Young rider thrown when passerby yanks horse’s tail during lesson, California cops say

A passerby yanked a horse’s tail, causing the animal to throw a young rider taking a lesson at a recreation area, California police reported.

The rider, whose age was not given, was injured in the fall Feb. 23 at Thornton Beach Recreation Area, Daly City police said in a Monday, March 3, news release.

The child, a 5-year-old boy, did not appear seriously hurt, onlookers told KTVU.

The woman walked up behind the horse during a riding lesson and pulled its tail, police said.

The woman and a man walking with her laughed and walked away, the boy’s mother told KTVU. She left the area by the time officers arrived, police said.

A video posted to Instagram by a user who said they were the boy’s cousin shows the man and woman standing beside the trail as an instructor leading two horses passes. The woman then sneaks up behind the last horse and yanks its tail, causing it to buck the child off, the video shows.

The user says in the post that the boy suffered bruises all over his body and walks with a limp.

After an investigation, officers arrested a 29-year-old San Francisco woman on Saturday, March 1, on a charge of child endangerment, police said.

Investigators ask anyone with information to call 650-991-8270.

Daly City is about a 10-mile drive southwest from San Francisco.

This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Young rider thrown when passerby yanks horse’s tail during lesson, California cops say."