No Friend to Flicka: Horse Dies in Remake Filming

CNN, Blogbat ^ | April 27 2005 | Martin aka Blogbat

[blogbat]

Animal neglect true reason for death of horse on movie set

 

 

CNN reports,

 

The horse was killed Monday during filming at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in the San Fernando Valley.

 

According to the City of Los Angeles' Department of Animal Services, which conducted an investigation, the horse was running when it stepped on its own lead rope and broke its neck. Animal Services is ruling the death an accident.

 

 

As someone who has owned and worked with horses his entire life I must tell you this case is most likely not an accident, but rather the result of cruel and tragic negligence.

 

Unless this horse untied his own lead rope and ran off, the handlers of this horse broke one of the cardinal rules of horsemanship and one of the first things you teach anyone working around horses: do not allow the animal to wander freely with the lead rope still attached because if he steps on it while either walking or running there is a good chance he will panic or trip and break his neck.

 

The City of Los Angeles’ Department of Animal Services should be ashamed of their shallow, perfunctory investigation. Any such agency worth its name would have cited the handlers for not taking the very simple steps known to avoid something this avoidable. The ineptitude of both parties is beyond me.

 

20^th Century Fox should likewise be ashamed and should fire the parties involved. The Department of Animal Dis-Services should also fire anyone involved in the decision to label this an accident. If neither of those two will do that then obviously we need to find some political accountability somewhere.

 

 

The movie being made was a remake of the 1943 classic, “My Friend Flicka”. Friend indeed.

 

[N. Beaujon]

You'd have to be able to upload it to someplace that would host it on the web... you can't upload and post attachments here, only links to it.

Darn, I'll have to figure out how to do it. I have my own website, can I link it up there? (I dont know how to handle mpeg's.) Anyway, it was a delightful laugh after the "flicka debacale." No horses got harmed in the making. ;) Really funny.

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh - I see. That's just a picture of a MODERN wild horse race - nothing to do with the movie.

These races are still held. I have to hide my eyes - I'm a great believer in gentle methods. I do pop my mare on the butt with my dressage whip if she bucks or kicks out - but that's about as far as I go, I HATE to hit my horse. (I do wear spurs though. Just blunt Prince of Wales spurs, and I have a very quiet leg.)

[blogbat]

Got it, I didnt see the first post, no wonder I'm off track. ;) Yep, it didnt call for a lynching.....a trip to the woodshed, perhaps. Anyway, it's clear we don't have the facts, it's Hollywood after all. What do you expect? A truthful account? Ha! ;)

 

And that leads me into some news of interest to everyone:

 

More inconsistancies in the studio's story on the one that broke its neck and the City of LA bans the use of mustangs fur rest of film's production:

http://cbs2.com/content/topstoriesla_story_116182057.html

 

Second Horse killed during Flicka filming and the American Humane Association discusses new guidelines including banning all rodeo scenes in future filmings: http://cbs2.com/topstories/topstoriesla_story_117212007.html

[N. Beaujon]

"One horse, pursued by guys on horseback, spooking the hell out of him, tripped on his rope and went down. The other horse kicked him in the head, that's what it looked like to me," said witness Roland Vincent, 59, who was hoping to be used as a cowboy extra.

Blogbat, thank you for sticking to this story. Because I don't know Western riding (I ride English) I felt at a certain point I no longer had any standing to comment.

I can only imagine the terror that horse was experiencing with a bunch of yahoos ala John Landis looking for the best dramatic shot. "Flicka" looks like one movie that this horse-lover will not be attending.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

And your intimation that I wish that one horse would have been properly cared for at the expense of wild mustangs killed for food is a sloppy straw man at best. Incidentally, this horse was also a wild, unbroken mustang most likely quite unfamiliar with being haltered in any sense.

This is what happens to most wild mustangs.

Eating Mr. Ed

This one was treated a lot better, even if he did accidentally die.

I'm just curious: what punishment do you have in mind for the horse handlers who were "responsible" for this accident?