As someone who has ridden in several reenactments, I can only say this is my worst nightmare. You never really know what your horse will do when faced with a crowd. For several years, dressed as Capt. William Smith, I “roused” the Lincoln Minute Men as part of the Patriot’s Day celebrations. I can still remember how my gallant Trakehner gelding would stand at the top of the hill, practically asking me if I was really sure I wanted to do this, before putting on a performance. One year the crowd pressed in so close that I was afraid an errant hoof might hurt one of the children, who, in their eagerness, had no sense for the danger of surrounding a horse.

This poor fellow did a great job of sticking the bucks. I certainly would have dropped the sword, sure I would impale myself. My only question remains, what type of giant hole did they jump into?