horse-drawn carriage carrying passengers had just stopped, facing the opposite direction.

A car approached the head of the protest and the driver honked their horn to get through.

All the noise and approaching people was likely what spooked the two horses, who took off over the curb, pulling terrified passengers in the carriage, knocking over signs and destroying a park bench.

The horses narrowly missed diving off the seawall into the ocean before making a sharp turn and taking off up the path, forcing onlookers to leap out of the way.

NEWS 1130 spoke to a family in the carriage who are visiting from Australia. Father Greg Arnold says they jumped from the carriage to avoid more damage, and walked away with shaken with minor cuts, scrapes and a sore ankle.

Protesters waited on the sidewalk while the horses were calmed down before they continued their march.

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