How to protect yourself from horses?

Question

Me and a group of about twenty of my friends were passing through the ranch of my neighbor. There is a large prairie with his horses. Suddenly, a group of about 10 horses charged us. All of a sudden they ran, at about twice the speed of a human gait, at us. Me and 17 others panicked, shouted, and tried to retreat while getting no response from the horses at all. Two of my friends stood their ground, while one of them placed a hand in front of himself and the horses stopped! The rest of the group just continued and we were not harassed anymore. The two guys, who stood their ground, petted the horses and were comfortable enough even to take photos.

I almost never see any humans interacting with these horses. They just seem to be semi-wild animals. Maybe that had something to do with the entire incident, but honestly, I do not know.

Can anyone provide an interpretation on what happened, whether my friends were in danger, and what to do in such a situation?

Answer 1

placed a hand in front of himself and the horses stopped!

Brave and perhaps foolish. Horses (especially dominant males) will charge a perceived threat, and they are big. They know how to protect themselves and their band.

I suspect that these were domesticated and chose to submit to a commanding human gesture.

what to do in such a situation?

Horses are prey animals; they don't go looking for fights with other species. I am not an expert but I love horses; I think if you ran like hell they would peel off and return to their business when you were far enough away as to not be perceived as threatening.