You tube and the death of Hickstead in the ring

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foal

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I don't know how you feel about this, but people will post any thing on You tube. I got told that some one posted this on you tube tonight, and yep the video is there...
 
I'm not sure this is worth starting a new thread over. His death was show on live TV, so it's already been broadcast. I think it's a good thing that it's up- it lets his fans see that he went quickly and was dealt with respectfully and professionally.
 
Yes, I see from the video that it was being filmed on live t.v. Not my-self searching you tube, as was posted on another site, as well as friends on face book
 
Hickstead wasn't the first and won't be the last to die during a competition. TBH there is nothing either very shocking or very exciting about it.. death is the one certainty we have in life and as long as it wasn't violent or due to outside influences then I see nothing wrong with it being broadcast by whatever means. Rumours abound in the horse world, maybe seeing the truth for themselves will help dispell some of them quickly.
 
I looked the video up on youtube as I didn't see it on the TV.
It's such a shame but human curiosity is a funny thing.
 
Personally I don't like things like this being shown on you tube, hence why I would never click the link to watch it! Having had a horse die quickly like that whilst I was riding him I would of not of wanted his death shown.

Then again I find it very disturbing the things that people will video to put on you tube :-(
 
Personally i think people have blown the whole 'It was shown on tv/clips on you tube etc' thing out of proportion.

It was awful & i feel so sorry for the horse/owners/rider etc but these things happen. It happens in racing often, but unless its a famous horse it hardly gets mentioned.

Personally i watched it to confirm to myself that he didnt suffer too much & it was over quickly.

There is a long thread in 'Latest News' on this topic :)
 
I have watched the clip and actually found it quite reassuring and educational, since I would now recognise what was happening if it happened to my horse.

Unlike some other clips (quite a lot) on you tube, this one isnt gory or salacious and I was quite comforted by how he went. It's not something you ever want to happen but having watched it I dont feel 'cheapened' or feel as if the only reason for watching would be thrill seeking, that isnt why I watched it.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
I have watched the clip and actually found it quite reassuring and educational, since I would now recognise what was happening if it happened to my horse.

Unlike some other clips (quite a lot) on you tube, this one isnt gory or salacious and I was quite comforted by how he went. It's not something you ever want to happen but having watched it I dont feel 'cheapened' or feel as if the only reason for watching would be thrill seeking, that isnt why I watched it.
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^^this.
It was happened on live tv, and IMO it was dealt with in a sensitive way.
Very sorry for his rider and connections.
 
Exactly.

Has a post-mortem been performed and the results made available? People are saying it was a "heart attack", but that's a rather fuzzy term (I doubt the poor horse had a myocardial infarction as a result of coronary artery disease!).
 
I like the fact that its on there as I know now he didn't suffer. I'm glad it wasn't a video of him being thrashed around like mad and then finally collapsing in a heap. Its nice to see how much people care by the looks on their faces. I think it would be an insult to the horses memory if people don't know for themselves what exactly happened.
RIP Hickstead.
 
leah_x said:
I like the fact that its on there as I know now he didn't suffer.
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Yes, and it is highly likely the horse was completely unconscious by the time his head was down at ground level. Due to a rapid drop in blood pressure, it would have felt like fainting (I don't think it was an MI). It didn't look to me as if the horse was particularly distressed due to pain - though of course it was distressing to everyone who saw it.

I'm glad it wasn't a video of him being thrashed around like mad and then finally collapsing in a heap. Its nice to see how much people care by the looks on their faces. I think it would be an insult to the horses memory if people don't know for themselves what exactly happened.
RIP Hickstead.
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I'm with you there. As unpleasant as it was, it was much more "peaceful" and dignified than having a bone snapped.
 
I saw a recent race where a horse broke down, but because it wasn't a famous horse, they just mentioned it broken down and then that was it. (Don't ask me what race/horse it was! I don't usually watch racing and I have no idea)

For some unknown reason, it's less distressing for me to watch a zebra being chased, brought down, killed and eaten, than it is to see poor Hickstead die quickly and relatively painlessly. I don't know, I think it's just human nature!
Also, there are MUCH more distressing videos out there, one that youtube seems to INSIST that I watch is a horse getting hit and killed by a rally car. I've not watched it, but you can tell how horrible it is just by the thumbnail.

R.I.P Hickstead <3
 
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lachlanandmarcus said:
I have watched the clip and actually found it quite reassuring and educational, since I would now recognise what was happening if it happened to my horse.

Unlike some other clips (quite a lot) on you tube, this one isnt gory or salacious and I was quite comforted by how he went. It's not something you ever want to happen but having watched it I dont feel 'cheapened' or feel as if the only reason for watching would be thrill seeking, that isnt why I watched it.
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I agree.

I knew nothing about the horse before, but watched the tributes to him that have appeared and can now marvel at how wonderful he was.
 
I viewed it, I wasn't shocked or appalled by it. I was interested to see what happens, as it is something you very rarely see.

If people closed the doors and never shared their (albeit sad and tragic) experiences, no-one would ever learn or expand their knowledge. A bystander account or written description is never as good as seeing it or indeed, experiencing it first hand.

Viewing and being interested, in a clinical way about what happened to this great horse, in no way detracts from the respect and good wishes I believe this whole forum wishes his rider and all connections.
 
I have to say that I viewed it for educational reasons so I could see what happens when a horse collapses and dies, as it is my job to care for horses and I believe seeing this kind of thing would make me cope much more calmly with a similar thing should it happen on my watch. I hope it never does. Yes it did reduce me to tears and I have no need to watch it again, but I'm glad I did. RIP Hickstead, beautiful boy.
 
The video was awful and so upsetting but i watched it out of curiosity.
My first loan pony was found in the field after a suspected heart attack and ive always wondered what happens. Seeing this video made me feel reassured after all this time that it was a quick and relativley painless death.

RIP Hickstead x
 
Annielusian said:
I saw a recent race where a horse broke down, but because it wasn't a famous horse, they just mentioned it broken down and then that was it. (Don't ask me what race/horse it was! I don't usually watch racing and I have no idea)

For some unknown reason, it's less distressing for me to watch a zebra being chased, brought down, killed and eaten, than it is to see poor Hickstead die quickly and relatively painlessly. I don't know, I think it's just human nature!
Also, there are MUCH more distressing videos out there, one that youtube seems to INSIST that I watch is a horse getting hit and killed by a rally car. I've not watched it, but you can tell how horrible it is just by the thumbnail.

R.I.P Hickstead <3
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A very good point about the zebras being chased down Annielusian!! It was awful to watch, but I have no problem with it being aired online. Death is a part of life, no matter how it ends. I think deaths should be more open rather than this undignified manner people associate with it. It will come to us all! I just hope its as uncomplicated as Hicksteads death was.
 
Watching the video ressured me that he went quickly with minimal suffering. Better than those that break a leg . Awful for his rider , owner and grooms. He will be missed he was one of my favourites
 
bit like mary kings horse that died in express eventing, they uploaded the video of the events that lead up to him breaking his leg. its always going to happen, and prety unavoidable when on tv to.
 
blucanoo1990 said:
You searched for it!
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Quite! you knew there was a video of his death on youtube, and have a choice whether or not to watch it. If you did/do watch it I think you'll find its not actually in poor taste - the commentator is very good with his wording considering he hadn't been prepared for it, and it shows the crowd in stunned silence and tears. What I don't like is the fact that it was by all accounts repeated three times on live TV, and apparently the commentator said something along those lines of "do we really need to be shown this again." Quite right, no we didn't, but I bet the live event videographers were a bit lost as to what to show, as with the best will in the world there must have been quite a period of time where not much was happening.

Wagtail said:
I have to say that I viewed it for educational reasons so I could see what happens when a horse collapses and dies, as it is my job to care for horses and I believe seeing this kind of thing would make me cope much more calmly with a similar thing should it happen on my watch. I hope it never does. Yes it did reduce me to tears and I have no need to watch it again, but I'm glad I did. RIP Hickstead, beautiful boy.
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This. I actually realised that you should keep out of the way of a collapsed horse's legs. Sure that might sound blindingly obvious to some, but it made it sink in more to see it than to merely read and hear verbal accounts. It actually didn't occur to me just how violently legs would "run" even though there was likely to be nobody home. I'd rather have learnt this now than on the scene with a horse. Distressing as it was to watch, I do feel it has prepared me for if I ever have the misfortune to witness something similar in person.
 
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I watched it more out of curiosity than anything - as people have said, as for it being shown on live TV there was no way of knowing it was going to happen :(

Poor Hickstead, at least the video shows the kindness and respect he was given in his final moments and he did die quickly doing what he loved with no suffering.

So as heartbreaking as the video was to watch (and it really is heart wrenching, I couldn't watch it in its entirety and non-horsey OH was begging me to turn it off) I think it may be a good thing it was shown for people to see for themselves what happened and to prepare themselves should anything similar, god forbid, happen to them and their horses.

Rest in peace, good horse x
K x
 
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