The sacked horse hitting ex teacher is going to court

[smolmaus]

And equally, might it embolden the rest of us to actually do something if we witness this behaviour if we have a stronger sense that a complaint will be taken seriously?

We can watch this playing out with "Grocery Store Karen" videos or the like. Some people will spew racist bile when they think they are safe, some will choose not to if they know they are being filmed, some are so secure in their untouchability that they will continue to be disgusting even then they know they are on camera. Some will face consequences and some won't.

Even if complaints aren't taken seriously by authorities, you can still find there are social consequences with job loss, friends cutting ties etc. MASSIVE caveat here before someone starts trying to paint me as a vigilante who wants people to kill themselves, harassment on social media is still a crime and should ALSO be taken more seriously. These things don't have to go viral worldwide to have some sort of positive effect on accountability.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I do remember this, and also that they charged the court livery for the dead horses, until challenged, whereupon they said it was an 'admin error.' Disgraceful.

From my perspective, I have always been in public eye jobs, and I once went to try a horse that was reputed to be very naughty. The dealer insisted I carry a blue pipe, as that was the only way to get him to stop rearing. I refused, and told the dealer that, if I were to be caught using blue piping, I would lose my job. (I would not have used it anyway, but didn't want the dealer to think I was too fluffy to buy the horse!). I did carry a schooling whip, had no cause to use it.

My point is that, when in the public eye, you do know that your behaviour outside of work could affect your employment.

I think she would have done better to resign, with dignity, if she did in fact be sacked. For example, I now work in a school, but once was involved with something that went to court, as a witness not as an accused, but it was an upsetting case involving a colleague. We, as an organisation, as well as the individual, were found to have done nothing wrong. But, when trial by social media reared its ugly head again, years later, I offered to resign so as the school would not be linked, and my school is not a private one! It just seemed the decent thing to do. As it happened, it didn't come to that, we had done nothing wrong, it didn't go further, and I didn't have to resign. I imagine, she would have been as well simply resigning, especially as this school is a private one, with customers to attract.

I agree with you and have always said that teachers should be aware that their behaviour out of school can indeed impact on their reputation in their working lives (long before social media was even thought of).
However to put the record straight; the employer in this instance was not a private school but rather a multi Academy Trust (not the LA). The confusion arose because initially SM incorrectly identifed another teacher who does work for a private school. We do not know the circumstances of her leaving her employment, only that she left, according to the statement put out by the employer.

 

[skinnydipper]

Your memory is incorrect and I suggest you watch the video again to stop you blowing it up into more than it was. One kick to the chest followed by 4 slaps to the muzzle. No significant escalation. Following which an undamaged pony followed her willingly and quietly into the lorry.

So, I have just watched it again.

She kicked it once, slapped it twice and punched it twice. It didn't need to escalate to be bad - it was bad.

It may not have been physically damaged but I wouldn't imagine it did the pony's well being much good. Or trust in humans.

 

[Birker2020]

Your memory is incorrect and I suggest you watch the video again to stop you blowing it up into more than it was. One kick to the chest followed by 4 slaps to the muzzle. No significant escalation. Following which an undamaged pony followed her willingly and quietly into the lorry.

So what if someone who had done this to a horse lost her rag and gave a child a kick to the chest followed by 4 slaps around the face. Would this be okay in your eyes? This is what this is all about. Trying to prove that someone in this type of situation who works with children doesn't pose a risk to a child.

I know I couldn't work with children as I don't have the patience. That's not to say I would start laying into them but I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable in that situation being surrounded by children playing up and testing my patience and the boundaries that had been put in place. That's why I'm not a teacher. And I'm not suggesting for one minute this was the case in this womans case as I don't know, none of us know. But who would be prepared to take the risk?

I know how nasty children can be in a school situation, we had one teacher many years ago in secondary school who was a recovering alcholic. I have no idea how the kids in the class knew that, I think it was someones Mum was friendly with her Mum or something and word had got out. One day she came into the lesson carrying a load of Geography books in a box with Smirnoff Vodka written all over the box. The trouble makers in the class created merry hell with her during the lesson and goaded and provoked her teasing her about the Smirnoff Vodka and that she was an 'alchy'. She ran off in tears. I've never forgotten it - it was horrible. She could have reacted and started on the children, she didn't she ran which was the best thing to do.

No one knows how they would react in that situation.

 

[BeansNsausages]

I have never talked as if I have inside information, show me the paragraph where I said I was party to inside information then and prove it! I've never alluded or suggested that I had inside information - this is total rubbish! I just now how the process works. If you don't then its because you've obviously never been party to a position of trust meeting.

I have just spoken about the possible process that people go through when an allegation has been made and they are in a position of trust. And I wasn't relying on just one newspaper - its been confirmed all across the internet and a statement released and read by Paul Maddox, chief operating officer of the Mowbray Education Trust,

And yes it did say she was terminated by Mowbray Education Trust.
https://news.sky.com/story/leiceste...eo-of-horse-being-punched-and-kicked-12525580

"After a public outcry following the release of the video, she was suspended and then sacked by Mowbray Education Trust"

This link said that the trust suspended her:
In a statement issued on December 20, the trust - which represents seven schools in the Melton area - said Moulds had now been removed from her position.

"I can confirm that Sarah Moulds’ employment with the Trust has been terminated, "said Paul Maddox, chief operating officer of the Trust.

and the link https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/teacher-sacked-video-kicking-horse-22524593

Sarah Moulds, 37, has been sacked from her position at the Mowbray Education Trust in Melton Mowbray
and the link: https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/21/teac...g-punched-and-kicked-sparks-outrage-15802230/

A woman filmed slapping and kicking a horse last month has been sacked from her job as a primary school teacher in Leicestershire.

In a brief statement from Mowbray Education Trust, they confirmed Sarah Moulds had been sacked.

and the link: https://www.itv.com/news/2021-12-20...after-being-caught-kicking-and-slapping-horse

Paul Maddox, chief operating officer of the Mowbray Education Trust, said in a statement: "I can confirm that Sarah Moulds' employment with the trust has been terminated.
"As a trust we are committed to ensuring the best standard of education for all of our young people and we look forward to continuing this throughout the 2021/22 academic year and beyond."
Ms Moulds was also removed from a volunteering role she carried out for the Pony Club, which said of the video: "We wholeheartedly condemn this behaviour".

and the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59728476

You have too much time on your hands..

 

[YorksG]

And a excerpt from a LADO position of trust document pulled from the internet

External safeguarding matters – allegations against staff in their personal lives

If an allegation arises about a member of staff, outside of their work with children, and this may present a risk of harm/risk of children for whom the member of staff is responsible through their employment/volunteering, a POT meeting should be convened to decide whether the concern justifies:

• Approaching the member of staff’s employer for further information, in order to assess the level of risk of harm: and or
• Inviting the employer to a further meeting about dealing with the possible risk of harm

Please will you stop making this about you and your two years as an agency admin worker, within a local authority? Some people in this board have had significant input into safeguarding meetings and have experience of working in safeguarding and employment.

 

[Upthecreek]

Genuine question: do we think that if she is successfully prosecuted and handed a decent fine that it will send shock waves and start the ball rolling of changing attitudes regarding the casual use of violence against horses?

I'm thinking about what some posters have said above about worse being seen at shows.

We live in a surveillance society. Everyone has a video recorder in their pocket. It would be nice for those who mistreat horses at shows to have it in the back of their minds that any one could film their behaviour and either pass it to the RSPCA or post it on social media.

(To be clear I'm not talking about monsters like Evans. He should be in prison as far as I'm concerned).

I suppose what I'm getting at is that while it might be true that this woman is bearing the brunt of our collective anger at every day aggression and violence meted out to horses, might a successful prosecution help focus the minds of the every day bullies?

And equally, might it embolden the rest of us to actually do something if we witness this behaviour if we have a stronger sense that a complaint will be taken seriously?

Great post. In the times we are living in now everyone should be aware that anything they are doing in public could be caught on camera, whether that be CCTV or a mobile phone and there is the potential that it will be shared on social media. If this case makes people improve their behaviour around horses for no other reason than fear of getting in trouble if they are filmed being rough/violent/abusive then that is a positive outcome.

 

[rextherobber]

Your memory is incorrect and I suggest you watch the video again to stop you blowing it up into more than it was. One kick to the chest followed by 4 slaps to the muzzle. No significant escalation. Following which an undamaged pony followed her willingly and quietly into the lorry.

I have watched it again, and I disagree, was definitely escalating.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You have too much time on your hands..

Indeed!

The article linked to is merely a rehash of the SM rants, it does not directly quote the statement from the employer, which was quoted much nearer to the beginning of the thread and said that 'employmment was terminated'. It rather proves my point about inaccurate reporting.

 

[meleeka]

This isn't true DD, sorry. The RSPCA are in Magistrate's courts week after week with cases of mistreated animals. They just don't make it any further than the local news.

I've seen privately prosecuted cases brought by the RSPCA, just in my local area, of a starved horse, keeping a horse when banned, failing to control a vicious dog and starving a dog.

It's absolutely wrong that the RSPCA are the de facto animal police, but they are still that, I believe.

I’m surprised you know of a prosecution of keeping a horse while banned. There are a few near me who just say it’s a family members and carry on as they did before. There’s one in particular that still has horses locked in a dark barn 24/7 living in their own s*** and apparently there are no signs of cruelty. When they find one dead, they’ll no doubt be a statement stating how horrified they are and appealing for information. ?

 

[MagicMelon]

You would seriously see her children in care as a result of this?

Seriously, this woman punched a horse. She lost the plot. I would be very concerned when she loses the plot behind closed doors to be honest.

 

[YorksG]

Seriously, this woman punched a horse. She lost the plot. I would be very concerned when she loses the plot behind closed doors to be honest.

I asked if you believed her children should be taken into care, do you believe that?

 

[MagicMelon]

and what would you do with real cruelty cases? hang draw and quarter them?

for heaven's sake it wasn't the end of the world. If you really want to worry about cruelty go and look at starving horses, ones who can barely stand or even cannot stand for lack of care, curly toes, totally terrified wrecks, real cruelty cases and then compare the damage to them against the damage to that pony.
.

Cruelty does not have to be purely ill looked after animals, this woman punched a horse in the head, how on earth can you poo poo it like it was nothing. It was disgraceful behaviour by anyone, let alone a school teacher. I very much wish the same could be done to the person as to what they do to animals to be honest! I would also massively question what this woman does to her animals behind closed doors!

 

[milliepops]

Genuine question: do we think that if she is successfully prosecuted and handed a decent fine that it will send shock waves and start the ball rolling of changing attitudes regarding the casual use of violence against horses?

I'm thinking about what some posters have said above about worse being seen at shows.

We live in a surveillance society. Everyone has a video recorder in their pocket. It would be nice for those who mistreat horses at shows to have it in the back of their minds that any one could film their behaviour and either pass it to the RSPCA or post it on social media.

(To be clear I'm not talking about monsters like Evans. He should be in prison as far as I'm concerned).

I suppose what I'm getting at is that while it might be true that this woman is bearing the brunt of our collective anger at every day aggression and violence meted out to horses, might a successful prosecution help focus the minds of the every day bullies?

And equally, might it embolden the rest of us to actually do something if we witness this behaviour if we have a stronger sense that a complaint will be taken seriously?

This concept makes me feel very uneasy. tbh i would probably give up keeping horses if anybody could film you and dob you in to some one (who?RSPCA?) or let social media unleash its force on you. Any one of us has probably had a perfectly innocent moment that could be misconstrued in some twisted way and end up ruining your life. Even if it went nowhere near a conviction, the damage would already be done via FB etc.

people say they've seen worse at shows but i think that's small fry, if we were all expected to whip out the phone camera at the sign of any mistreatment of horses then i'd have been busy at some livery yards i've been on, would be constantly filming the horses opposite my field that the RSPCA appear to be ignoring etc etc.

it's not that i want to brush mistreatment of horses under the rug, not at all. but this could become highly vindictive.

 

[MagicMelon]

You'll be happy if she kills herself as a result of all this then will you? She'll deserve that too presumably?

Honestly, I never comment on this forum anymore but there really are a lot of holier than thou people on here. The woman has lost her job over this, among other things, and she and her family have been harrassed. Do her kids deserve that too? I would say she has paid enough now, her life is pretty ruined and I can't begin to imagine the toll on her mental health. I am pretty anti hunting but you'd be very naive not to see that this is the RSPCA capitalising on a situation to try and make themselves look good.

This was not a pleasant incident to see, the pony did not deserve it and she shouldn't have done it. Maybe she did deserve to be dismissed from her job and volunteer positions but this was not extreme and sustained cruelty that warrants a costly, private prosecution using charitable donations. There are far better things the RSPCA could be spending their money on.

How would you know? Do you truly believe this woman simply got a bit angry one day and punched her kids pony in the face, but that shes lovely as pie behind closed doors with these same animals? Really?! Ive never ever got that angry that I would ever punch an animal! It truly worries me how many people seem to think this is acceptable or that she just needs a little slap on the hand. I feel really bad for her kids, they dont deserve harassment however they also dont deserve seeing their mother lose the plot and take her anger out in a completely disgraceful manner, what else do they see at home? I believe the RSPCA probably feel there is more to it and will probably be looking into her behaviour around animals further.

 

[Gallop_Away]

I'm curious....had this not been plastered all over SM, let's say a parent had been out hunting with them that day and witnessed the incident and reported it to the school. Do we think that the result would still be that she had lost her job?

 

[Birker2020]

Please will you stop making this about you and your two years as an agency admin worker, within a local authority? Some people in this board have had significant input into safeguarding meetings and have experience of working in safeguarding and employment.

I'm not making it about me, don't be so judgemental and patronising.

I am merely replying to Pearlsasingers allegation saying that I am alluding to being an insider and pretending I know more about the case than I do.

 

[Birker2020]

I'm curious....had this not been plastered all over SM, let's say a parent had been out hunting with them that day and witnessed the incident and reported it to the school. Do we think that the result would still be that she had lost her job?

Yes most probably. It would still have to be investigated and they have a duty of care to pass it to the relevant agencies who will decide if it meets their threshold for further investigation.

 

[PapaverFollis]

A lot of people have really poor understanding of human behaviour.

 

[Birker2020]

You have too much time on your hands..

No I am just explaining against the allegation that I am alluding to the fact that I know more than anyone else because somehow I am involved in the case when I've never said that!!!!!!

And she reckons I was relying 'my information' on one newspaper article when I have clearly shown that there are hundreds of articles that all say the same thing.

 

[Gallop_Away]

Yes most probably. It would still have to be investigated and they have a duty of care to pass it to the relevant agencies who will decide if it meets their threshold for further investigation.

I disagree. I think it would have been "investigated" in so far as she would have been spoken to. I don't think a single complaint would have been enough for this woman to loose her job. I also think had this been at a show instead of a hunt it wouldn't have created so much fuss.

I think it wasn't about what she did but rather how much of a sh!t storm it created. Had it not been so greatly blown up it wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this far.

So the message seems to be that trial by social media is now an acceptable form of justice...... very worrying indeed.

 

[Birker2020]

I disagree. I think it would have been "investigated" in so far as she would have been spoken to. I don't think a single complaint would have been enough for this woman to loose her job. I also think had this been at a show instead of a hunt it wouldn't have created so much fuss.

I think it wasn't about what she did but rather how much of a sh!t storm it created. Had it not been so greatly blown up it wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this far.

So the message seems to be that trial by social media is now an acceptable form of justice...... very worrying indeed.

 

[eahotson]

So what if someone who had done this to a horse lost her rag and gave a child a kick to the chest followed by 4 slaps around the face. Would this be okay in your eyes? This is what this is all about. Trying to prove that someone in this type of situation who works with children doesn't pose a risk to a child.

I know I couldn't work with children as I don't have the patience. That's not to say I would start laying into them but I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable in that situation being surrounded by children playing up and testing my patience and the boundaries that had been put in place. That's why I'm not a teacher. And I'm not suggesting for one minute this was the case in this womans case as I don't know, none of us know. But who would be prepared to take the risk?

I know how nasty children can be in a school situation, we had one teacher many years ago in secondary school who was a recovering alcholic. I have no idea how the kids in the class knew that, I think it was someones Mum was friendly with her Mum or something and word had got out. One day she came into the lesson carrying a load of Geography books in a box with Smirnoff Vodka written all over the box. The trouble makers in the class created merry hell with her during the lesson and goaded and provoked her teasing her about the Smirnoff Vodka and that she was an 'alchy'. She ran off in tears. I've never forgotten it - it was horrible. She could have reacted and started on the children, she didn't she ran which was the best thing to do.

No one knows how they would react in that situation.

No they don't know how they would have behaved in that particular teachers case.They bullied one teacher so badly that he finally snapped (they knew he was vulnerable) and did in fact attack one or two of the children.They filmed it all though so when it went to court the horrifed judge (horrified at the children) made them come and stand before him.The watching parents went very quiet.The teachers career was finished of course and his already fragile mental health will probably never recover.There is though, no indication that this woman was a threat to children.Poor example maybe but not a direct threat.

 

[eahotson]

I’m surprised you know of a prosecution of keeping a horse while banned. There are a few near me who just say it’s a family members and carry on as they did before. There’s one in particular that still has horses locked in a dark barn 24/7 living in their own s*** and apparently there are no signs of cruelty. When they find one dead, they’ll no doubt be a statement stating how horrified they are and appealing for information. ?

I know a case of a woman with a ban keeping a horse.Her behaviour hasn't changed!

 

[tristar]

the post saying when you run out of patience, you find some more, makes sense in a re think way of reacting

this sort of thing is inevitably the forerunner to improvement in attitudes to animal welfare, within the lower and highest echelons of the horse world, for too long rollkur, use of spurs, overfacing of undertrained animals, lack of education around horse management has been rumbling on, the sheer time and effort to train a horse humanely and correctly is commonly underestimated, if fact some seem to have no clue what they are aiming for, no conception, of the processes and skills required to produce a properly educated horse or pony

the video shows a child loading a pony, should a child be loading a pony, no it should not

how bad does it have to get for horses before we all collectively get off our arses and start to change the actual role that horses play in our lives, are they really livestock? , commercial commodities? or do they have a deeper part to play in our lives, like what is their real purpose?

why is she being vilified, when the mouth bloodying prat is doing that as if its an accepted training method, ie showing them who is boss

 

[YorksG]

why is she being vilified, when the mouth bloodying prat is doing that as if its an accepted training method, ie showing them who is boss

Because it suited the agenda of a self serving agitator, who for some reason has been given a broader platform by our national broadcaster, to create a social media storm. Given his assertion about being the target of arson, when in fact he appears to have been nothing of the sort, I wish more people would question the motives of those who wish to try people by social media

 

[paddy555]

Cruelty does not have to be purely ill looked after animals, this woman punched a horse in the head, how on earth can you poo poo it like it was nothing. It was disgraceful behaviour by anyone, let alone a school teacher. I very much wish the same could be done to the person as to what they do to animals to be honest! I would also massively question what this woman does to her animals behind closed doors!

I am not poo pooing anything. I am keeping it in proportion.
Who knows what anyone does to their animals behind closed doors. One rescue I took on wouldn't move for it's owner so he tied it to a tractor and made it lead that way. It would never have a rope within feet of it again. Fortunately someone had seen it and told me what had been done to it before I got killed.

Who knows what you do to horses behind closed doors, or me or anyone on here. All teachers, social workers, NHS staff and many others have the potential to hit people or kids. I'm sure that the very vast majority don't and I see no reason as to why this woman would be a risk either.

 

[eahotson]

This concept makes me feel very uneasy. tbh i would probably give up keeping horses if anybody could film you and dob you in to some one (who?RSPCA?) or let social media unleash its force on you. Any one of us has probably had a perfectly innocent moment that could be misconstrued in some twisted way and end up ruining your life. Even if it went nowhere near a conviction, the damage would already be done via FB etc.

people say they've seen worse at shows but i think that's small fry, if we were all expected to whip out the phone camera at the sign of any mistreatment of horses then i'd have been busy at some livery yards i've been on, would be constantly filming the horses opposite my field that the RSPCA appear to be ignoring etc etc.

it's not that i want to brush mistreatment of horses under the rug, not at all. but this could become highly vindictive.

What happens at shows is often far from small fry sadly.I saw a child nearly knocked off her feet by her father for making a mistake in the ring.Nothing was said.Look at Patrick Kittel (famous dressage rider and now on international horse committees) and the blue tongue.Just to give you a flavour.

 

[tristar]

Because it suited the agenda of a self serving agitator, who for some reason has been given a broader platform by our national broadcaster, to create a social media storm. Given his assertion about being the target of arson, when in fact he appears to have been nothing of the sort, I wish more people would question the motives of those who wish to try people by social media

yes well its easy to see that, but what does it say about the funneling of one incident and the ignoring of or failure to confront the bigger fish, are they really are not aware of the broader aspects of horses experiences of life in 2021

 

[YorksG]

yes well its easy to see that, but what does it say about the funneling of one incident and the ignoring of or failure to confront the bigger fish, are they really are not aware of the broader aspects of horses experiences of life in 2021

That would require a full sociological thesis to address! Most people have nothing to do with horses and have no knowledge or interest in them. However people have been able to be whipped up about all sorts of things that they had little to no knowledge of, by those who had some personal gain, for millennia.