Biking off road comes with its own set of hazards. Coming across unexpected obstacles on the track is just part of the deal. But you normally expect that be fallen trees, other fallen riders who have come across a fallen tree, or wild animals making a dash for it.
You don’t expect to turn a bend and find a mass MTB pile-up cause by a tethered horse right in the middle of a track. After all, who tethers a horse right next to an obvious bike track, especially when there’s very tempting, lush-looking grass on the other side of the dirt highway?
But that’s exactly what happens here on a trail in Turi Bike Park, in Cuenca, Ecuador, in a video posted on Instagram by isratigre94. "Starting off the year right," as he says sarcastically in the accompanying message.
You have to feel sorry for the horse as well as the riders. The poor thing looks very distressed. Well you would after having had multiple bike riders ploughing into you. Maybe one of the riders should have done a trail recce first, but it seems to be a track they ride regularly without incident, so the only person who’s really at fault here is the cojudo who tied the horse up.
After all, while the riders are probably expect to take a tumble or two out on the trails, the horse didn’t have much choice in the matter. We sincerely hope that the animal wasn't injured in the chaos.
Bottom line: keep your wits about you at all times, because you never know what’s around the next bend.
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