58 Certain groups may be particularly vulnerable when horses are used to disperse a crowd, particularly those with limited mobility, slow reaction times or impaired sight (e.g., persons with disabilities or elderly people, children, pregnant women). What monitors should observe and record • In what circumstances were the horses used? • What were horses used for (e.g., monitoring, as a deterrent, to form a cordon, crowd dispersal)? How were they used (e.g., walking, trotting, charging)? • If used to disperse a crowd, were the horses used to charge at people? Was anyone knocked over or injured in any way? • Were there any particularly vulnerable people present and affected (e.g., children, people with limited mobility)? • Did mounted law enforcement officers use any additional force (e.g., baton strikes)? Were people hit on the head by batons? • What was the effect of the use of horses (e.g., increased tension or violence, panic, stampede, orderly dispersal)? • Was a warning given before horses were deployed? How much in advance of the use was the warning issued? Was a viable escape route made available? • Was medical help provided (by the police, medical service) to those affected by the horses? Illustrative examples of health and human rights implications: Mounted police were deployed during a protest against a rally by a far-right political party in a participating State in 2014. Reportedly, 10 people were taken to hospital as a result, five of whom sustained serious injuries. Photos taken by journalists show the horses riding over members of the crowd lying on the ground. According to a police spokesperson, “A number of people were trampled and one person was seriously injured.” In 2015, the law enforcement deployed mounted police to deal with an anti-austerity demonstration. Several horses and officers were injured during the protest as a result of fireworks being thrown at them, and a mounted police officer fell and broke his wrist after his horse was frightened by fireworks.