A trolley ride along the Stanley Park seawall took a dramatic turn this morning (November 7) when horses pulling the vehicle were spooked by a group of protesters.

Video captured by journalists in the area for a press conference featuring the prime minster caught the incident on film and show the startled animals galloping out of control.

The unexpected ride continued for a couple of hundred feet before the trolley slowed to a stop.

Nobody was seriously injured but several riders who jumped off as the carriage was still travelling at a high speed looked quite shaken by the incident. The horses also destroyed a park bench that was struck by the vehicle they pulled.

The trolley’s owner, Jerry O’Neil, was quoted by Global News explaining that despite the horses’ docile nature, they are still susceptible to being startled.

“At the farm in the Fraser Valley, we have flags, balloons, there are kinds of different things,” he said. “But animals remain animals and sometimes people come in the cars [and] rush to it. So today was a bit unusual unfortunately, [I was] really surprised at the outcome [but] I’m really happy nobody got hurt and the horses are not hurt.”