This one is going to be short, mostly because I had to head back to work to do night chores in a little while, but also because this topic tends to be one that everyone has their own opinion on (then again, that tends to apply to most topics concerning horses).
We've probably all encountered nasty, mean horses. The one I'm thinking of is involved in a string of particularly nasty attacks at the barn I'm working at currently. The owner is stupidly ignorant of his aggression, the trainer refuses to do anything about it, and the barn owner/manager have finally had enough after one of the other employees was bitten badly two days ago and wants him put down or gone.
The solution? Geld the animal (oh, yeah, he's a stud; 10 years old, been bred once through live cover, beat the crap out of the mare and the foal and mare died during birth) immediately, and move him.
I don't believe this horse is nasty by nature. Apparently, Ignorant Owner sent him to Arizona to be trained when he was 3. The trainer was an old time QH guy whose idea of breaking a horse was to tie his head up in his stall for hours on end, beat the crap out of him, etc...the horse came back 6 months later broken and pure evil. He does not get turned out, gets lunged and worked for a couple hours a day, but recieves no other handling. He's lived that way for over 5 years.
The horse is absolutely miserable, and has become extremely aggressive. I was told when I started working at this place, and I quote, "if this horse ever gets loose, run and lock yourself in a stall, because he WILL kill you". Happy words on your first day.
On Wednesday, one of the employees went to move him into another stall in order to clean his. She had the halter over the bridge of his nose when he pushed her forward into the door. She yelled at him and pushed him back. Next thing we know she screams, we hear a bang, and she's crying as he turns his butt to her. I pull her from the stall and close the door. He had grabbed the back of her arm with his teeth and tore away the skin, throwing her into the wall. She didn't require stitches, but she bled for several hours and her entire arm from elbow to shoulder is black.
This is the 6th time this horse has inflicted a serious bite wound on somebody. He bit the old owner of the barn 3 years ago and gave her 18 stitches in her forearm and a nasty scar.
My question: what would you do as the barn owner or manager in this situation? My opnion: the horse needs to be put down. He's OK once he gets outside his stall, but he is too unpredictable and has caused too many injuries to ever be considered a safe animal to work around. 18 stitches is a LOT of stitches. Horses don't cause bite injuries like that unless they really mean to. As far as I'm concerned, this horse is a product of neglect and abuse, and while it's truly a sad story, it's not worth risking someone's life.
Godaddy sucks!
9 years ago
Oy. If I owned a barn, I would not have an animal like that on the property. (The exception is if he has a very competent trainer/owner who does all the handling and is getting results. But that's obviously not the case here.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if gelding and six months of turnout on a large range could help turn things around for him. He'd still be a massive rehab project, though. I wouldn't blame anyone who wanted to put him down. Poor fellow, he really got screwed over by his humans.
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ReplyDeletemy last post it only posted half of it so I'll try again:)
ReplyDeleteWe have a similiar situation at our barn. He's a gelding, but thinks he's a stud so must be a cryptorchid, and he has gone through every fence he's placed behind so he stays in his stall the majority of the time, unless I work him and take him out for a stroll.
He isn't dangerous, just too much for most people and recently he got a turnout attached to his stall and that has made a world of difference.
If I was your barn owner I wouldn't allow that guy in your barn, especially as a stud.
This reminds me an awful lot of the stud featured in the movie "Buck." If you didn't see the movie yet, you need to! The horse in question was also wrecked by an ignorant owner. I won't tell you the whole thing,
ReplyDelete'cause YOU NEED TO SEE THE MOVIE, but let's just say it was infuriating because it was so obviously NOT the horse's fault. Maybe if I keep reading you'll tell us what happened to him.