A conservative Republican in the U.S. House was clobbered by his own horse this week, his office announced.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), one of the final holdouts on the Big, Beautiful Bill who ultimately voted for President Donald’s signature legislation, was tending to his farm over the weekend when he was “accidentally kicked by a horse,” according to a statement issued Tuesday.
The spokesman said Burchett “suffered a broken rib and bruising but hasn’t missed a beat,” citing a speech he gave in his district last night and a packed schedule of follow-up meetings for the remainder of the week.
As Burchett’s office tells it, a “horsefly” landed on the tail of his steed and spooked it, causing the horse to kick him in the chest with “both hooves.”
A doctor who examined Burchett, 6’1″, said the kick would have been a “serious problem” had it been “an inch-and-a-half higher.”
“It’s a cool mark. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo,” joked Burchett.
It wasn’t the horse’s fault,” Burchett, 60, told NewsNation in a statement.
It’s not the first time that a member of Burchett’s family has been hurt by the horses on his property. In 2022, his daughter was hospitalized for 16 days after being injured while riding.
“Count our blessings because she’s alive and that’s all we really care about,” he told The Hill at the time.
“She’s a tough little girl — she’ll be back on that horse,” he added.
On social media, the Tennessee Republican encouraged his followers to “pray for our country” instead of him.
Among lawmakers known for their eccentric behavior, even Burchett stands out. He has been at the forefront of calling for the U.S. military to declassify any information related to its knowledge of UFOs, and he played prominent roles during previous committee hearings into the matter over the past 10 years.
He has pursued with equal vigor House Republicans’ demand that the government disclose the transcripts of its interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.
After President Donald Trump was named on Epstein’s flight logs, Burchett came to his defense, arguing that being a guest on Epstein’s plane doesn’t make someone a “dadgum pedophile.”
Late-night host Stephen Colbert used the opportunity to knock Burchett for his homespun Tennessee charm.
“Nice try, buddy, but you can’t ‘folks-y’ your way out of this one,” he said on his show, WBIR reported.
Burchett won his first term during the 2018 election after serving as mayor of Knox County. Prior to that post, he served 10 years in the state Senate and another five in the state House.
