The Annika Schleu horse incident occurred during the Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics when the German athlete’s randomly assigned horse, Saint Boy, refused to clear obstacles. The footage of Schleu visibly distraught and crying while her coach was caught on camera striking the horse quickly went viral. While the event sparked serious debates regarding animal welfare in sports, the internet adopted the image of Schleu’s emotional breakdown and the horse's stubborn refusal as a metaphor for situations where everything goes wrong despite one's best efforts. It is commonly used to depict struggles with technology, workplace frustrations, or any scenario where an uncooperative force derails a high-stakes plan.