Have You Seen This? Safari guide stops charging elephant like it's a regular Tuesday

By John Clyde for KSL.com | Posted - Nov. 9, 2024 at 3:29 p.m.

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

When I was in college, I went horseback riding with some friends. Why? I don't know. How did we randomly have access to several horses? I have no idea. But you need to stop focusing on the how, OK?

While on the trail, my horse lost his footing. It tripped, and then, to recover, he jumped and kicked. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but it was powerful and violent. If my math is correct, this equine was one horsepower, which is pretty impressive. I'm only one man-power and barely that. But with all the kicking and abrupt change in direction, I handled the situation like a champ. I stayed calm, let my body move with the animal, and kept my hands on the reins, not clinging onto the saddle horn for dear life.

The horse righted itself, and we got back onto the trail and kept moving. The people with me were impressed and asked if I was an experienced rider. I chuckled a pretentious chuckle and said, "Oh no. I just know how to stay calm and adapt to any situation."

What they didn't know is that I had gone into a full cardiac arrest, and I stayed so calm because my brain said, "I'm outta here. You're on your own, champ."

While I was scared out of my mind and my blood pressure could have powered a steam engine on a cross-continental trip, I looked as cool as the other side of the pillow.

In this video, Alan McSmith is not only the actual other side of the pillow, but his insides are also as cool as a cucumber.

The video is seven years old, but clearly, not enough of you have seen it. McSmith is an experienced safari guide who encounters an aggressive elephant that threatens him and all those with him. Not only does McSmith stay calm and collected, but he leads me to believe he's the actual king of the jungle. I'm no scientist, but I was dealing with a one-horsepower animal; he's staring down a one-elephant power animal.

McSmith mentions this should not be standard procedure, but it's something to behold.

The other thing that makes McSmith legit is that I don't think I've been on a horse since that experience, but McSmith has guided plenty of tours since. I think McSmith may be at least one horsepower, if not more.