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Horse bites off boy's arm
Trinidad Express ^ | February 21, 2004 | Richard Charan

Posted on 02/21/2004 8:47:18 PM PST by kerosene

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To: gg188
I can tell you about this.

Most horses are dangerous not because they are vicious, but because they are bigger and stronger than we are, and don't have much understanding of how fragile we are. A well-trained horse should, from an early age, demonstrate respect for the personal space of a human and obey him carefully. This means things like watching that he doesn't step on your feet or butt you with his head, moving quietly when near you, and so forth. Behavior like that tends to minimize injuries to the humans.

Some stallions are spoiled so that they become dangerous, because their handlers believe that "he's a stallion, he has to act that way, he can't help it." So they never discipline a large powerful horse and he gets more and more obnoxious, even dangerous.

Some stallions (and a few mares) are simply vicious. They have something wrong with their brains, and should be put down so that their defects don't enter the gene pool. Unfortunately some such horses are kept and bred because they perform so well at racing.

All stallions have the potential to be dangerous. One should never trust even the most angelic stallion (and I've had some really sweet stallions who never hurt a fly and acted like perfect gentlemen even when being bred). Some people are going to argue this with me, but I believe kids should never be near stallions because you can never tell. Stallions have been known to turn on a lifelong owner and savage him or her, even when handled by very experienced horsemen.

41 posted on 02/21/2004 11:22:11 PM PST by Capriole (Foi vainquera)
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To: kerosene
Well, I have learned a lot about horses on this thread.

You know, if the kid had been in school as he was supposed to be instead of riding around carefree, he would have been okay. He was in the worng place at the wrong time and sometimes that turns out to be very, very bad.

42 posted on 02/21/2004 11:27:25 PM PST by Ruth A.
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To: Ruth A.
"Well, I have learned a lot about horses on this thread."

Me too. I knew they were big and powerful, but I didn't realize they were so agressive. Racehorses, yes, but other horses, no.

Living in the big city I don't run into too many horses, except police horses, but I'll be giving them all a wider bearth from now on.
43 posted on 02/22/2004 1:38:10 AM PST by jocon307 (The dems don't get it, the American people do.)
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To: Fiddlstix
Both ends can be very dangerous

Video clip of why you don't want to get kicked by a horse

44 posted on 02/22/2004 1:52:56 AM PST by Ichneumon
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To: Ichneumon
OH MAN!! If that guy didn't have broken ribs and whiplash, he's lucky.
45 posted on 02/22/2004 4:28:42 AM PST by ovrtaxt (I'll start watching NASCAR when they start running figure 8s.)
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To: HairOfTheDog
Carnivorious equine ping.
46 posted on 02/22/2004 4:38:36 AM PST by Rebelbase (The gravy train makes unscheduled stops.)
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To: Free Trapper
Thats one way to tame a lion.
47 posted on 02/22/2004 4:41:00 AM PST by Rebelbase (The gravy train makes unscheduled stops.)
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To: Rebelbase
A horse bit skin from my chin when I was 7. A mad horse is fast and mean. I will never forget the look in his eye and his ears laying back on his neck.
48 posted on 02/22/2004 4:47:47 AM PST by Broker (Sunny Day in Atlanta)
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To: flying Elvis
In all fairness.... most shetlands are too little to have been trained by a real rider, and everything they know has been taught to them by yanking, cranky 6 year olds.
49 posted on 02/22/2004 4:57:09 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: gg188
I have never in my life heard of such a thing. Are there any equestrians here who can suggest how common or how rare this is?

Many stallions bite, it is partly their nature and mostly boredom from living a mostly solitary life. Many stallions are used for riding and show, but some live alone and mostly unhandled until the two minutes he gets to "do his thing" once in a while. It isn't natural for a stallion to live in a small space alone, and without a lot of exercise they can become pretty impossible to be around. That said... a bite is common.... biting anything OFF is so rare I'll bet you'll never see another story like this.

50 posted on 02/22/2004 5:02:10 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: Ruth A.; jocon307
Well, I have learned a lot about horses on this thread.

I hope not.

There are dangers and things to be cautious about with horses.... but this story is not representative of that danger, nor are most of the comments. This is a freak accident, and a few posters who had bad ponies have commented on the thread.

Most accidents with horses are indeed accidental.... the fault of a large animal doing someting unexpected.... but not because he was out to get you or bit your arm off.

51 posted on 02/22/2004 5:10:35 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: flying Elvis; NRA2BFree
We did something mean w/our shetland pony, We gave him away @ a "youth" carnival..."DADDY! DADDY!...Guess, What I won!" (w/10 hay bales,feed,halter,blanket..problem solved.)...We laughed all the way back to the house.
52 posted on 02/22/2004 5:18:34 AM PST by skinkinthegrass (Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :)
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To: kerosene
This story reminds me of a seven year old nephew who was dumped off at my house for the wife to babysit.He has a bad habit of telling these outrageous tall tales.He was telling me and my neighbor about this horse that he killed with a stick.He had red paint all over his face,so I asked him,"Is that where the horse bit you before you killed him with the stick?"My neighbor started busting a gut laughing,and the kid started stretching his story even more than he already had.
53 posted on 02/22/2004 5:20:02 AM PST by Uncle Meat
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To: ovrtaxt
LOL!
54 posted on 02/22/2004 5:20:57 AM PST by skinkinthegrass (Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :)
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To: lowbridge
Wilbuuur..Come here, I want discuss, this article...YIKES.
55 posted on 02/22/2004 5:25:48 AM PST by skinkinthegrass (Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :)
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To: hedgetrimmer
A stallion should never be anywhere near a child. This is another stupid adult mistake. We see Amish kids get hurt when they are around animals. A cow slipped on wet cement coming through the barn and crushed a 4 yr old standing nearby. A 13 yr. old female handling a team in the field was found dead. She probably slipped down between the equipment. Maybe her long skirt got caught? Adults make poor decisions and the kids pay.
56 posted on 02/22/2004 5:28:13 AM PST by oldironsides
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To: HairOfTheDog
...but not because he was out to get you or bit your arm off.

Hmmm.

While the intelligent and educated side of me wants to agree with that, the ignorant and superstitious side says otherwise.

I once had an association (he wasn't mine, but I had unlimited access to him) with a beautiful stallion who just would not be broken to the saddle.

A friend and the owner and myself worked that horse, using every technique known and after about 8 months, I swear, that horse began retaliating for our actions.

It would stand behind the dutch-door of the stable and wait for you to walk by, at which point it would snort and lunge and all one could see was TEETH and I do mean BIG teeth.

If he missed you with that, he'd immediately turn and deliver a kick to the wall that would literally shake the entire 12-stall barn.

That would set the other horses off, of course, and they were all terrorized by this stallion. It was if he could smell the other horses fear and he'd get even worse.

Even in his more lucid moments, he would slyly wait for someone to get between him and the wall (particularly the blacksmith) and would put his whole 1100 or so pounds against you and you'd become a hoss sandwich. Out of 3 or 4 blacksmiths in the area, only one would even come out and look at him. And all he'd do would be to give a recommendation on whether a shoe was in need of work. From 10 feet away.

That horse knew exactly what he was doing.

Exception perhaps, but none the less dangerous for it.

I came to hate that horse and it was later sold to a older lady who put it to pasture and it was never ridden or touched by a human after that, except for one time that he was re-shoed. That, after a three-day chase and then being restrained by two pick-up trucks and a tractor.

I truly believe that horse had murder in his heart.

He met his end several years later, after he jumped the fence and challenged a Peterbilt log-hauler, about twilight, on the paved road to the paper mill. And even that is believed to be intentional, as that stallion would often be seen racing the length of the fence along the road every time a log hauler would come through. He'd get all excited by them and it was noted by several persons that lived in the area.

The Peterbilt won as it still would operate but the driver definitely lost.

The driver received some grievous injuries from going through the windshield and entanglement with the steering wheel. As I recall, he was hopitalized for a good while. The horse died.

I think that horse got some measure of revenge against the human race, after all.

57 posted on 02/22/2004 5:56:32 AM PST by OldSmaj
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To: OldSmaj
While the intelligent and educated side of me wants to agree with that, the ignorant and superstitious side says otherwise.

I said most. One can't make assumptions based on the odd fringe case. If you have other experience with horses I am sure they are not all like that one case. My post was in response to posts that said they were learning a lot about "horses" from these anecdotes.

58 posted on 02/22/2004 6:04:17 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: kerosene; mickie
What a horrific story, that poor little boy. It's like a strange dog you don't know, don't assume he is friendly...I will certainly remind my four boys to be extra careful around our brood, you just never know.
59 posted on 02/22/2004 6:41:07 AM PST by MVV
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To: gg188
I have never in my life heard of such a thing. Are there any equestrians here who can suggest how common or how rare this is?

Horses are a lot like dogs --- a lot depends on how they were socialized but a stallion is never a completely safe animal because of how they're kept pent up and isolated except at breeding time. They'll kill each other --- but a stallion kept with other horses is more mellow.

60 posted on 02/22/2004 6:56:37 AM PST by FITZ
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