Sometimes, karma can be a five-letter word, and it can also happen instantly.

One person thought it’d be funny to hit a beautiful horse with a shovel for no reason at all, but that’s certainly something she regretted at once.

You always have to be careful when you approach wild animals, as sudden and unexpected movements can sometimes be seen as an attack, to which they will respond accordingly. Touching wild animals is already quite risky, but when you’re violently hitting them with a tool, you’re just asking for trouble.

Wild horses who don’t have a lot of experience with humans can definitely react strangely towards us, which is exactly why we should all pay attention to the warning signs.

This particular incident took place on Assateague Island, a very popular tourist attraction that’s known for its absolutely beautiful horses.

You can find the island on the coast of Maryland and Virginia, and it’s about forty miles long. Beach and beautiful horses are what make this place special, but it’s definitely the horses that are the special attraction on this place. They’re absolutely beautiful and majestic, but they’re still wild animals.

It’s important to always follow the rules to make sure that everyone is comfortable – animals and visitors alike.

For one visitor, however, the rules apparently were meant to be broken.

She grabbed her shovel and decided to startle one of the horses by harshly smacking its back with the spade. Why would someone even want to do this? Another visitor saw the woman creating some trouble and started filming the whole encounter.

The video in question was shared on Facebook and has gone viral with thousands of shares and comments.

The video starts with the woman, dressed in beach clothes, approaches the equine with her shovel, and then decided to smack him.

Karma is sometimes instant, and it didn’t take too long before she regretted her absolutely stupid and inconsiderate decision. She even didn’t want to listen to the bystanders.

“They’re going to kick you,” someone said.

Turns out that the bystander was right because the horse took revenge right away.

With both of its powerful back feet, the horse defended himself and struck the woman away. The impact was definitely powerful, and the lady lost her balance and fell into the sand. Even though she was probably in shock, she didn’t seem to be heavily injured.

The horse definitely seemed to knock some sense into her.

You can’t say that the woman didn’t know that touching was prohibited, because it says so on pretty much every sign on the island:

“Horses bite, kick, & charge. Keep at least 40 feet away.”

After the video went viral, the Assateague Island National Seashore Law Enforcement Rangers and the National Park Service made statements about the incident.

“These horses have learned where to find food and how to get it. They can bite or stomp a food package open, they can kick open an unsecured cooler, they can eat right out of open beach bags. The horses will stage an all-out assault on the beach in the pursuit of food. This is so dangerous for visitors,” the NPS said to the Miami Herald.

“Assateague’s horses are beautiful, tough, and wild. They have learned to survive in a harsh environment. Feeding and/or petting them is detrimental to both visitors and horses.”

“Visitors are kicked, bitten and knocked down every year as a direct result of getting too close to the wild horses. Treating wild horses like tame animals takes away the wildness that makes them special. Protect your family by respecting theirs. Give the horses the space they need to be wild.”

On social media, the woman in question has received tons of criticism, and everyone agrees that you simply have to let these beautiful animals have their peace. Aggression is always a step too far.

Watch the video below!

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Source: People of The Ocean City Boardwalk (Facebook), Miami Herald, The Animal Rescue Site