Speaking of Olympics… here’s a bit of an older video of a horse who wanted to run wild with bicyclists.
How crazy to watch! I go from being terrified for the bicyclists to wondering what’s going through the horse’s mind.
While I hate seeing the horse gallop on concrete (horrible for joints), I also see a very herd bound equine. It’s impressive and I’m sure the horse got a glorious adrenaline rush out of it. On the other hand, it is also simply neurotic behavior coming from the horse and doesn’t mean it was fun for him or her.
A different example could be dogs chasing tires or cyclists. It’s obsessive, and not necessarily the dog “having fun.” The horse sees a “herd” (of bicyclists) storming by, then passing and leaving him behind. No! He doesn’t want to get left behind, he thinks. Because he’s a herd bound horse. Perhaps he doesn’t have any companions in his pasture. In any case, it’s a very entertaining video and a highly athletic horse! I can never see a video like this without pondering the cause for the animal’s actions.
Have you experienced an animal escaping an enclosure to chase something?