Spooked horses toss riders during beach tour excursion in Bradenton: Police
BRADENTON, Fla. - A horseback beach tour excursion in Bradenton landed two people in the hospital after the guide’s animal got spooked and set off a chain reaction.
What we know:
Officers with the Bradenton Police Department were sent to the Palma Sola Causeway around 11 a.m. Saturday in response to a report of horses running around.
The backstory:
Police say seven horses owned by Carousel Sea Horses were beginning a beach ride near the 8400 block of Manatee Ave. W. when the guide's horse was spooked.
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The other horses also became frightened, and investigators say all the riders were then thrown off or jumped from their horses, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
"All seven riders and that includes the guide either were thrown from the horse that they were on or they actually jumped from the horse," said Meredyth Censullo, a spokesperson for the Bradenton Police Department. "It's very fortunate that, number one, that the horseback riders were not more seriously injured; number two, that there wasn't an accident because of this."
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According to BPD, a short time later, the horses were corralled behind a home in the 7800 block of Manatee Ave. W. and then secured in the company's trailer.

Police say two riders were injured on Saturday morning during a horseback beach tour excursion in Bradenton. Image is courtesy of the Bradenton Police Department.
Staff from CPonies Beach Horseback Rides, which also offers excursions along the same causeway, saw the ordeal unfold and tried to help corral the horses before focusing on helping the injured riders.
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"My staff immediately jumped into action and ran out and tried to catch the horses, but by that time they were running so fast they couldn't catch them. So they immediately called 911," said Carmen Hanson, CPonies' owner. "I think it was just a fluke, you know, just an unfortunate accident."
BPD provided traffic control and documented the incident. Police say this is not a criminal investigation.
What we don't know:
It is unclear what initially spooked the horses.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Bradenton Police Department.
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