This Oblivious Drone Operator Got Body-Slammed By A Horse

Before we get started, let's make it clear that thankfully no human beings were harmed in the making of this video, nor was the majestic horse, which slammed right into the drone operator that was filming the 2000-pound animal.

In fact, the operator, Gianmarco Gabriele says he won the GoPro Million Dollar Challenge for his painful efforts, though he may have lost a little face in the process.

RELATED: RESEARCHERS SAY THAT WE ARE UNPREPARED FOR DRONES BEING USED IN TERROR ATTACKS

The lengths we go to for a good video clip

Italy-based drone pilot Gianmarco Gabriele was filming the horse in full gallop when the animal — likely spooked by the buzzing piece of technology flying so close to its head — suddenly changed course and decided to run at full speed towards him.

As Gabriele was flying a first-person view drone, or FPV, using a virtual reality headset, he didn't see the horse galloping straight towards him. The horse slammed into him, though thankfully not straight-on, sending the headset flying and the drone, now pilotless, crashing into the ground.

 

 

 

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Qualche mese fa ho vinto il @goproit @gopro #milliondollarchallenge , tra le clip che ho inviato per partecipare ce ne era una in cui seguivo un cavallo in libertà lanciato al galoppo! Per 3 giorni abbiamo girato sempre in sicurezza con 4 persone ad indirizzare il cavallo verso il maneggio. Il 4 giorno ho chiesto di girare una clip per il backstage alla persona posizionata alla mia sinistra.. purtroppo questa richiesta, sommata ad un giro di troppo intorno al cavallo, ha fatto sì che nel momento in cui il cavallo sarebbe dovuto entrare nel maneggio ha scartato a destra prendendomi di striscio. Con la zampa anteriore ha colpito L antenna della radio, l’ impatto mi ha fatto andare avanti con il busto e la zampa posteriore ha impattato gli occhiali vr. È stato come essere travolti da un treno ? ? per fortuna ne sono uscito illeso! Facendo swipe a dx potete vedere la clip dal drone!

Una publicación compartida de Gianmarco Gabriele (@gianmarco.gabriele) el 21 Jul, 2020 a las 2:34 PDT

'Like being hit by a train'

“It was like being hit by a train. Luckily I got out of it unharmed," Gabriele explained in his Instagram post. 

As Vice points out, the drone community has had previous incidents with horses. In 2017, three people were injured at Colorado's "Skijoring" horse race, Silverton, when a drone operator flew too close to the animals.

While drones can certainly be a nuisance, they can also be lifesavers — such as the drone developed to detect life in disaster zones, and this one, which can efficiently kill viruses using UV-C light over large areas.