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Horse stuns Parisians in cross-city escapade

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-20 09:23

PARIS – A French military horse threw off its rider near President Nicolas Sarkozy's Elysee palace and stunned locals and tourists as it galloped along the banks of the Seine and through the streets of Paris.

French Republican Guard parades on the Champs-Elysee during the Bastille Day's celebrations in Paris, 2008.  [Agencies]

The 15-year-old chestnut horse named Garibaldi reached the eastern Bastille area Wednesday, about four kilometres (2.5 miles) away, before it was brought under control by police officers, police said.

The horse is part of France's Republican Guard, the ceremonial unit of the Gendarmerie, whose duties include guarding public buildings in Paris such as the Elysee and the national assembly.

Garibaldi, who apparently was spooked by something, suffered only a few scratches during its flight, and its rider was unharmed, police said.