A Texas horseback rider is making waves online after a jaw-dropping incident that looks like it was pulled straight out of The Three Stooges—or maybe your grandparents’ favorite old western. In a viral video captured in Harrison County, Texas, the rider, part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Pony Express tradition, collided head-on with a U.S. Highway 290 sign while traveling at full speed.
The video, which has been shared thousands of times on multiple platforms, shows the rider on horseback receiving a police escort from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department. The annual Pony Express event honors history by delivering rodeo invitations on horseback to state leaders, replicating the 1800s mail-carrying tradition. Unfortunately, this year’s relay included an unplanned—and painful—highlight.
As seen in the footage, the rider was guiding his horse along the road’s shoulder when disaster struck. While the officers’ job was to protect the rider from passing cars, they had no way of preventing the horse’s sudden leftward veer toward the sign. The rider attempted to adjust but ended up slamming face-first into the metal post in a cartoonishly brutal collision. The impact sound alone sounded like it involved a coyote and the roadrunner…