6 September 2011
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Horses on the Expressway
Saturday I had to drive twice to the old city to visit a store that sells door locks. This particular store because they are the only place that sells the particular knobs and locks we have on our doors. Two visits because I didn't bring everything I needed the first time to get the right replacement part. While driving on the expressway into the old city, I saw what appeared to be a horse's head sticking out of a truck a hundred meters or so in front of me.
As traffic thickened on the expressway, I pulled up alongside the truck and found it carrying four horses. Based on the police truck providing an escort, I concluded that these horses are part of the Royal Thai Police force's mounted division. The police are using mounted units to patrol Sanam Luang, the 30-acre ceremonial field near the Grand Palace that reopened a few weeks ago after a year-long, US$6 million renovation. Interestingly, the first question that crossed my mind was, did the horses get loaded in alternating colors randomly or intentionally?
Comments (21)
oh wow.. that is one interesting thought.
hahaha good question... now i'm curious to know the answer! but there are really only 6 ways to arrange 4 horses of 2 different colors, assuming you only care about the order of colors of the horses, so the odds are 1 in 3 that the horses would be alternating colors.
I wouldn't have noticed that initially!
That's a rare sight on the expressway!
I'd be worried that the horses might get dust in their eyes...
Cool. I... er... usually have the luck of happening upon something interesting when, and only when I don't have my camera. >_<'
Just a guess, but I'd say the horses were probably loaded based on temperament and proximity to their horsey "friends."
Interesting question --I took Aaron's route and did the math lol!
Only you would come up with that question in the first place.
That's a neat photo. Looks like the horses want to enjoy their outing.
Haha, so funny pictures. I think the horses must be very comfortable.
@kunhuo42 - Oh, you never fail to live up to expectations, Aaron! Ha ha... But the real question is, since both sides of the truck open, could the horses have been mixed up facing different directions. This would have increased the number of possible outcomes.
@ordinarybutloud - That's a reasonable guess.
@Lakakalo - Which is why I rarely leave home without my camera.
@Fatcat723 - It is a good exercise in statistical probability.
@murisopsis - Or suffer from pollution.
@CurryPuffy - A rare sight anywhere in Bangkok, considering that I've never before seen a mounted police unit.
@Roadlesstaken - You would have been too busy thinking about the air shark, perhaps?
@stebow - Oh, I'm sure someone else would have come up with that question, especially once traffic ground to a halt and drivers had plenty of time to think.
@aimooaimoo - Oh, I hope they were.
@ZSA_MD - They didn't seem unhappy...
@windblown85 - I'm full of interesting thoughts like that! Ha ha!
Awesome sight!
@christao408 - true, but i doubt the horses would appreciate alternately facing in opposite directions!
haha perhaps intentionally!
@kunhuo42 - Not sure how the horses would feel about it, but I was wondering if there might be any benefits, balance-wise. Perhaps if the horses fit pretty snugly, the center of gravity won't be very far off.
@lonelywanderer2 - Certainly not a sight you see that often on the expressway in Bangkok!
@yang1815 - Thais are artsy that way...
@christao408 - hahaha well, if horse orientation mattered, then you could only transport even numbers of horses!
@kunhuo42 - True... unless it only mattered for aesthetic reasons. Then, perhaps, an odd number would look fine.
@kunhuo42 - I love the geekiness in you! hahaha
Most of the horse transport I see have the horses aligned with the direction of the car. I usually just see the butt sticking out. I would hate to see another truck come by and get close to the horses heads.
@ElusiveWords - i'm an engineer i can't help it! =)
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