rogue & savaging horses

[Linda Flemmer <bluewolfranch@yahoo.com>]

My old riding instructor was nearly killed by a rogue
gelding that she was to attempt to retrain (by court
order) before it was ordered put down.  The folks who
owned it successfully showed him in eventing and he
was a WONDERFUL, flashy athlete & won virtually
everything.  Unfortunately, he killed a groom &
severely injured a bystander on the ground in
separate, unprovoked incidents.  He had never been
social - always somewhat aggressive with no reason for
the attitude.  (Folks who owned him had bred him &
were experienced horse people.)

Jean said he was pushy and had an evil look when he
sized you up, but never tried anything for a while at
her training barn.  She started riding him & handling
him regularly.  One morning she took him out for some
dressage.  Before she mounted, he grabbed her by her
chest and shook her until she collapsed, breaking her
breast bone and causing bleeding around her heart.  He
then reared and trampled her until she was nearly
unconscious.  He broke her back in two places, broke
her thigh bone & upper arm (from biting her & shaking
her like a rag doll), and split her riding helmet.

She drug herself into the hedges to protect herself. 
This gelding patrolled the hedge, trying to get to
her, until her riding students showed up several hours
later.  The gelding was "good as gold" when they
collected him & put him back in a stall.  Nobody could
believe her condition.  EMS didn't think she'd live on
the trip in to the hospital.

In her words, "NO horse is worth that!"  Her
recommendation to the court was humane destruction of
the animal.  The owners pleaded that his ear be
notched to identify him as a rogue & to let them
continue to use the "talented athlete" as long as they
watched him closely.  (Like Jean wasn't doing that?) 
Needless to say, the court ordered his destruction.

Ask your friend who owns the horse to do the right
thing.  Protect some one else from death or maiming. 
Put this horse down!  Normal horses don't behave this
way for no reason.  Maybe this is the horse world's
version of schizophrenia, but it is too dangerous to
play around with.

Linda Flemmer
Who is normally all for "rehabilitating" horses with
behavioral problems

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com