I saw a post and I just cannot get it out of my mind. Therefore, I’m coming here to talk about it, because I think it raises a broader question.
The post was someone asking if they should purchase a horse that had attacked a person and literally ripped someone’s finger off. While this was the first time the horse did that much damage, the horse is known to be dangerous on the ground. But this person’s motivation to buy it was because it was great to ride. I don’t want to give anymore details, but that’s the gist of it.
It sounded pretty horrifying to me. I don’t care how great a horse is to ride, why on earth would you want that horse around? Why on earth would you seek to get a problem horse?
Let’s discuss.
“I Can Fix it”
Someone sees a dangerous animal and thinks – that animal would never hurt me.
I want to use the word “animal” instead of horse, because I think it applies to way more than horses. People see a dangerous dog and think, “that dog loves me, they would never hurt me.” It applies to people who get big cats as pets, and think they have some kind of connection that will override the cat’s natural prey instinct. Doesn’t matter if the animal is domestic or wild, people seem to think love overrides all natural instinct in an animal.
For all I know, maybe there is some spiritual energy that imbeds itself in both and infuses their souls with a deep connection. I know people often do feel deep connections with animals. I know animals can either be trained really well, or they do just like certain people more. But the majority of the time I don’t think this is because of some deep connection. I think people just want to believe that because it makes their relationship special.
So in the specific case of a horse that’s already been noted to be dangerous, and has actually hurt someone really really badly, chances are, they are going to do it again. This was not an accidental injury, it was on purpose. That horse wants to hurt people.
It doesn’t matter what caused it, the poor horse might have been abused, or had something done to it, or maybe it’s just twisted in its brain. I obviously have no idea what led the horse to this behavior, but this is a horse that can never be trusted.
That horse is going to be a liability forever. This information would have to be disclosed to all boarding barns, and no barn is going to want that kind of horse around. I don’t think I’d want to be at a barn that had a horse that was attacking people. Where on earth would someone keep this kind of horse?
Not to mention the lawsuits – this person is going to end up getting sued. They would probably need a big insurance plan to cover any potential injuries, or insurance might decline to cover this kind of horse.
Can a horse like this be rehabbed? Maybe but it could be really dangerous. And the horse still couldn’t be trusted.
There’s So Many Nice Horses Already Out There
Maybe an experienced trainer could fix this horse, I truly don’t know. But with so many horses out there that won’t try to attack you at any given opportunity, why would you give a home to one that would?
I get the appeal of “saving” a horse, but there’s other ways. There’s horses being loaded up on the slaughter trucks every day that would never try to hurt someone. There’s horses sitting at rescues, waiting for their perfect person to come along. There’s lonely horses who’s owners got too busy, but would probably love it if someone took it off their hands.
There’s so many nice ones out there, why on earth would anyone bother with one that would hurt someone?
The Only Reason to Put Up With a Dangerous Horse
So there are people who will put up with a very dangerous horse, and that’s because the horse is incredibly talented and will win at shows. But this people are always professionals, with professional staffs who understand how to deal with it. There’s no way the average hobby rider should put up with a dangerous horse, there’s zero payoff. You just have a really dangerous horse that will probably end up scaring you and making you not want to ride.
Notoriously Dangerous Horses That Won
Curious what level of talent has to be present to put up with a dangerous horse?
How about…
Man O’War
“He fought like a tiger,” Riddle once said in describing his stable’s early experiences with Man o’ War. “He screamed with rage and fought us so hard that it took several days before he could be handled with safety.”
Well known racing legend Man o’War was also a bit of a jerk. He displayed a rebellious and aggressive nature, being difficult to handle on the ground and frequently dumping his exercise riders.
Go Man Go
“jes plain mean as a bear most of the time” – Eldridge Strauss
“was ornery from the day I met him, but he was the greatest horse I ever rode” – Robert Strauss, jockey.
Called the Man o’War of Quarter horses, he was incredibly talented, as well as difficult and dangerous to handle.
So in the cases of big money winners, it probably is worth it to keep a dangerous horse, handled only by professionals, in a mostly controlled environment. The horse is literally being used for one purpose, and spends the rest of its time being left alone.
Is It Really Worth it?
Despite all the horse movies that showcase a difficult horse being tamed by a plucky girl, life doesn’t work that way. (and I know some people feel they solved a horse’s problem and made them great, but I would argue that the horse was not dangerous, but instead was simply uneducated, or scared, or shy, and went through training to behave. A very normal process for all horses.)
For a true dangerous horse… why. Why would you risk being injured. Why would you take on someone else’s problem. Why would you potentially ruin your own future because of a horse that probably hates you. There’s so many horses that would love to be doted on, snuggled and spend time with you. Why on earth would you let one of the good ones go without a home to take a chance on a jerk?
I have no idea what if the finger eater is going to get a new home, but I hope it is just humanly euthanized. I know it makes people cringe and recoil to think of putting down an otherwise healthy horse, but I don’t see a way forward where that horse isn’t going to be a threat to people. It would have to be kept in a very controlled environment, with people who understand it, for the rest of its life. Possible? Sure. But how long are people going to be interested in that? People forget, people move on with their lives, or they will go to extreme measures to keep the horse controlled. So it will either end up with a lonely, awful life, or it’ll hurt someone again.
Of course I could be wrong on that, but again, I don’t see why someone would take the risk when there’s loveable, kind ones out there. Don’t make some else’s problem your problem.