In video from a state park near Gainesville, Florida (shocking), a fairly large alligator was lying on a trail near some grazing horses.
Things seemed fairly calm, to the point that a large group of people were standing fairly close to a very large alligator. Maybe that’s common in Florida? Just a complete disregard for personal safety when there’s a giant killer reptile around?
In any case, one of the horses decided the alligator was a bit too close for comfort, and took the matter into its own hooves:
Oh, damn. That horse delivered an equine version of a spinning back heel, essentially, then went back in for a trample, which didn’t quite fully land. The gator, meanwhile, attempted to latch onto a leg when the horse went back in.
The crowd reaction is excellent, though. It’s as though they’re watching a random fistfight; the collective “oooh” when the gator gets flipped is great. And then someone says “Just leave him alone!” in the background, as though horses are naturally aggressive predators. I know very little about nature, but the horse had to feel threatened in order to go on the offensive.
There’s no such thing as an innocent alligator.
Apparently both animals were okay, although the gator might want to go through concussion protocol.