Posted on 04/27/2005 6:44:00 AM PDT by 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.
20th 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.
No, I really had no prior opinion about the studio and the idea of a Flicka remake sounds delightful. But I have to call a spade a spade. As a horse owner this is how I see it.
That's called a wild horse race in rodeo. It's done all the time and usually, the cowboys are hurt alot worse than the horse.
Apparently, they were using actual unbroke horses for a rodeo-like 'catch' the horse scene in an arena... It's as dangerous, I suppose as the people who do this in real life every day. It adds an element of realism to the movie to use actual unbroke mustangs, but it's possible the same accident might have happened even with a trained horse re-enacting the same scene. I know that leaving a leadrope on one of these mustangs is a pretty common method by people until they are easy to catch. It has risks... but people are always taking some risk every time they try to halter a large animal and get them to do our bidding.
Heck, I've got several horses that can untie their own lead rope if you don't watch them like a hawk. A horse needs to be tied with a quick release knot so that he can be easily freed if something spooks him and he pulls back and panics, so you can't tie a really tight knot to begin with. I think this is just a tragic accident and and the witch hunt needs to stop.
Any behavior that ignores the realities of deliberately allowing a horse to run loose with a lead rope hanging to the ground would benefit from being brought into the 21st century. The fact a film studio's animal handers might have once had their teeth knocked out by a horse or a couple of bulls tells me just how backwater and unprofessional the operation apparently is.
"Heck, I've got several horses that can untie their own lead rope if you don't watch them like a hawk. A horse needs to be tied with a quick release knot so that he can be easily freed if something spooks him and he pulls back and panics, so you can't tie a really tight knot to begin with. I think this is just a tragic accident and and the witch hunt needs to stop."
But aren't you contradicting yourself?
I read the article. I am no "dear," and what is this "opine" crap? Are you O' freakin' Reilly?
The article states that the horse was running. Why was it running? Was it intentionally set free to run with its lead dangling? Does the article address this? NO! It does not!
Get off your high horse, and be off from us free people at a canter, nag.
What is it that causes you to believe that Big Brother should get involved in every unfortunate situation?
It's Bush's fault.
"I read the article. I am no "dear," and what is this "opine" crap? Are you O' freakin' Reilly?
The article states that the horse was running. Why was it running? Was it intentionally set free to run with its lead dangling? Does the article address this? NO! It does not!"
My, a little emotional, are we? And if you had read my initial post you will see that I set just such a disqualifyer. So you see, it may well be a horse of a different color :p
So the "No Animals Were Harmed During the Making of This Film" disclaimer won't be in the screen credits this time.
"What is it that causes you to believe that Big Brother should get involved in every unfortunate situation?"
What is it that causes you to think I believe such a thing?
So the "No Animals Were Harmed During the Making of This Film" disclaimer won't be in the screen credits this time.
I don't think so. I was just saying that he might have untied himself, but as I read further down the thread I see that he didn't. Comment withdrawn.
Because you want "legal consequences" for the unfortunate death of a horse.
I actually dislike old westerns because of the intentional cruelty and wasteful damage to horses in old films before oversight by humane organizations.... But I think for the most part, treatment and methods have improved, to the benefit of both the animals and the films.
But it'd be silly to pretend that it isn't still dangerous, and those overseeing the treatment of the animals on set have to always balance that. Good horsemanship can make it saf-er.... never pretend it will ever be completely safe.
Good save Hair! I didn't think to explain it that far. :o)
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