To flee someone you promised to aid, particularly in dire distress. To act like a fairweather friend. From the phrase, Hoofbeats in the night regarding paid mercenaries abandoning the American revolutionary war. Example: He promised to help me with my term paper, but when it was time to write it, he did a hoofbeat.
FOOFBEAT
Meaning of FOOFBEAT in English
Slang English vocab. Английский сленговый словарь. 2012