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This Jokester Horse “Plays Dead” Whenever Someone Tries To Ride Him

By Sara Barnes on December 8, 2025

Photo: Tom Oun (Not a photo of the actual horse.)

You may have heard of possums “playing dead,” but what about a horse? Yes, it turns out that these creatures are known to do the same thing. But rather than involuntarily fainting, as possums do, horses are using it as a way to avoid responsibilities. (Maybe we can learn a thing or two).

One funny video shows a horse named Jingang pulling off a clever-to-him ruse: collapsing while people are trying to ride him. There are multiple shots of him falling, complete with heavy breathing and rolled eyes. It’s only when Jingang thinks no one is looking that he gets up and goes about his day.

According to the viral video, Jingang has been playing this trick for a long time and has perfected the grand act. This includes falling from a low center of gravity, so he’s essentially lying down, and so neither he nor those riding him will get hurt.

Jingang isn’t the only trickster horse. “My buddy had a horse that I swear thought it was a dog,” one Redditor wrote in a thread that shows a version of the original video. “He was also really big on pranks. His favorite was to ‘sneak’ up behind you very non sneakily and steal your hat. He would then go put it on the farthest freaking post he could find and would do a happy dance when you found it. Then would demand pets because he did such a good job.”

“We used to have a horse who would pretend to be lame when my sister went to ride her,” another says, “then she’d sprint around when we put her out in the field.”

While many in the Reddit comments watch the video and can imagine a horse playing dead all on its own, others believe Jingang must be a trained animal actor working on command. Although we’ll never know, the anecdotal evidence from our fellow netizens demonstrates that horses aren’t always what they seem.