Girl Hitting Grey Pony

I'm not that far from her so have seen it shared on many local facebook groups. The irony of most of the responses saying they'd like to do the same to her seems to be lost on the posters. While I hate what she's doing, she needs educating and an appropriate punishment, not a beating.

The RSPCA are investigating now apparently and are appealing for witnesses. Wouldn't think they'd need them given the video evidence.
 
I hate these campaigns against people on facebook. I always imagine what if you had made a mistake and all of a sudden you were the centre of so much hatred...

However, when I saw the video I realised why there was such outcry, Absolutely abhorrent behavior, hopefully there is some law that she can be punished under.
 
annagain said:
I'm not that far from her so have seen it shared on many local facebook groups. The irony of most of the responses saying they'd like to do the same to her seems to be lost on the posters. While I hate what she's doing, she needs educating and an appropriate punishment, not a beating.

The RSPCA are investigating now apparently and are appealing for witnesses. Wouldn't think they'd need them given the video evidence.
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Have you rung the RSPCA with her name? if not please do so they need to know who she is
 
Social media has exposed lots of this sort of abuse. I hate witch hunts and people taking the law into their own hands, but once you have seen something like this you can't un see it, and you can't help feeling that the abuser needs to get punished and stopped from repeating this behaviour. I just hope that the law gets to her before anyone less constrained.
 
I think one of the problems is that whilst it is socially acceptable (and accepted in competition etc) to hit horses it is very hard to draw a line.

Most people think the video is wrong but many people on here thinking hitting a horse with a stick if there is napping/grazing/reluctance to jump/etc.

Where does the line get drawn either morally or legally?

Why is hitting for grazing ok but bucking not? Do we say hitting 5 times is OK but 6 isn't? It doesn't really make much sense...
 
Interesting slant, Thursdaynext. I don't think that hitting horses for any reason is any more acceptable than hitting a dog or any other animal - and doubly not acceptable if used to "punish" rather than to reinforce. This vid clearly shows someone taking out their own frustration and anger on a pony who has no idea why he's being attacked, and is doing his best to escape. Way past any line of acceptable behaviour, on anyone's scale. I guess that's why we have judges and such like - to decide where the line is.
 
Downton Dame said:
Have you rung the RSPCA with her name? if not please do so they need to know who she is
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Sorry I should have made myself clear - she's not that far away from me but I don't know who she is. Apparently though, she was the one who posted it in the first place (to prove that giving a pony "a few smacks" doesn't make her animal abuser) so they know who she is. I think they're after the man who kicked the pony too, I don't know him either.
 
ThursdayNext said:
I think one of the problems is that whilst it is socially acceptable (and accepted in competition etc) to hit horses it is very hard to draw a line.

Most people think the video is wrong but many people on here thinking hitting a horse with a stick if there is napping/grazing/reluctance to jump/etc.

Where does the line get drawn either morally or legally?

Why is hitting for grazing ok but bucking not? Do we say hitting 5 times is OK but 6 isn't? It doesn't really make much sense...
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I think that while using a stick is generally accepted in the horsey world, continuously whacking it for a prelonged period of time when it is clearly distressed by this, and then someone putting the boot in, is unacceptable.

I think what people have a problem with is the fact that this girl just did not stop, and the pony will have no clue why it is being beaten. The pony was not set up for success at all in the whole video, it bucked her off as it was clearly uncomfortable, she then retaliated in anger which doesn't set any rules for the pony, the pony doesn't understand what it has done wrong and it is clearly very stressed.

I will give my boy a sharp tap with a schooling whip if he is being nappy/ignoring my leg. I don't do it out of anger, it's to remind him and say 'hey, listen to me!', it's not continuous and as soon as he moves off he gets praised. Also, my boy is not very sensitive to the whip at all, whereas the pony in the video clearly is, it's tied to a wall so will feel well and truly trapped to the beating.

I found it disturbing that people might think this is acceptable behaviour and how to 'train' a horse, yes sticks can be used but they need to be used as an aid not a punishment. What exactly was she trying to gain from this?

(rhetorical question!!)
 
Amye said:
I think that while using a stick is generally accepted in the horsey world, continuously whacking it for a prelonged period of time when it is clearly distressed by this, and then someone putting the boot in, is unacceptable.

I think what people have a problem with is the fact that this girl just did not stop, and the pony will have no clue why it is being beaten. The pony was not set up for success at all in the whole video, it bucked her off as it was clearly uncomfortable, she then retaliated in anger which doesn't set any rules for the pony, the pony doesn't understand what it has done wrong and it is clearly very stressed.

I will give my boy a sharp tap with a schooling whip if he is being nappy/ignoring my leg. I don't do it out of anger, it's to remind him and say 'hey, listen to me!', it's not continuous and as soon as he moves off he gets praised. Also, my boy is not very sensitive to the whip at all, whereas the pony in the video clearly is, it's tied to a wall so will feel well and truly trapped to the beating.

I found it disturbing that people might think this is acceptable behaviour and how to 'train' a horse, yes sticks can be used but they need to be used as an aid not a punishment. What exactly was she trying to gain from this?

(rhetorical question!!)
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Bad horsemanship isn't a crime... Lots of training methods are ineffectual/sometimes implemented ineffectually.

And being hit for not listening /is/ a punishment really. You might think it is an acceptable or effective one but it is still inflicting pain (or discomfort) after undesired behaviour.

I'm not condoning the girl but I think relying on common sense being common might be a bit optimistic...

Most people don't any longer thinking hitting adults with sticks is acceptable, many don't think training children that way is... Social change is possible but sometimes (as with the adoption of the seat belt laws) it can be hastened by those in authority setting boundaries.
 
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Haven't seen the video but have read the 'article' on here. Sounds like she was embarrassed and lashed out. I think embarrassment is accountable for a lot of the nasty stuff we see in the horse world.
 
Goldenstar said:
Like most things it's a question of common sense .
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and timing. She moves away from the pony in the video then returns for another few thrashes. Then the other person booted it and she steps back in again. You could possibly understand (though not condone) a brief well timed tap immediately when it bucked. Plenty of people use a stick to reprimand bad behaviour without that descending into violence. But it looks like she really lost her temper, and the pony couldn't possibly have connected his behaviour with hers after such a delay.
 
milliepops said:
and timing. She moves away from the pony in the video then returns for another few thrashes. Then the other person booted it and she steps back in again. You could possibly understand (though not condone) a brief well timed tap immediately when it bucked. Plenty of people use a stick to reprimand bad behaviour without that descending into violence. But it looks like she really lost her temper, and the pony couldn't possibly have connected his behaviour with hers after such a delay.
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This is what I was trying to say, you've put it much better :)
 
The pony was also clearly scared and she was deliberately distressing it - I do think that makes it considerably different to tapping a horse with a crop for behaving dangerously (or whatever) while mounted. It's the same as the difference between slapping a child's hand for going to touch a hot hob and beating a child who's crying. Comparing the two just seems inflammatory to me - it's clear to anyone with "common sense", as Goldenstar says, what the difference is.
 
SpringArising said:
Haven't seen the video but have read the 'article' on here. Sounds like she was embarrassed and lashed out. I think embarrassment is accountable for a lot of the nasty stuff we see in the horse world.
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lashed out over and over again making real angry grunting noises to get force behind each lashing she was giving him :(
 
It appeared on my Facebook numerous times and I just couldn't watch it. Why was the whole thing being filmed and why did she post it on Facebook? Makes me wonder what on earth the hideous girl gets up to when it's not being filmed! She thought this was just "a few smacks" and perfectly acceptable!
 
The pony was allegedly sold to the current owners as companion only due to back problems, so the girl shouldn't have been trying to sit on it anyway.

The girl doing the whipping, the man kicking, and the person filming have all been extensively named on Facebook and reported to WHW, BHS, and RSPCA; as has the yard in question. The abusers have now been kicked off that yard, but so has the person who made the video public - not great for the reputation of the place! I'm not far at all from the yard in question.

I'm avoiding naming people and places openly but my PMs inbox is always open.
 
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