Posse of Horses Dares Grizzly to Charge In Tense Showdown

The two horses standing on their ground move closer to the fence, almost to tell the bear it’s time to leave or things are going to get ugly. Another horse can be seen grazing as a fourth and final stead joins the pack. There’s no equine on the menu today for this juvenile grizzly! 

Horses in a herd are better protected from predators and given an extra warning. When it is time to attack a large herd of horses, predators who might try to target only one of them are frequently less courageous. Since horses are flight animals, they will flee from harm rather than confront it head-on. The ones at Camp Chief Hector must’ve been feeling confrontational this day! 

One funny comment under the video reads, “Those horses did a good job at standing their ground, I would’ve run away even if there were 100

 people with me.”  Another person says, “The alphas quietly come to the front. If you’ve ever seen a horse fight, let alone four of them fight one predator, you know that while the bear would inflict some serious injuries, the horses would relatively quickly kill the bear.”

Do Horses Normally Confront Bears?

All around the United States, there have been countless incidents of both Black and Grizzly bears mauling horses and riders.

While equestrians should use caution in areas known to be bear-inhabited, they may take comfort in the fact that these two mammals are not considered natural enemies. Conflicts like those documented are usually the result of the two animals accidentally crossing paths.

For anyone who encounters a bear in the wild, whether on horseback or not, experts recommend remaining calm, speaking in a low voice, and moving away slowly while remaining in the bear’s line of sight.