Cannot believe what I just saw on BBC1

[henryhorn]

Oh for goodness sake don't be so silly!
Yes he used his baton but remember it was wearing a rug for starters which would mean it would lessen feeling, and as the adreniline would be running high I bet it barely felt it.
Police horses are like any other, scared of fireworks, but they do have to remember their training and go forwards and all this rider was doing was making sure the horse went forwards not ran away. A bolt through a crowded street would have been a lot more dangerous than a couple of smacks.
Your moaning should be directed at the utter morons who thought it acceptable to throw fireworks at what were innocent parties in the protest, the horses didn't exactly choose to be there did they?
Have you sent a letter of protest to the Student Union?

 

[Ravenwood]

But in fairness I bet that horse has had harder kicks in the ribs from its mates in the field.In terms of natural horsemanship, that is how a horse disciplines another horse(and why riders so often get kicked in the leg).

A police horse in active service doesn't get turned out unlike army horses who get time out.

If that horse had been hit three times by a "solid metal truncheon" then My God - it must have the skin of a rhino!! It didn't flinch once!

What an absolutely ghastly bunch of pondlife those students were I dread to think the state of this country when that lot get their degrees and start to manage in this country!

 

[MochaDun]

Were any of you actually caught up in that today in Bristol? I was. Didn't see that being done to the police horse but there were 2,000 people on the move, the police had to try and contain them as the danger to other people and roadusers and pedestrians was I suspect increasing as the protestors attempted to move and head into other areas away from the university buildings which were crowded with jams and cars already. While this was from all accounts quite a civilised protest it felt like a tinderbox to me and you could feel the tension. It just takes one idiotic thing like those firecrackers being set off to kick off panic amongst people. If that horse had bolted and gone into cars or pedestrians or the students themselves it would have been a hideous accident. When my horse used to nap badly on occasion on the road when I first got him I had to turn my crop over for one swift one so that he would go forward as we were at risk of sitting down on a car. Sometmes in the heat of the moment needs must.

 

[Natch]

Hmm, having looked at that twice I don't think he is "beating" the horse. Its hard to describe but those sticks they carry (don't know the correct name) are a bit like a magic wand, in sections and they have to be snapped to become one rigid baton, it looks to me as if he was just fixing the baton before he approached the crowd.

If that horse had been hit three times by a "solid metal truncheon" then My God - it must have the skin of a rhino!! It didn't flinch once!

All blown out of proportion I think. I too thought it looked as if he/she waved the baton, for what purpose I'm not sure, but it didn't look to me as if it made contact with the horse. The horse didn't flinch. Although I do agree you'd need a better angle to be sure.

I far more disgusted at the total pr*ck that let the firework off in the first place.

Precisely.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Why don't people think and take the time to get their facts right, before firing off e-mails (and posts on HHO) left, right and centre?

 

[Spudlet]

Why don't people think and take the time to get their facts right, before firing off e-mails (and posts on HHO) left, right and centre?

Where's the fun in that?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Never let the facts get in the way of some 'worthy' hysteria!!!

 

[NeedNewHorse]

I watched it. It's very obvious the rider whacked the horse with the baton, anyone who says so otherwise is silly imo. It's very obvious!

However, we have all been out and about riding a horse who backs off something and in that instant we need to get them thinking forwards again, the rider rode strong to get their horse thinking forwards. Yes he did whack him against the rug, personally I think a smaller thinner whip against naked skin would be more painful if we are going down that route.

I am probably the biggest 'fluffy' person on here, using your own standards on this and I do not think the rider did anything wrong but just acted and got the horse thinking forwards. My own horse reacts in the exact same way we saw here, possibly even worse coming across a dog or something else she doesn't take a liking too like a bag or leaf flying around! I don't ride out with a whip, but my reins go flying over her neck in that instant...The horse hardly bolted, wasn't terrified just backed off, we have all experienced this ourselves and in this situation it's not a time to take a moment. Rider and horse was in the middle of a huge situation, the horse needed his rider to take control and push on. Horse did then go on.

 

[Natch]

the same kind of ****wit that would throw a fire extinguisher off a roof

Exactly. ming you, Cleggy, the man who promised no tuition fee rises didn't help matters by pleaing for students not to protest. Flame to touch paper.

*edited to say mind you, not ming you

 

[Natch]

I watched it. It's very obvious the rider whacked the horse with the baton, anyone who says so otherwise is silly imo. It's very obvious!

*headdesk*

Which hat will you eat if the police come out with a video taken from a different angle and you are proven wrong?!

 

[NeedNewHorse]

*headdesk*

Which hat will you eat if the police come out with a video taken from a different angle and you are proven wrong?!

Ohhh... Not sure!! Though I will certainly apologise if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure I am not!!

 

[martlin]

*headdesk*

Which hat will you eat if the police come out with a video taken from a different angle and you are proven wrong?!

I could donate a woolly hat for that purpose

 

[lucyc]

if you look when the horse turns around and faces the camera the police man is seen to wave the batton around again and you can see he misses the horse and so i think its hard to tell if he does actually hit the horse or not...

 

[Patches]

I think its a wpc if you look closely before the horse whips round when she is putting her visor down, I cant decide if she hit the horse or not. In one way it looks like its getting three smacks but there is little reaction from the horse so Im not sure. The horse near the camera was so good though, was clearly very frightend but didnt whip round and bolt.

The horse nearest the camera IS the horse who was allegedly hit in the video, NOT the horse that whipped around and bolted in the middle of the frame.

I don't know what else the officer could do. I very much doubt they carry whips as well as truncheon/batons. I am pretty sure if I was in his shoes I'd have gotten the truncheon out as well to use as an "emergency stick".

I do think it looked worse than it was and obviously the horse wasn't hit with the full force of the baton, if hit at all. The noise of it making any contact with the sheet would've been enough to send it forwards, or at least to think twice about backing off. I suspect there was a sharp, swift whip through the air but a light contact was all that would have been made with the horse. As the others have said, the horse would've reacted much more had it received a good thwack from a truncheon.

I thought all of them reacted relatively well in that situation though. I don't think there are many horses out there, whatever their "bombproofing" that wouldn't have reacted in a similar manner to fireworks going off at them.

Utterly mindless hooligans.

 

[JDChaser]

I've replied on the other thread - what a load of fuss about nothing! If your horse spun and bolted, what would you do in order to get it going forward again? And it was wearing a rug. Come on, get over it.

 

[Seahorse]

Having watched it another three times I can't work out if it's being hit or not. I think he/she wallops it twice altogether, but I find it really hard to tell.

If it is being wacked what I find bad about it is that its actually standing still and being well behaved when it gets hit.

I once rode with a woman who's horse would spin and p*** off with her, so she would stop him and then lay into him with her stick. Surely the horse would think it's being hit for standing still?

 

[milesjess]

Having watched it another three times I can't work out if it's being hit or not. I think he/she wallops it twice altogether, but I find it really hard to tell.

If it is being wacked what I find bad about it is that its actually standing still and being well behaved when it gets hit.

I once rode with a woman who's horse would spin and p*** off with her, so she would stop him and then lay into him with her stick. Surely the horse would think it's being hit for standing still?

The horse wouldn't be getting whacked if it was being well behaved though, alright it was spooked but the officer had to react and I genuinely think she/ he reacted well in the situation to keep the horse under control and prevent it from bolting into a crowd of protesters or police officers.

 

[Seahorse]

The horse wouldn't be getting whacked if it was being well behaved though, alright it was spooked but the officer had to react and I genuinely think she/ he reacted well in the situation to keep the horse under control and prevent it from bolting into a crowd of protesters or police officers.

I'm still not entirely convinced it did get hit tbh, I can't tell. But in order for it to go forward again it clearly needed a bit of encouragement! Good horse though for getting on with the job after having a firework go off next to it.

 

[SpruceRI]

So the horse baulks backwards, squashing 10 policemen/woman, sits on the police van and breaks its leg.

Or the rider gives it a couple of whacks to send it forward, where is should be.

Which would you say is the better outcome?

 

[milesjess]

I'm still not entirely convinced it did get hit tbh, I can't tell. But in order for it to go forward again it clearly needed a bit of encouragement! Good horse though for getting on with the job after having a firework go off next to it.

Yeah it is hard to tell by the camera angle but the riders reaction seemed to do the trick. Well handled in a challenging situation, personally I think the rider/ horse need praising and a pay rise! (extra apples for the horse )

 

[Seahorse]

Yeah it is hard to tell by the camera angle but the riders reaction seemed to do the trick. Well handled in a challenging situation, personally I think the rider/ horse need praising and a pay rise! (extra apples for the horse )

What an awful situation to be in, I know they are probably very well trained and used to it but even so it must have been pretty scary (for horse and rider)

 

[Sol]

So the horse baulks backwards, squashing 10 policemen/woman, sits on the police van and breaks its leg.

Or the rider gives it a couple of whacks to send it forward, where is should be.

Which would you say is the better outcome?

This!!

Sorry, but on occasions where I have been sat on a horse that has done something equally dangerous, I will admit that I have probably done worse. However, it never did any lasting damage to the horse, whereas broken leg for said horse would probably be fairly lasting, do we not agree?!

I'm sure there are far worse videos on youtube....

 

[Pipkin]

Oh yay the fluffy bunny brigade are out to play again!

Mounted police are trained for these situations! They know how to work the horse and get it to its job which this horse is clearly not doing!! you cant even tell from the video clip if there is any contact with the horse and I`d like to see what the bunnies would do in this situation! Do you honestly think its safer to let the horse run backwards and injure others and itself?

I know for certain if any of my horses spun and wouldnt go forward I wouldnt be setting there soothing and saying "coo coo come on baby be a good iccle ponio", they`d get a smack and urged to go forward!

Some people need to grow a pair of balls and live in the real world!

 

[Maesfen]

I hope whoever has reported the officer hasn't caused them to have a blot on their career record, that would be totally unfair and over the top; I hope they have the character to apologise to them if so.
The training those horses go through (are they still at Imber Court?) is phenominal; nothing short of a bomb beside them would upset them; they are trained to have things thrown at them and all sorts, it's very intensive and thorough so any horse stepping out of line in a fraccas will become suspect, not what anyone wants.

 

[skint1]

My problem is not with the officer, I don't think he used unneccessary force and the horse HAD to go forward. My problem is with the protestors, how dare they throw fireworks at horses who are only doing their jobs?!

It was completely unneccessary and detracted (in my eyes) from their cause for which I have some sympathy though now part f me can't help but think that when all those uni students are working for the capitalist establishment with their big fat salaries in years to come I hope they look back in shame at their behaviour toward those horses.

Having been around a certain type of student activist when I was union activist in days of yore I can imagine the trouble makers think they're some hard nut anarchists but I bet if there really were a state of anarchy in this country they'd be the first ones crying to mummy when their Blackberry got lifted because property is theft. Bah!

ps otherwise I am extremely sympathetic to their cause

 

[TallyHo123]

Not sure I want to watch the video so obviously can't give an opinion. Imo no horse needs to be smacked to be 'diciplined' when they spook etc. I am in no way a fluffy bunny' at all. But they don't. If a horse kicks, bites agressivley then yes. But spooking is a natural reaction and I can't stand it when people tell them off for it.

 

[cobgirlie]

My big lad is a bolter and a napper, sometimes he will spin at a rabbit in a bush or because some person dares to walk along a public road. He absolutely would get a belt for that and would be forced forwards rather than me allow him to run up the road, so am I wrong for doing that? 16.3hh of shire x coming flat out on a public road isn't something I want to sit on and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to meet it either.

I think the rider did a very good job of controlling a horse that was quiet right to be concerned but was wrong to back off. This is what they are trained for and the rider needs to trust his horses 100% otherwise both their lives are at risk.

 

[nativetyponies]

Not sure I want to watch the video so obviously can't give an opinion. Imo no horse needs to be smacked to be 'diciplined' when they spook etc. I am in no way a fluffy bunny' at all. But they don't. If a horse kicks, bites agressivley then yes. But spooking is a natural reaction and I can't stand it when people tell them off for it.

well, if you watch the video, you could give an opinion then

 

[tinkandlily]

well, if you watch the video, you could give an opinion then

Agree, it's not THAT bad, are you sure your not a fluffy bunny?

 

[Kenzo]

The horse was hit, not something that's nice to see but these horses are trained to do a job, they MUST do it well and be brave, sometimes a horse has to take disapline from it's master in order for it to learn from situations for both the horse and riders safety.

There were offices standing behind, having a large animal like this runing or spining backwards into the other officers on foot would of been very dangerous and caused further problems.

At the time the police officer no doubt did what he felt was the most sensible thing to do at the time....whether it had a rug on or not shouldn't even come into to it.