Down but not out: Carriage horse ‘Big John’ trips in Charleston, will take time off

A carriage horse named Big John toppled to the ground Wednesday afternoon at the start of his first tour of the day, but came away mostly unscathed.

Tourists took ample photos and video as tourism enforcement officers and workers with Charleston Carriage Works, the horse’s owner, helped remove the animal’s harness and get him back to its feet, the Charleston Post and Courier reported.

The horse had just started on a tour with a dozen passengers around 3:45 p.m., the newspaper reported. He fell near 323 Meeting St. in front of FIG restaurant.

“He simply tripped over his own feet, fell down, and wisely waited for us to get there and unharness him before getting back up, which he did immediately afterwards,” Charleston Carriage Works owner Broderick Christoff said in an emailed statement. “He simply tripped, which happens from time to time to all of us.”

Big John sat up when the harness was removed. He reportedly suffered only scratches on his legs and was taken back to his barn. He cannot be put back on carriage duty until a vet approves.

The passengers, a group of high school students, helped push the horseless carriage, so to speak, back to the barn.

This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Down but not out: Carriage horse ‘Big John’ trips in Charleston, will take time off."