Horse Hit by Rally Car

Proffesional drivers of every type (haulage, private hire, sports, ect) have a duty of care to other road users (this includes livestock & wildlife) however had he stopped there where the horse was hit, he would have directly placed himself, his co-driver & the following cars at great risk of impact, the crash happened on the brow of a hill in a remote area, it will have been marshalled, but sadly accedents like this happen.
i could almost garentee that on arrival at the check gate, his first question would be on the fate of the animal he hit (he may well not know what he hit at those speeds with the dust & sun ect.

wew as a nation seem very conserned by other countrys issues but less so on our own. our cars kill millions of wild animals a year, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs do they have less of a right than horses, because we havent chosen to domestcate & control them?

sorry for those that dissagree with my veiws but as we do live in a country with the right to free speech i shall air it.
 
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I personally don't think so. You may not value your job very highly, but I'm sure other people do and it's utterly unfair to compare a professional race driver to a plumber on his way to a job. Completely different.

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Sorry, PF, but why is this any different? Between a plumber and a racing driver I mean. Every job should be valued but being a racing driver isn't exactly a job - its just a money making sport in my opinion!

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Well, hang on a second. How one makes a living is neither here nor there. If someone makes a living from sport then it IS a job. Are you suggesting that William Foxe-Pitt, Tim Stockdale, Carl Hester, assorted polo players and jockeys don't have proper jobs? And the driver's job is getting from one place to another as fast as possible. The plumber's job isn't. That's how it's different. The hitting of a horse whilst driving has entirely different effect.

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The racing driver clearly shows little to no respect or regret to the animal he hit either in the article. Okay, so he didn't stop. Fine. It probably would of caused more danger but if I had hit a horse I would of felt awful..

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Well, what if he'd hit a rabbit or a sheep or a fox? Would you have been so shocked he didn't stop? I think feelings are running high because it was a horse.

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On a seperate note - some of the comments made by people below are so heartless. Like this for example:

"You people need to grow up, seriously. It's a horse for crying out loud."

Some people just couldn't give two hoots about animals. They think there flaming superior to everyone else. Thats what gets me.

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Well, I didn't say that, for a start. Secondly, it's not as if he hit a person. Like it or not a horse is NOT as important as a person and personally whilst I prefer horses to other animals, I don't see why the fact that it was horse should make the incident any different to if he'd hit a fox. What makes horses superior in the scheme of things apart from personal preference?
 
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I personally don't think so. You may not value your job very highly, but I'm sure other people do and it's utterly unfair to compare a professional race driver to a plumber on his way to a job. Completely different.

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Sorry, PF, but why is this any different? Between a plumber and a racing driver I mean. Every job should be valued but being a racing driver isn't exactly a job - its just a money making sport in my opinion!

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Well, hang on a second. How one makes a living is neither here nor there. If someone makes a living from sport then it IS a job. Are you suggesting that William Foxe-Pitt, Tim Stockdale, Carl Hester, assorted polo players and jockeys don't have proper jobs? And the driver's job is getting from one place to another as fast as possible. The plumber's job isn't. That's how it's different. The hitting of a horse whilst driving has entirely different effect.

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If the plumber's call out was an emergency, then yes, getting from A-B as quickly as possible would be on the plumber's agenda. I am also confused as to your stance on this. You say you have no interest in the sport and call the drivers "knobs", yet you are defending this callous moron to the hilt.

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The racing driver clearly shows little to no respect or regret to the animal he hit either in the article. Okay, so he didn't stop. Fine. It probably would of caused more danger but if I had hit a horse I would of felt awful..

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Well, what if he'd hit a rabbit or a sheep or a fox? Would you have been so shocked he didn't stop? I think feelings are running high because it was a horse.

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I for one would be just as upset if he had hit something else. It turns my stomach whenever I see road kill. I say a prayer for the poor thing and hope I never see another victim of the road. Animals do NOT need to die because of careless, speeding motorists, and certainly not because of a doggone race.

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On a seperate note - some of the comments made by people below are so heartless. Like this for example:

"You people need to grow up, seriously. It's a horse for crying out loud."

Some people just couldn't give two hoots about animals. They think there flaming superior to everyone else. Thats what gets me.

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Well, I didn't say that, for a start. Secondly, it's not as if he hit a person. Like it or not a horse is NOT as important as a person and personally whilst I prefer horses to other animals, I don't see why the fact that it was horse should make the incident any different to if he'd hit a fox. What makes horses superior in the scheme of things apart from personal preference?

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That statement is so typical of what is wrong with the world. ALL life should be be treated with the same level of respect and importance. We humans have wiped countless species from the face of the planet, and are rapidly doing the same with countless others - including ourselves. The reason is that far too many of us have the misguided belief we are the be all and end all of the world. Just because we are more intelligent does NOT mean we are in any way more important than a shark, an elephant or a possum. The thousands of cars that rip through the countryside (in the name of sport), do nothing, but destroy habitats, kill millions of innocent creatures going about their business, and pollute the environment. To compare that to the likes of show jumping and polo is bordering on the ridiculous. At least horses and ponies are a damned site more eco-friendly than cars. How many animals do the former kill whilst competing? And how much of the countryside is obliterated to make way for them? The world of motor sports has a huge debt to pay to the planet - one that is so colossal it may never be paid back.

People revere horses a lot more than other animals because they make amazing companions. The whinny that greets you every morning, the soft nuzzle at the back of your neck and the unparalleled joy that comes when you sail over a jump, or the adrenaline rush of a gallop. I will forever be indebted to the horses in my life. They have given me pleasure I never thought possible, and a reason to continue living. If it came to it, I would sacrifice myself for my horses or put my life on the line to help an animal in distress. For that driver not to stop and check if the creature he just hit with his car was still breathing, was without a doubt, the most depraved thing he could ever do.
 
Ok, whatever. I'm a bit fed up of people making sweeping statements about 'what's wrong with this world', how poorer nations should 'sort themselves out' and 'the debt motorsports owe the world', whilst clearly having no understanding of the bigger picture. There are FAR worse things out there. What about warmongers, rapists, paedophiles, terrorists and murderers? You clearly think I'm a heartless b!tch, I think you have a poor grip on reality.
I, personally, don't enjoy car racing, I don't watch it, I certainly don't support it. BUT I don't begrudge anyone making a living that way. And I ADORE horses, I owe them a huge amount, and I like horses more than a lot of people, but a horse's life is NOT as valuable as a human life. It just isn't.
We'd best agree to disagree.
 
This really is terrible and I'm afraid I couldn't bear to watch the video.

I'm an off road rally driver and love the sport very much as well as loving my horses. Here in the UK we can still sometimes race and come over the brow of a hill to see a cow grazing etc and to be honest it gets me very annoyed. Most of the Landowners who rent out the ground are sensible enough to move their stock to other fields and hills, but there are always the odd ones who think everything will be fine - that's just too big a risk for me! I know of someone who hit a cow on one of the Rally's. He had no idea that the land had not been cleared of stock. The cow was killed instantly and the car damaged badly. This put a huge damper on the day for some of us, but I have to agree that some of the drivers have that much competative blood in them that they won't stop for man nor beast.
I cannot comment for other Countries as I only race in France and the UK.
I also agree that the comment about loosing thirty seconds was terrible.
All I can hope is that the horse was put out of it's misery quickly.
 
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That is truely awful. I can't believe the article then goes on to focus on the fact that the driver only lost 30secs in time.... What a sad world it is sometimes
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How awful, i cannot believe they mentioned the 30 seconds lost either, disgusting
 
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They were most likely NOT wild horses. I see horses wandering loose on remote roads all the time. It would be more pertinent to ask why they weren't securely penned/stabled/otherwise enclosed when the rally was taking place.

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I have just read the H&H news article on the subject (see the below link), and it confirmed that they WERE wild horses. It also says they often pose as a danger to rally drivers (though, not stressing the danger to the horses themselves). If the organizers know this, then why the hell have they not done something?? Perhaps a system that warns drivers of horses on or near the course. Or, as I have said before, employ people or volunteers to corral the horses before the race takes place. I refuse to believe that absolutely nothing can be done to make the rally safer for both equines and humans.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/287960.html
 
Confirmed? How confirmed? They're just repeating what every article says, including the Daily Mail. They ASSUME, with every other publication, that the horses must be wild because in England tame horses don't roam the roads at will. To me that horse looks hogged, and wild horses are not hogged. AND the title on the video on the HHO link happens to state the horse lived (I accept this is probably inaccurate, but it DOES illustrate how you can't absolutely rely on any ONE account/article) AND the driver says he tried to stop. But perhaps I don't speak Spanish and I'm making it all up...
Frankly I'm bored of this discussion because there IS no discussion. You are utterly unwilling to accept ANYone else's perspective and I happen to think that my perspective is quite valuable since I actually live here. Can we just drop it now? I find it incredibly tiresome to try to have a discussion with someone who insists "I refuse to believe..."
 
This is comparable to hitting a deer on the road in Scotland. No one wants to do it, but many of us have, or had very near misses. For a driver, hitting any large animal is potentially fatal, so to suggest he didn't try to avoid it is ludicrous.
It's just an accident.

S
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Confirmed? How confirmed? They're just repeating what every article says, including the Daily Mail. They ASSUME, with every other publication, that the horses must be wild because in England tame horses don't roam the roads at will. To me that horse looks hogged, and wild horses are not hogged. AND the title on the video on the HHO link happens to state the horse lived (I accept this is probably inaccurate, but it DOES illustrate how you can't absolutely rely on any ONE account/article) AND the driver says he tried to stop. But perhaps I don't speak Spanish and I'm making it all up...
Frankly I'm bored of this discussion because there IS no discussion. You are utterly unwilling to accept ANYone else's perspective and I happen to think that my perspective is quite valuable since I actually live here. Can we just drop it now? I find it incredibly tiresome to try to have a discussion with someone who insists "I refuse to believe..."

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And I am growing very tired of someone who continues to express contradictory statements. Or who cannot see the bigger picture. You can go on all you like, but humans destroying the countryside with roads and pollution has a HUGE impact on the well being of the planet. Between exhaust emissions, trees being felled, habitats lost, and the mounds of litter that comes with mass gatherings. It is predicted that in around 100-years, the oceans will be so stagnant, they will be unable to absorb any carbon. And in as little as 20-years, there will be a MAJOR food crisis. Like it or not, your precious rally DOES play its part in the destruction of planet Earth. We humans need to stop thinking of ourselves as the superior species, and address things like our obsession with fast cars, air travel, maritime, and concrete jungles. Do we really need contests to see who can clock the quickest time between point Y and point Z? Are things like multiple car ownerships absolutely essential? Or do people need to keep having large families? Should we consider having an almost meat-free diet? Until the seriousness of those questions is realized, the planet will continue on a downward spiral.

There are also plenty of people who refuse to believe that NOTHING could have been done to prevent the untimely death of that horse. Have you read all the comments on the likes of YouTube and the Daily Mail site? My opinion is NOT alone! It will happen again, again and again. The ONLY time some kind of action will be taken is when a driver gets hurt or killed. The fact that a horse died needlessly means nothing. I just hope the death of that unfortunate horse didn't hamper the fun of the race goers too much (if at all).

The reason almost every single media source claims the horses were wild might just be because they were exactly that. They can't all be wrong.

And for your information, there have been reports of loose non-wild horses all over Britain - not just in England.
 
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There are also plenty of people who refuse to believe that NOTHING could have been done to prevent the untimely death of that horse. Have you read all the comments on the likes of YouTube and the Daily Mail site? My opinion is NOT alone! It will happen again, again and again. The ONLY time some kind of action will be taken is when a driver gets hurt or killed. The fact that a horse died needlessly means nothing. I just hope the death of that unfortunate horse didn't hamper the fun of the race goers too much (if at all).

The reason almost every single media source claims the horses were wild might just be because they were exactly that. They can't all be wrong.

And for your information, there have been reports of loose non-wild horses all over Britain - not just in England.

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Are you really telling us that because some Daily Mail readers/Youtube viewers happen to agree with you, you must be right? Class argument.
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Regarding the amazing similarity of the media reports - is it at all possible that they are using one (possibly flawed) source? So, yes, they can all be wrong - quantity does not equate to quality.

And you are so right about loose non-wild horses all over the UK - only this morning I released my non-wild horse from her field so she could graze the trackways.

Death happens, deal with it.
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All well and good moaning about rally cars - but you'd be better off stopping one international government conference

Rally cars may be polluting, but one volcano explosion and world temperature can drop by 5oC, although everyone seems to forget in the inconvenient fact that we cannot control the earth just yet

Also I think you should start campaigning against football - that kills millions of worms every year to keep their pitches nice and flat. Of course a worm isn't furry like a horse and when they are killed in the of sport its not on youtube.

I think this particular issue is blown out of proportion, yes its horrible, but there were marshalls and the horse was put down. What about the gits in the new forest who hit ponies drive off, tell no one and let them die a slow lingering death. Of course that doesn't sell newspapers and people only get emotionally involved when they see a video.
 
Sadly every day everywhere in the world horses, cows, sheep, rabbits, deer, badgers, dogs cats (etc etc) are killed by our cars. It's a said fact of life and I am sure more are killed by dialy car drivers than in the world of car rallying.

I like watching rallying (well on TV, never been to a rally in real life!) as I also enjoy watching horse racing and numerous horses die racing (and in all our equestrian sport) every year. If we were shown pics of every incident where an animal was killed in an accident I think we'd all be horrified but it's just how things happen.

Ok, maybe the horses could have been fenced/coarraled somewhere but argentina is a HUGE place. Britain is not yet how many horses are killed by traffic after they have escaped from their fenced fields?!

I don't think you can blame the rally driver for the accident or indeed for polluting the planet!!!?! In fact our greed for meat has more of an impact on the demise of the planet than our use of cars. The gases produced by animals contribute greatly to the damage we are doing to our atmosphere as does the destroying of forests to make room for grazing for our animals amongst other things.

I agree this has been blown our of proportion. This was an accident. If you want to stop harm coming to animals how about lobbying practices that intentionally cause suffering - skinning live dogs in China for example as a start off, bullfighting in Spain, vivisection, farming mink - the list could go on and on really.
 
It's not US destroying the countryside! I suggest you look more closely at the UK and other 'advanced' nations. There are just over 40m people in Argentina, only a TINY minority own cars (I, for instance, do not) The area of Argentina is close to 3million square kilometres, that's 12 times the size of the UK and it's not all prettily fenced. People STARVE here, people DIE because they haven't got the bus fare to get to the Dr and as it happens, meat is cheaper here than any other kind of food. If the rally will help some of them, I welcome it. I suggest you back off right now and stop talking about stuff you have absolutely NO understanding about. You whine about a horse getting hit by a car "say a prayer" for roadkill (your words) and you sit in your comfortable home, with heating and never worry about food, essentially preaching how ONE bl**dy rally is the work of Satan, the driver is a total sh!t and clearly don't give a rat's butt about the people the race really DOES help and FEEDS. Frankly I'm horrified that you hold the of one horse more highly than that of thousands of needy people.
You have no idea how little I care about comments on YouTube and the Daily Mail.

"The reason almost every single media source claims the horses were wild might just be because they were exactly that. They can't all be wrong."
And it just removed its own mane just by itself. Fine, you're right, I'm wrong, the Daily Mail must be correct.

"And for your information, there have been reports of loose non-wild horses all over Britain - not just in England. "
Oooh, that's me shut up. It's not all over the papers when someone hits one in the UK though, is it?
 
PF, dont get so wound up about the witterings of the wuffy buns
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. You know that sooner or later they 'dry up and blow away'.One horse accidently killed by some bloke doing what he's paid to do, isnt going to change the price of potatoes. Im very sorry and sad for the x neddy but the blame has to be given to the x owner of said x neddy. Rallies dont just turn up out of the blue folks!!!
Notice to 'Overtoyou'...PF has been on this forum for many years and this is the FIRST TIME I have heard her reply in anger. She is intelligent, educated, witty and highly gifter as an artist. She adores her horses and would walk barefoot on coals for them if needed. She far outshines the normal HO so back off and take an anti fuzz pill, please
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Mairi.
 
Case rested me thinks when you see this latest H&H new thread

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/288434.html

Certainly don't think anyone could really be blamed for the rally accident.

Oh and PF I hope you didn't think I was having a pop in your direction re meat etc as that reference was with regards to us greedy 'wealthy nations' and was merely in response to the post about us ruining our planet with our use of cars for recreation or otherwise!
 
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Oh and PF I hope you didn't think I was having a pop in your direction re meat etc as that reference was with regards to us greedy 'wealthy nations' and was merely in response to the post about us ruining our planet with our use of cars for recreation or otherwise!

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Not at all. I understand your sentiment entirely but as I'm sure you gathered from my 'cross' post, not all countries are equal and priorities vary. I also agree with your earlier post that this incident has been blown entirely out of proportion and that it is far more worthwhile to campaign and protest against cases of deliberate cruelty against animals.
 
Frankly, I do not care if someone has been a member of this forum for x-number of years. The fact remains that a horse has lost his or her life because of a stupid bloody race. I know horses die all the time in horse racing which is why I absolutely detest that 'sport' as well. And for the record, it was a reckless, speeding, ex-racing driver that robbed me of my Aunt. I have more than enough reason to dislike car racing. As for me being a "wuffy bun". Lets see what automatically qualifies you as one here.

1. If you actually give a crap about species' other than your own.

2. If you happen to believe animals shouldn't die in the name of sport.

3a. If you happen to think human activities might actually be the downfall of the planet.

3b. If you actually give a stuff about the future of the planet.

4. If you think the only, decent and moral thing to do after hitting an animal with your car is to stop and check on its well being.

5. If you think it speaks volumes for a race's organizers not to do anything to prevent more animals losing their lives.

6. If you happen to think there are more ways a country can help itself besides contaminating the atmosphere with extremely harmful pollutants.

7. If you happen to believe there are more ways to make a living besides tearing-up the countryside, killing innocent creatures and releasing toxins into the environment.

This is one wuffy bun who will not "dry up and blow away".
 
My uncle died in a motorcycle accident. He was run over by a lorry. Doesn't automatically make me hate lorry drivers or motorbikes. It was an ACCIDENT.

1. Perhaps you take more of an interest in HUMAN welfare. NOW, not what might or might not happen in 200 years. The planet has been heating up and cooling down for millenia. If YOUR family were starving you might think more kindly of an event that brings money and food.
2. More animals die as a result of traffic accidents than die in any sport. Do you drive?
3. I believe that the UK and USA and other advanced nations are trashing the planet at a far greater rate than any poor sods in Argentina. You go ahead and lobby for the banning of motorsports and aviation over there. Good luck
4. When there are officials who can handle (and DID handle) the situation present, I don't think NOT stopping makes you an immoral indecent bastard. I hit a pigeon once. It was dead. I didn't stop, OR offer a prayer. If it had been an ambulance racing to hospital with a dying person would you have expected him to stop? Don't say it's not the same. A plumber on the job is not the same and yet you bring it up as an example.
5. *sigh* Here we go again. I suggest you write a strongly worded letter to the organizers of the rally telling them exactly how you think they should've and could've prevented the accident along all 1,400km or so of track.
I'm adamant that despite your faith in the Daily Mail, that horse was not wild. For a start, it is clearly hogged. Secondly NO news source in Argentina states the horse was wild and a wild horse in an area as huge and uninhabited as most of rural Argentina, would not have gone NEAR a road with vehicles as noisy as rally cars. This is not the New Forest.
6. Tell me how and I'll contact the authorities so your plan can be implemented immediately and no more people need to die of starvation or other effects of extreme poverty. I think you're a hypocrite. If YOU or your family, or your pets were going hungry, and the rally provided you with food and money, I bet my life you would welcome it with open arms. It's so easy to preach when you've got a home, food and healthcare, isn't it?
7. There are. Course, so as not be entirely hypocritical, and in the spirit of saving the planet we'd have to get rid of planes, trains, cows because they fart methane, prevent all natural disasters such as hurricanes and volcanos (piece of cake, right?) industry in general, everyone should cycle or walk or ride to work, etc, etc, etc. Do you have a car, BTW? Do you transport your horse(s) in a lorry?
Oh, and where have I been contradictory in my statements? Is it because I support the rally even though it's existence has inconvenienced me personally and one idiot of a driver on a public road nearly ran me down?
I thought you were tired of arguing with me?
 
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There are also plenty of people who refuse to believe that NOTHING could have been done to prevent the untimely death of that horse. Have you read all the comments on the likes of YouTube and the Daily Mail site? My opinion is NOT alone!

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Are you really telling us that because some Daily Mail readers/Youtube viewers happen to agree with you, you must be right? Class argument.
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Well, as it happens, quite a lot of Daily Mail readers feel the accident was unavoidable and some say that under the conditions (another car following) continuing was the safest thing the driver could do. AND (if you can bear reading the DM, you should see the 'ratings' each comment gets. Guess which ones get the positive comments...
DM readers might actually go up in my estimation now...
Oh, the comments I find are totally class are the ones that suggest electric tape could've been put up... Jeeeeeez. Where does one GET a thousand or so kms of leccy tape?
 
PF, might I point out that it's not just cows that fart methane. PF, you, and the Little Cigar all do as well. May I suggest that you purchase corks?

As for the ranting wuffy bun, for you may I suggest a cork both ends?

*trots off sniggering about 1000kms of leccy tape*
 
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PF, might I point out that it's not just cows that fart methane. PF, you, and the Little Cigar all do as well. May I suggest that you purchase corks?

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Thank you for clarifying
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I thought cow farts were more noxious or perhaps greater in volume (?) than other farts. Not that I'm admitting at ALL to farting
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I cannot believe some of the replys on here, some people need to get real, yes a horse was killed, however in an unfortunate accident, nothing anyone could do it happened.

And why is it any different because it was a wild horse, wild animals are killed by cars daily, why is that less tragic. In australia at rally stages kangaroo are regularly killed why are they different?

To say the rally driver is cold and callous is ridiculous, he is a proffesional, there are marshalls everywhere around the course, and also spectators hence we have video of someone watching the event.

Those fluffy people demanding action would be better spent saving their efforts on horse cruelty that can be prevented such as whw, than on one very unfortunate accident!
 
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