Michelle Williams' scary holiday canter

Michelle Williams saw her life flash before her eyes during a recent holiday horseback ride in Mexico - because her mount appeared to be suicidal.

The Brokeback Mountain star has always considered herself an experienced rider but the horse she rode during a recent vacation with friends appeared to be out of control.

She says, "I thought it was going to be one of those slow ambles through the hills, and you take a lot of photos and take in the beautiful scenery, (but) we went down ravines, we went trekking. It was an eight-hour horseback ride.

"I likened it to being piggy-backed by a drunk person, who has no personal investment in you and will throw you at any time to save themselves."

And she had to be reassured by the tour guide when the actress and the horse came to the edge of a cliff for a picture.

She recalls, "He said, 'I promise you there's no such thing as a suicidal horse'."