Horse runs buck wild through S.F.
By: Katie Worth
June 8, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — In what may seem straight out of San Francisco's Wild West era, a horse attached to a carriage rampaged through North Beach and The Embarcadero, hospitalizing its handler and knocking at least two people off bicycles.
The horse, employed by a company that gives carriage rides around popular San Francisco neighborhoods, is kept at Pier 45. Around 6 p.m. On Monday, the horse was being prepared for work when it was apparently spooked, said police Sgt. Mark Ballard, adding that the horse knocked down its handler and trampled over him.
The handler has been hospitalized and is serious condition, Ballard said.
The horse then ran wild down The Embarcadero, tracing a course through Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach, before finally being corralled by a Good Samaritan. However, the horse managed to free itself and again ran down The Embarcadero, this time knocking down at least two bicyclists, Ballard said. Their injuries were not known, he said.
"After this whole thing ended, two bystanders somehow corralled the thing down at North Point and The Embarcadero," Ballard said.
They were able to keep hold of the animal until the owner was identified and contacted. The horse has since been taken to a veterinarian in Novato, Ballard said.
kworth@sfexaminer.com
