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From my own experience, if you head-butt a horse you will feel it a lot more than the horse will.
Don’t rush to hang me, it was a clash of heads as the horse was about to bite me on the elbow, AGAIN.
Colin
Typical overreaction by someone who I bet hasn’t been closer to a horse than a donkey ride on Brighton beach. All the chap did was give a fractious horse a slap with his hand on the muzzle- something everyone who’s dealt with horses for any length of time has done. From taking the piss the horse immediately calmed down and behaved beautifully afterwards. Yet more PC rubbish drawing attention to it on ATR.
Yes, CH, agreed in as much as it is unliklely to have hurt the horse. The problem that such incidents create for the image of racing is the problem though. Imagine if one of teh Derby field was being a bit naughty at the start and they’d given, for example, New Approach a smack in the face as he was being led up at Epsom? Would you condone that?
Some horses learn by kindness others only learn the hard way.
If the slap worked – full marks to the lad.
Giving an unruly horse a slap to get it to behave and be safe to all around is a key part of equine handling.
The really disturbing incident at Brighton today was a lot more serious and will have consequences for the sport long term.
Yes, CH, agreed in as much as it is unliklely to have hurt the horse. The problem that such incidents create for the image of racing is the problem though. Imagine if one of teh Derby field was being a bit naughty at the start and they’d given, for example, New Approach a smack in the face as he was being led up at Epsom? Would you condone that?
Frankly Corm, if the same situation arose, yes. Horses, like children, will push the boundaries until bad behaviour endangers the humans dealing with them. At that point a remedial slap improves the safety of all concerned. The problem is the failure of the media (in today’s example Sean Boyce I think and definitely Jason Weaver) to communicate to the public that what happened was neither unusual nor out of order.
People ‘tap’ dogs when they misbehave don’t they? what’s the difference in theory? Dogs need discipline. don’t horses?
The problem with this incident is that it gives fuel to the animal brigade who consider that horse racing is cruel. Photos of this incident in the newspapers will harm the image of horse racing.
When Paul O’Neill head butted a horse at Stratford then it was shown in the media and videos of the incident were put on Youtube and other social websites ( Myspace, Facebook ) to create publicity for racing to be banned. It is mainly aimed at the younger generation to influence them to become against horse racing on cruelty grounds.
Expect this to happen again following the behaviour of the stall handler at Brighton today. I have watched more horse races than I care to remember and I have never seen a stall handler hit a horse in this way. It is not necessary to do this and should not be allowed on the racecourse.
Pete
Yes, horses, like dogs, small children and a lot of animals, need discipline.
It is very true that often a horse will need a smack, or to be hit with the stick, or a kick in the belly [ie when you’re sitting on it], but it is not a good idea to do so in public where uproar can often ensue.
I saw a horse of Tom Keddy’s, Wreningham, run at Sandown a few weeks ago. He was a little keen in the paddock but I’ve led up far worse – the lad didn’t seem to think so though. He kept socking it in the teeth with constant sharp yanks on the lead rein, whilst hitting the horse across the nose with the end of the lead rein at the same time. It was winding me up no end – if he’d left the horse alone he’d have been a lot better behaved – and one time he went past me I shouted "it might walk a bit better if you stopped socking it in the teeth" to which a few people around started telling me I was right! If that had been me in one of my former jobs I’d have had the horse taken off me and most likely have gotten the sack. I nearly emailed Keddy about it but didn’t in the end.
I was always told never to hit a horse around the head because it makes them head shy; the only excuse would be if the horse was possibly going to take a chunk out of him.
The Post reports that the stalls handler was responding to being "bitten twice and headbutted" by the colt which had earlier "headbutted" his groom who was taken to hospital for x-rays to nose and jaw. However, she only had bruising and was allowed home later.
The trainer is quoted to the effect that the clip shown on ATR didn’t truly reflect what had gone on beforehand.
There’s no case to answer as far as I’m concerned. A quiet word in the ear of the stalls handler is all that’s required.
This thread shows the dangers of rushing to judgement without knowing all the facts.
I am sure those who concur with "Horse Whispering" techniques would agree this sort of behaviour is wholly unaccaptable.
Almost certainly, but how practicable would it be to implement any such technique from – or next to – the confines of a metal crate on a hillside in Brighton in race-day conditions, compared to the more usual "whisperer"’s environment of a big, quiet field?
That being the case, what guarantee would there have been that recourse to a whisperer’s technique in this instance would have elicited the same response from the horse as the slap did?
I’m sure the incident did’t look especially aesthetically pleasing, and heaven knows there’ll be some Animal Aid types out there thinking how best to make capital out if it even as I’m writing this. However, it has to be considered at the same time just how many other viable alternatives there were at that precise moment in time.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
The Post reports that the stalls handler was responding to being "bitten twice and headbutted" by the colt which had earlier "headbutted" his groom who was taken to hospital for x-rays to nose and jaw. However, she only had bruising and was allowed home later.
The trainer is quoted to the effect that the clip shown on ATR didn’t truly reflect what had gone on beforehand.
Good post, Gus. Why let the facts get in the way of a good rant.
Not having scene this particular event it is difficult to know how severe the slap to the head was, but,firefox, can I ask what you would have done in the stall-handler’s place?
You’re trying to get a horse into the stalls and he is giving you aggro by biting and butting you, the natural reaction is to give the horse a "tap" on the nose, much as you would to a dog that was misbehaving.
To me that isn’t condoning cruelty, ideally you don’t want to see it but again, ideally, you don’t want a horse biting and butting you.
Has there been any reaction from the connections, the owner particularly, to this alleged abuse of his horse?
Colin
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