Drunk Man Knocked Out By Horse Head Kick After Pulling Its Tail

This is the moment a horse knocked an abusive carriage driver unconscious after he repeatedly kicked the animal, shouted at it and dragged it by the tail at a public horse fair.

The incident took place during the International Horse Fair in Pajęczno, a town in the Łódź region of central Poland, on 9 May.

Footage shows the horse tied to a fence as a man in a checked shirt, who local reports said was a former carriage driver from Krakow and apparently not the animal’s owner, approaches it.

Video shows the man kicking the horse, yelling at it and repeatedly pulling its tail while a crowd of onlookers stands nearby.

The increasingly distressed horse then lashes out with its hind legs in an apparent attempt to fend him off.

Moments later, the animal delivers a powerful kick to the handler’s face, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.

Witnesses are then seen rushing to help before dragging the injured man away from the scene.

Local reports said the carriage driver survived the incident and later returned home.

The footage was posted online by Piotr Dura, a councillor from nearby Siemkowice, and quickly spread across social media.

Dura wrote: "Scandalous behaviour during the Horse Fair in Pajęczno. The video shows a man brutally pulling a horse by the tail and abusing the animal.

"Such treatment of animals is absolutely unacceptable and should never take place, especially during public events.

"A horse is a living animal that feels pain and stress. Every case of violence against animals should be met with an immediate response from organisers and the relevant authorities."

The video sparked widespread outrage online, with many viewers criticising the behaviour shown in the footage and questioning why nobody intervened.

The case also renewed criticism of the horse fair in Pajęczno, which has been the subject of controversy for years.

Animal welfare campaigners have repeatedly alleged that horses were beaten at the event and kept in poor conditions.

Critics have also claimed that some traders attending the fair were intoxicated and aggressive, while authorities failed to respond adequately to incidents.

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Wieluń later opened an investigation into the incident captured in the viral footage.

Prosecutors said the inquiry was launched following a report from the district veterinary inspector and concerns allegations of animal cruelty during the fair.

Officials said the suspect shown in the video was intoxicated at the time and had almost three per mil of alcohol in his system.

Prosecutor Jolanta Szkilnik said investigators had secured CCTV recordings, interviewed witnesses about the events of 9 May and ordered further checks, including an examination of the horse by a veterinarian.

She said additional procedural decisions would be taken depending on the findings of the investigation.

Animal rights campaigner Scarlett Szyłogalis, from the TARA Horse Sanctuary Foundation, defended the horse’s reaction.

She said: "The horse is not to blame. To the animal, this man was a dangerous predator. The horse reacted as though it was being attacked.

"However, where were the services? Why were there no police officers or paramedics at the event? If the fair had been properly secured, people who were drunk could have been stopped before creating a danger to themselves or others."

Animal cruelty offences in Poland carry a maximum prison sentence of three years.

(Mike Leidig/Newsflash)