When most of the participants had paraded in the Takoma Park Fourth of July parade, a horse who also was in the procession, took off, galloping through a crowd of onlookers.
The horse had finished his part in the procession and then turned back, according to several onlookers.
Council Vice President Kate Stewart was sitting in the grandstand with other dignitaries after marching with fellow Democrats when “the horse galloped right by, going in the opposite direction of the parade. At first, I was just stunned. It didn’t have any saddle, bridle or rider.”
According to a Takoma Park police spokesperson, the horse “unexpectedly began running in the opposite direction of the parade route. The situation was promptly managed by the skilled handler on Elm Avenue.”
The horse did graze one person, but that person was not injured and did not seek medication attention, according to the spokesperson.
Former Board of Education Member Jill Ortman Fouse said she was near the woman who the horse ran by. “We saw the lady fall backward,” she said.
According to Stewart, “It happened so fast.” As she walked home, she said that the horse was being loaded onto a horse trailer at Sycamore and Elm avenues.
Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles also had finished participating in the parade and was sitting in the stands.
“We were all kind of a bit shocked. We all kind of stood up. It was weird that the horse was naked and without a rider,” she said. “My first reaction was oh my goodness, what’s going to happen to the people and the babies sitting on the curb?”
become ungovernable pic.twitter.com/xBr4c4gtVw
— tré easton (@treeaston) July 5, 2024
She was pleased to learn that the horse was captured and that no one was seriously hurt.
“It was a couple of minutes before we saw the rider come,” she said. “It was quite a moment.”
Maryland Del. Lorig Charkoudian had walked the parade route before turning toward the end of the parade and joining Prince George’s Executive Angela Alsobrook’s group on Maple Avenue when the horse ran by.
“The thing that was so incredible about it was a horse just running wild in such a crowded area. We were curb to curb (with other marchers),” she said.
Somehow, “It just found a path. If you had asked me if there was room, I’d say no,” she added. “I was very frightened for people’s safety. It feels like something of a miracle. It was very considerate,” she said of the horse.
