I’m with Otto on this one. Can we saddle the bitch up and give her a taste of her own medicine? :mad:
I love horses. I used to have some when I was little, and I hope to have some again. Hearing about people like this just pisses me off to no end and it depresses me that there is nothing that can I can do for the poor victim(s).
(Dons flame-proof undies)
While I understand the howls for blood some of the posters are flinging at Bayboy’s owner, I do feel compelled to point out to them that, judging from ETF’s description of the situation, this wasn’t a case of deliberate owner abuse, but rather ignorance. DQ may not be a good rider, but no one starts off as a good rider, and the only way to become one is to spend lots of time riding, which means inflicting beginner errors (such as heavy hands and an insecure seat) on some poor horse. DQ’s error was twofold: overestimating her true skill level in the saddle, and (more importantly) buying a horse her trainer had warned her was too much horse for her, and then persisting in trying to work with Bayboy herself rather than getting professional help with the animal as soon as his attitude toward work began to sour.
Sadly, ruining good horses is all too easy. You don’t have to be a monster to spoil a good horse forever; just being in a bit over your head and not recognizing it can be enough.
You know, ETF, I’ve liked you ever since you predicted my death. Several times. 
I must say I am impressed by your gut-level reaction to take care of the situation first and think about it afterward. I think I can say in all honesty I am proud to know you … even if only virtually. You deserve a reward for saving DQ’s life … I can only hope this woman understands what you did and what she did and will never attempt such foolishness again.
Well said. Sadly, all too true.
I must, though, at this point add some information which I did not myself observe but have from reliable sources among my friends and the staff at the barn: DQ on at least one occasion beat Bayboy, with a looped longeline, in his stall, because he refused to come out to work. This was witnessed by two people. I’ve also been told that the horse has had whip marks after DQ has ridden him. Now, there are times when one does have to physically reprimand a horse, for everyone’s good, but leaving marks is a pretty good indication of abusive whipping.
There’s also very good reason to believe that she’s worked with him on multiple occasions when drunk. I myself observed her riding him one time when I’m pretty damned sure she was blitzed. Which made her riding even worse than usual.
Ponder, thank you! [blush] Some of my horse-knowledgeable friends have been berating me for risking myself to save the idiot owner, but I couldn’t have ignored it. I do agree with those among them who’ve criticized me for trying to pick up the trailing longe line, though. That was undeniably a boneheaded move, even though Bayboy had (temporarily, as it turned out) halted his attack. I was afraid he’d get a leg tangled, causing a horrifying wreck, and didn’t stop to think that he could easily have slammed a front hoof into my head. Looking back, DQ and I are damned lucky he stuck to biting and swinging us around, and didn’t rear up and strike out at us.
EddyTeddyFreddy, if you’ve witnessed the Dressage Queen riding while impaired, you are duty-bound to do something about. She’s endangering not only herself and the animal, but also other boarders and their horses.
One wonders whether the individuals who witnessed her beating the bay in his stall did anything to intervene. Ditto those who saw evidence of whipping.
Why does the owner of this stable endure this boarder’s nonsense? Why does the instructor?
Why didn’t I intervene? Because I had suspicions but no proof she was drunk. DQ bounces and flops when she’s sober, too. Furthermore, I’m another boarder, not in any position of authority at the barn. DQ was stopped and told not to repeat it when she was caught stall-whipping the horse. If she’s continued to abuse the horse, she’s managed to do it without witnesses catching her. The ones who reported the whip marks were prepubescent girls, with no authority to take any action. (I agree with artemis that you can mindfry a horse without actively beating it, just by ignorant, clumsy handling.)
The barn owner, when this stuff was reported to her, warned DQ to clean up her act, and posted prominent notices that drinking on the premises or abuse would be cause for immediate eviction. She’s also told DQ before last night that she has to find another situation for the horse, for everyone’s safety. DQ’s been building a barn on her own property, intending to move the horse to it soon. Now the owner’s putting her foot down that the horse has to be removed right away.
As I think I mentioned before, this girl has gone through several instructors, and listened to none of them.
Sheesh! I take back the minimal support I expressed for this idiot in my earlier post - she’s an abusive drunk who has NO business handling any animal, let alone a green TB! And she’ll never improve as a rider, for if a person can’t control her own actions, how can she ever expect to control another creature’s?
Here’s hoping that nearly getting killed by her horse will convince her to find another hobby ASAP.
She at least was able to admit last night that she was wrong to buy this horse, that her riding had fried his brain, and that any future horse she might buy would have to be a mature, sensible, well-trained, forgiving schoolmaster. I’m hoping very much that her defenses have finally been penetrated to the point that she can face reality, and not fall back into self-deception after she’s recovered from the shock. I wasn’t rude or name-calling last night, but I was quite blunt, and she didn’t try to argue with me at all.
EddyTeddyFreey do you know the sotry behind the angry horse picture? Just curious. It’s rarely to see a horse look so royally peeved.
ETF whereabouts are you? Sniffs_Markers’s family raises race horses and the “losers” that just aren’t good at racing get trained for jumping and dressage – but if they get a chance to zoom aorund a top speed, they are blissfully happy.
They’ve never not been able to rehabilitate a horse, but in severe abuse cases, it’s been a matter of getting an honest-to-Og “horse whisperer.” Markers has never ever come across a horse that couldn’t be rehabilitated, but someone is going to have to invest the time and energ to do it properly.
That, in fact, is my very own dear Quarter Horse, Nicky, who’s now a mellow, easygoing almost 22 years old (foaling date April 4). He was about eight years younger then, and determined to keep the ponies he was turned out with away from HIS human carrot dispenser, the jealous fellow. You can just make out the tail of one pony under his belly. I snapped the picture just as he was wheeling away from me to chase them back from the fence. This and this (taken last summer) are far more typical of the big sweetie.
That’s great, that they get a chance at a second career instead of being dumped at auction, or sent to the killer buyers. I’m in eastern Massachusetts.
Indeed! I’m of two minds whether this horse is past reclamation, but I wish he could have the chance. The horse that arrived at our barn last spring was a real sweetheart; about his only bad point was stall-kicking. What worries me is the possibility that he could someday come into the hands of someone who’d push all the old bad buttons, and awaken the demon in his soul that has been created by his current owner.
ETF First off, congrats on making DQ see the light, and major kudos for saving her ass.
Second it’s tragic that the horse is going to have to pay for her arrogance and idiocy. I don’t know enough about horses myself to make that kind of judgement, but I’ll take your word for it. I’m sorry it has come to this, but from what you’ve said in the thread, there really doesn’t seem to be any other choice. It’s not the horse’s fault, but he’s the one who has to pay.
He looks hilarious. Seething even.
Like Fatcat when he doesn’t get his way.
I had no idea you were so close; I’m going to go network for some people with more heart than caution.
And cats aren’t really contrary; their sense of hierarchy is just different (which is why I am a confirmed dog person)
Thanks – to you, and to all the others in this thread who want to save this horse. But keep in mind, I have no power to make this woman turn the horse over to anyone. I daresay she’d be glad of a way to get out of this mess, but there’s no way I can take charge of rehoming Bayboy, other than suggestion to her. 
Heh. I’m housekeeper for eight cats, and I hear you.
This just in, part of an email from a woman whose horse knowledge and judgment I trust so completely that my horses will go to her if something ever happens to me:
*The thing about horses (and all too many people) is that the autonomic nervous system takes over under stress and intelligence has little to do with the resulting actions. Fight or flight is what our bodies dictate.
For a horse, and doubly so for a current or former race horse, flight is the preferred option. But if flight isn’t possible, then flight turns to fight.
From what I understand about this particular horse and owner, she’s probably created a situation where the horse is under pressure to do something - she’d call it dressage, he’d call it incomprehensible - and nothing he does relieves the pressure. If you’re a tormented animal who can’t dial 1-800-HORSE-ABUSE, the sensible thing to do is to kill the thing that’s got you trapped before it kills you.
I don’t know what particular methods of torture this woman has used, but…if someone put a metal bar in my mouth and tied it to my belt and hit me in the ribs when I stood still and yanked on my mouth when I moved and kept it up day after day, bang, yank, bang, yank, I think I would call the murder self defense.
And just suppose a horse in this sort of situation were “rescued” and retrained. He might eventually trust that when he starts moving the rib pressure will stop and when he stops moving the mouth pressure will stop. Maybe after enough time in good hands he’d relax and not be too troubled about human riders. Until someone reminds him of his past. Maybe it’s just two kicks when one was enough. No big deal for most horses, they learn to put up with that. But for this guy, it triggers a major flight or fight reaction. He tries to run to escape but the rider pulls on the reins. Again, no big deal for most horses, but this horse is probably going to hurt somebody very badly unless they’re very lucky.
A horse that hasn’t ever been put in a no-win situation will have the confidence to handle a rider’s mistakes. They’ll figure out some sort of response that makes the rider happy, or they’ll just wander into the center of the ring, or over to the nearest tree and stop. A beginner rider’s “noise” isn’t upsetting if they’re allowed to ignore it. A child isn’t a threat. *
Links for the organizations I mentioned in my previous posts. I think TRF may be this horse’s best shot at a long, happy, rider-free life.
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation:
CANTER New England (Communication Aliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses)
http://canterusa.org/newengland/
ReRun (your closest branch is in New York)
http://www.rerun.org/rerunindex.html
Thanks for the references! I’ll pass them along to DQ, along with my strong recommendation that she get cracking on investigating them. The barn owner wants Bayboy out now, before anyone else gets hurt.
[nitpicky whine]
I’m kinda disappointed. Given the YOWCH!! power of that bite, I was expecting a more gloriously Technicolor bruise by now. The site still aches but the blues and purples are, alas, rather muted. I deserve a better show, dammit! 
[/nitpicky whine]
I’ve just got off the phone with DQ, and I’m furious. It’s just as I’d feared: After a few days to get over the shock, she’s well along to convincing herself that she doesn’t have to give him up.
“But he’s fine on the trail.” Yeh, sure, you’re not trying to “train” him and yanking on his mouth and banging his sides and driving him mad with too much ringwork for any greenie off the track. And didn’t he bolt with you outside, not too long ago?
“He’ll be happier at my home, and I’ll bring Baygirl over, too, to keep him company.” Ummm… you haven’t paid the barn owner for Baygirl’s board for several months, ever since you “gave” Baygirl to the owner’s daughter (though you never did get around to signing over her papers). I really doubt the barn owner is going to let you just take the mare now.
She’s also managed to minimize what was happening when I rescued her, to something much less than Bayboy’s best efforts to knock her down and trample her. I tried to set her straight, but she’s not listening to me, any more than she did to any of her instructors.
I told her I had come up with some alternatives for rehabbing Bayboy, but all I got was some “yeh, yeh” vague interest. Meaning she wouldn’t follow up even if I handed over full-color brochures on your excellent suggestions, Hello Again.
I could just SPIT.
Okay, now can we put a saddle on her and teach her a few lessons? People like this should be fucking shot :mad:
Well, looks like she’s going to get herself killed by this horse she’s ruined, and there’ll be one less delusional bitch in the world. I wish I could feel bad for her, but I just don’t. No, to be perfectly honest, I wish I could want to feel bad for her. People who refuse to read the writing on the wall when it’s 2 foot high, bright red, right in front of their faces, and being read aloud to them deserve what they get, IMO.
I hate it that this horse will wind up killing her, but not because she’ll die; when that happens, this poor animal’s fate will be sealed. He’ll be deemed a vicious animal and destroyed by court order, with no second chances or attempts at rehabilitation. Bayboy might be beyond saving now, but if this silly cunt gets herself killed, nobody will ever get a chance to try. And he’s going to suffer more at this twit’s hands in the meantime.
ETF, I applaud your guts and your concern for Bayboy in trying to get that longeline out from under his feet. Still, it might have been better for the poor thing if you’d just let him break a leg so he would have been euthanized before DQ got a chance to abuse him further.