Moment Spanish tourist goads King's Guard Horse repeatedly with umbrella... but then regrets it

This is the moment a Spanish tourist was reprimanded after flapping her umbrella in front of the King's Guard to agitate his horse.

The young woman was filmed alongside her laughing friends as she began hurriedly opening and closing her umbrella, which startled the animal.

The King's Guard sitting upon the horse was forced to call his emergency bell several times while trying to soothe the distressed animal.

The guard pats the animal gently trying to calm them as he waits for backup from two other soldiers on foot. He explains the cause of the horse's distress and points to the tourist who was behind the mischief.

One of the soldiers then walks to the woman and informs her, "We'd appreciate it if you don't flap that in the horses faces”.

He goes on to say to her that flapping "can spark a reaction out of the horses and they're just doing their job".

"They're nice to look at but please be respectful, they are doing a job," the guard added.

Tourists are warned of the risks of getting too close to the horses and signs near to where the guards are stationed clearly read: “Horses may kick or bite.”

In a statement the Army added: “Whilst every effort is made to ensure public safety, horses may bite or kick. We continue to remind the public to adhere to the very clear warning signs and maintain a safe distance.”

In July last year, a female tourist was shocked to be bitten by a horse from the King's Guard as she tried to pose for a photo on Whitehall in central London.

Footage posted online shows the moment the woman, wearing a black baseball cap and a Pink Floyd T-shirt, cries out in pain as the unsettled animal turns and gets hold of her right arm.

Other footage uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok show a string of similar incidents.

Horse behaviour expert Suzanne Rogers said: “These horses are highly trained but they are made to stand in a small area for long periods of time. So it might not be what the tourists themselves did - it might be the result of a lot of triggers.

“It’s interesting because there’s a sign directly next to the horse that says the horses may bite or kick and ‘please don’t touch the reins’.

“Maybe they should say ‘please don’t touch any part of the horse’, because it’s being in that close proximity to multiple people over a long period that the horses can, feel very uncomfortable with.”