BIZARRE ANIMAL PROGRAMME ON BBC THREE LAST NIGHT

Birker2020

Birker2020

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Did anyone watch that programme on BBC Three last night where people have to live like/with animals for a few days. There was a lovely guy who was asked to live with a herd of semi wild exmoor ponies in a field and a woman who had to live with a herd of TBs. It was a weird and surreal programme at times, with Terry Nutkins (blast from the past) giving his pennyworth and a couple of animal behavioural experts thrown in. Along the way I was left wondering whether it was all a joke, a bit like an April Fools day production, made to trick people into believing it was real! Sadly the woman who was living with the TB's ended up getting kicked when she was trying to walk amongst them in the middle of the night whilst they were feeding! Doh, really -does this come as any suprise???? The bloke faired decidedly better and ended up being herd leader and it was amazing and totally spellbounding how he impressed his leadership qualities on the herd over the four days he was with them, till they believed he was intelligent and strong enough to lead them as herd leader. Intelligence (or lack of) put aside, it really was a very good programme and I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I was amazed that the woman got off as lightly as she did with the kick she was dealt with. I wonder what would have happened to the programme makers if she'd been kicked in the head and left maimed, or dead. Would he have been put up on a manslaughter charge. The programme ended with a knackerman who was walking around with his pistol in a box and gave a very reassuring speech about how quick the bullet worked, and the animal was dead before the brain could register pain. How on earth would they know that?? Do you think they could maybe test the theory on the producer!!? For one awful moment I thought they were going to shoot dead the exmoor ponies, so it was quite a relief that the normal dreadful standards of the BBC didn't prevail and we didn't witness yet more animals being killed for the 'pleasure' of the viewing public as in previous weeks viewing. What did you guys think of the programme?
 
I thought it was the most stupid load of rubbish that I have seen in ages.

It was only a matter of time before that horse kicked her, I am surprised it didnt do it sooner.

Yet another hour of my life wasted!!!
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there was a long thread on this last night, called "BBC Three Now" iirc. a lot of us had a lot to say about it!
I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and dangerous, and the woman, Sophie Massingale, who let the experiment happen with her TBs was seriously negligent imho. telling someone inexperienced to right walk up behind a horse eating from a bucket, in the dark, in silence? Give me a break. I wouldn't do that, and I know my horses, and they know me.
i think the reason she wasn't badly hurt was because she was very close to it, and i think its leg went past her, didn't actually connect fully with its hoof against her, it looked as if its hock or fetlock hit her rather than its hoof, but I could be wrong. she was very very lucky, could easily have broken her leg or worse.
stupid programme. and as for the knackerman stating that horses are one of the few animals that commit suicide... he was even more crazy than the rest of them!
 
I didnt see it, but it sounds very weird. At least it makes a change from those dreadful reality TV shows etc.

The thing about the shooting is actually true as it happens so quickly the brain is dead before any pain is registered when it is done properly. I dare say that experiments have been done to prove this and I would rather this than strangulation and beating any day.
 
it was pathetic.. that horse would have been belted if it had kicked me like that..

They put a scared person in a situation that was dangerous.. and proved to me exactly that....

Lou x
 
is it true horses are one of the only animals to commit suicide as ive neva heard of a horse stand and bang its head in against a wall like that knackerman said they did. The woman and the bloke then had to watch a mating at the tb group wen the woman put her tb stallion to a cobby mare was there any real point in them mating or just to show the tv wot they do that culd end up an unwanted foal.
 
Regarding the stallion - I think that was a stud & the field was full of mares. Was suprised they let him in there loose though as he could have got a serious kicking. Noticed the mare was covered in hand though later.

Really dangerous to put that girl in the crew with the TB's at night without a hat. I often put a hat on when I go out to the field to feed or if they're being a bit silly. What if she'd ben kicked in the head?!
 
I''m glad I'm not the only one who thought that it was totally bizarre! Why would the TB group think that the girl was a horse ?? They were very used to humans, did the producers seriously think she would suddenly be mistaken for a horse?? Yes, she got one of the horses to back off by using body language but to creep around them in the dark at feed time was absolutely mad, its no surprise at all that she got kicked. The owner of the horses seriously needs her head examining, as well as the programme producers!!!
 
I didn't know horses comit suicide. I always thought they had an incredible self preservation instict as do so many flight animals. However, I do know that horses in acute agony when they have colic will slam their heads against stable walls as they attempt to get rid of their pain, but I don't think they do this with any conception of 'attempting to kill themselves' i think they are just in so much pain that they don't really know what they are doing. I honestly thought the knackerman was going to destroy one of the horses so was quite relieved when he didn't. I think the girl was incredibly lucky, as I said in my earlier post, I wonder about the stupidy of TV production crews these days in that they will try and sensationalise things to such an extent in order to increase their viewing figures. I can just see youths with nothing better to do walking into fields of horses attempting to try these rather foolish tactics on a load of horses that they don't know and who don't know them with disasterous consequences. They mentioned about the horses ears indicating the horses indications but they did not mention about their eyes, or tails, or other body language in great detail. It a wonder both people taking part in the programme didn't end up with life threatening injuries to be honest with you.
 
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I didn't know horses comit suicide.

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That's because they don't, the knackerman was talking crap!
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Ridiculous programme, what was the point of any of it. Check out last night's thread, I think we came to the conclusion that it was dangerous and silly.

I agree with the poster who mentioned covering that gorgeous TB stallion to the (Clydesdale?) mare. As much as I like a TB X with a heavy horse, that mare (and I'm not being mean here) was not of the quality I'd expect to be bred from, so were they just doing it for show? I don't know. I did like the idea of letting them breed naturally in a herd, but then went and undid that as when they were covering they had hold of the mare?!?
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all very silly IMO.

Was knackerman suggesting that if a horse is unwell in the wild it will go and track down a rock and bash its head in, I think not, most likely something will catch it and eat it first like all other injured prey animals
 
Did anyone else catch the part when they were talking about the life expectancy of a horse. They stated that most horses end their lives being put down because of broken legs.

What?

I know it happens now and then but I seriously doubt that is how most horses die.
 
it was quite amusing really! i agree about the mating, I wondered why on earth that thoroughbred was being put to that mare! and why would the horses be stupid enough to regard them as a horse?! surely it is unsafe to regard humans as low in the hierachy as a horse would walk all over you and be dangerous, like that kick incident. it was so pointless! also the exmoors didnt strike me as 'wild'.. they also had hay conveniently placed by the guys tent for when he woke up!
 
I'm watching it on IPlayer now - stupidest programme ive ever seen in my life. It makes me want to chuck my laptop out of the window and scream at the top of my voice!

Live on horse feed for 4 days? Chase around a bunch of wild exmoor ponies? Allow a horse to gnaw on your wrist and then call him vicious, when hes just stood there looking confused?

Mental.
 
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