Morning Line on C4

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Hmmm......most everyone else on here seems to agree that it was safer for all concerned to give the horse a slap, why are you singling me out?

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Sorry, I'm not singling anyone out, was merely explaining what I assume is her reasoning.

I would have belted the fecker as well.
 
when i worked with racehorses i was nearly killed by a colt that reared up i agree with both sides im affraid horses do need punishiment but it depends on how and how much of a punishment it gets
what is the truth ??? if its a slap on the nose ok but if its a full punch as said is unacceptable
 
There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what actually happened is there a video anywhere?
a "punch in the face" is very different to a "bop on the nose".
Even Richard Maxwell bops his horses on the nose!!! How else is this poor handler going to control half a tonne of adrenaline pumped hormone pumped fully fittened racehorse in racing environment? He cant whack a carrot stick out and start using parelli on it in the middle of a racetrack and its not his job to - hes not the trainer! Poor lad has taken a lot of grief for something that he needed to do to ensure he himself didnt get injured
 
I saw it, both on the day and on the Morning Line. If the fat bloater that is McCririck hadn't used it to try and boost his flagging career, it would never have been shown. It really didn't warrant it.
The horse was behaving really badly, it had been chucking it's head about, head butted him and bitten him, and was starting to do that head tossing way where he was just going into that 'zone' from which they explode. The handler gave him a slap across the lower part of his face, the horse stopped pratting immediately, they got him sorted and loaded and off he went.
 
I think you should be very careful about the way you put your point across.

The way you have described the incident sounds like horse abuse, a man punching a frightened horse in the face. What actually happened is a badly behaving colt who was biting and headbutting got a slap on the nose, which I think was the 100% correct thing to do.
 
If my ponies bite they get a slap on the nose, non of them are head shy.

I think in this case it sounds like the handler was fully justified in slapping the horse, If it avoided a very nasty situation and brought that colt back down to this planet then it needed doing and probably should have been done in the past by the sounds of it.
 
The guys who handle the racehorses are amongst the bravest handlers in the business. they do an amazing job. a youngster is difficult enough to deal with at the best of times, but handling a TB that's pumped up ready to race is not for the faint hearted, I would not go near the back end of one that's playing up, those guys do it every day, Having worked with racehorses i know they can be really dangerous to cope with at times, they aren't fluffy pets, a clout on the nose to re-focus it is perfectly acceptable.
JM as far as i know (correct me if i'm wrong ) only tips on horses i don't think he has handled many race horses.
 
I never understand why people feel that it is not acceptable for horses to get physical reminders to mind their manners. In a herd of horses they will bite or kick each other if the 'lower orders' get above themselves, they understand this and work well within those limits imposed by older/higher status animals.
 
I saw this on the morning line and would definitely agree that it seemed to be a slap not a punch. The horse had aleady injured one person and was quite likely to hurt someone else, it needed a reminder. We have a 13 hh mare who can be an absolute idiot with vet/farrier etc. She seems to lose all common sense and is in danger of hurting us or herself. I have on more than one occasion given her a smack to remind her to behave. It usually does the job and brings her brain back into gear. She is in no way head shy and is a greatly loved pony who will stay with us till the end of her days, not a poor abused animal.
 
I have just read this on the Racing Post and I am so glad to hear that common sense has prevailed. Not only has the BHA decided not to take the matter further but I am also joyous to hear that the horse has now been gelded. Hallelujah. If this horse had not been allowed to run as a entire for so long in the first place as a three year old ( when it had virtually no future prospects as a stallion) then maybe, just maybe this fiasco may have been avoided in the first place.

Taken from the Racing Post online

"Stalls handler in the clear
over slapping


Graham Green


THE senior stalls handler who slapped the unruly Caprio across the nose at Brighton this month will not face disciplinary action from the BHA, it emerged on Thursday.

With Mark Wilson's employer, RaceTech, having already ruled out internal proceedings, this draws a line under the incident that was witnessed by At The Races viewers, and resulted in one of Caprio's part-owners lodging a complaint with the BHA.

The antics of Tom Dascombe's three-year-old had seen him injure his groom, Anna Weinsjo, while being saddled, and at the start he twice bit and headbutted Wilson before the 49-year-old took the corrective measure that subsequently earned him plenty of support among letter writers to the Racing Post. Caprio has since paid the price for his behaviour by being gelded.

After receiving a report from the racecourse stewards, conducting an investigation, and consulting RaceTech, which was content to remind Wilson of his responsibilities, the BHA has chosen not to pursue the matter any further.

The decision came as a relief to Wilson, who has 28 years' service and was hailed as a hero by Chris Wall after wading into a stream to rescue the trainer's Barlogan at Windsor in 1992.

Wilson said: “I'm relieved it's all over because it's obviously been a worry for me.

“I'm pleased a full investigation was carried out to ascertain all the facts.

“RaceTech takes these things very seriously, and as policy, we don't strike animals as such.”

Wilson added: “This is not the industry to be in if you do not either like, love or respect horses.”

BHA spokesman Paul Struthers said: “We are not saying that hitting a horse is acceptable, but there were wider circumstances that led to the event, and these wider circumstances were very much mitigating in favour of Mark Wilson, and by the end of it I think most sensible people would agree that he'd done quite a remarkable job of keeping the horse under control.

“Bear in mind the horse had already put somebody in hospital, had played up the whole time at the start, kicking out and trying to headbutt.

“He slapped it, we are not saying that's acceptable, but once he did that the horse behaved, so he has possibly prevented further damage being caused by the horse.”

Struthers added: “The only real available sanctions available to us would have been exclusion, or removing his accreditation as a stalls handler, and I don't think anyone would suggest either of those would be remotely proportionate to what he did.

“With circumstances like these, it is right that we investigate them thoroughly and properly so that we are in a position to explain that, while we are not saying it is acceptable to hit horses, there were massively mitigating circumstances in this instance and we see no reason to take any further action against Mark Wilson.”
 
"Caprio has since paid the price for his behaviour by being gelded.
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that'll give im a learning!!!!
 
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"Caprio has since paid the price for his behaviour by being gelded.
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that'll give im a learning!!!!

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That did make me laugh, glad it all worked out for the guy.
 
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when i worked with racehorses i was nearly killed by a colt that reared up i agree with both sides im affraid horses do need punishiment but it depends on how and how much of a punishment it gets
what is the truth ??? if its a slap on the nose ok but if its a full punch as said is unacceptable

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Mmm - I used to work with racehorses too and there are some colts for whom a full punch might not be enough to save your life!! I briefly looked after a 17hh, 3 yo colt who was by a stallion with a well-earned reputation for producing nutters! The owners declined suggestions to geld him!

Every time I walked into his stable he came at me on his hind legs, ears flat back, mouth open! (And with a huge what-you-call-it!) He meant to kill! We had a 6' tall 'lad' at the time who was a former bare-knuckle boxer from New Zealand. He took the horse over when I told the foreman that I'd had enough. The first time he opened the box door it came at him - same style - and he punched it with all his strength on the nose. It not only stopped in its tracks - it went down on the floor like the horse in 'Blazing Saddles'. He shook his head, got up, and BACKED into his stable - and that lad had NO trouble with him from then on. But only that lad and the foreman could handle him - he WAS downright evil! (And the ONLY horse I've met out of many thousands that I would brand with that tag.)

Fortunately, he lost a couple of races when he pinched himself - and the owners were finally persuaded to geld him. He still wasn't trustworthy - but somewhat safer.

The stalls handler acted correctly - whether he slapped him or punched him. A ratbag horse at the stalls is a recipe for a serious accident - with jockeys, handlers and other horses at risk. Some horses DO play up at the races - even if well-mannered at home. If this chap does much more of it, the stewards may stop him racing until he's been gelded.
 
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