Racehorses tempramental.?

[tali1]

It has been said that Racehorses need an expert to handle them as they are very temperamental.Are they dangerous in the wrong situation ? ie would they attack, say, a novice , stranger or a child?

[Clanad]

As with almost any intelligent animal, Thoroughbreds are a product of their breeding and environment. We run a cattle ranch here in the western U.S. and have, at any one time between 8 and 20 horses. They are smart, durable little cow ponies, some with a Thoroughbred in their DNA background. They are, however, mixed breed "mutts" in many cases. After observing horses for many years and listening to the "old timers", I've come to understand that horses are first and foremost "herd animals".

It would take more room and time than available here to discuss "herd dynamics", but suffice it to say, race horses (in almost all cases of distance racing they're Thoroughbreds) are "hot blooded" (whereas our cow horses are "warm blooded") meaning their temperment can be skittish. This is mostly due, however, to their environment and handling. Breeding for only one characteristic, running in this case, can be detrimental to other traits.

So, to your question. "Wrong situation" covers a broad spectrum of what could happen. But it is deffinitely a fact that the breeding of the animal will be the least of causes in aberrant behavior as you describe. It will, be, however, primarily due to the horse trying to establish their place in the herd, with the other "herd animals', be they human, dogs, goats or other horses. Generally, the horse will signal any attack, but these can be subtle and the handler would require experience in predicting such a move.

Long way of saying, the horse could, but it would be unlikely and it would not solely be because of the horse being a racehorse...

[carmalee]

I see no reason why a thoroughbred would attack any one other than if it had been mishandled in the past. This can also be said for any horse or pony - horses are 'flight' animals not 'fight' animals so the preference is to escape a situation they aren't happy with. Having said that, I've worked with horses all my life and have been attacked twice - there were reasons in the horses past for this. TB's can be highly strung so are best not handled by inexperienced people - the fact you've asked this question suggests this is the case so would advise you stick to more modestly bred neddies - there a millions of good ones out there.

[echokilo]

In my experience a horse would only attack in very extreme circumstances and usually because of a threat or attack from a human - or being very startled by a human. A child should NEVER be left unsupervised around ANY horse, bo matter how well you may know it .... an accident can easily happen - and it's over in a flash .... horses, like all animals, should be treated with respect. I see no specific reason why a TB is more difficult to handle or more likely to attack than any other breed.

[wildwood]

The smaller horses like crossbreed ponys are prone to be nastier than properly handled racehorses.
Any horse can be dangerous in the wrong situation as all of them have kicked at something or another sometime in their life. They have bad moods too.
In a race situation a horse does need an experienced rider or driver but more for the reason of safety from accidents. Many are not really that keen on racing but don't mind the training. They are quite intelligent and will know the difference between actual racing and training or even trials. The standardbreds are generally a bit more docile than the thoroughbreds but they too can become a handfull when racing.
I remember as a young nipper (in NL) I was allowed to take the more trusted SBs to the training track and back while the trainer did the schooling on a track about �mile away. This involved a bit of actual road and one stoplight. Three of the four knew what the green and red lights meant and reacted accordingly without prompting, eventhough there was seldom any actual traffic that early in the morning. One gelding was a docile dodo and my favourite, but became a livewire when on the track - but alas, he never won a race as he was capable of the speed but just wouldn't race properly with other horses and has tipped many a driver out of the sulky.

[tali1]

I asked question because when Shergar was kidnapped it was claimed he was quickly disposed of as his kidnappers were unable to "handle him"(originally they were assisted by a couple of experienced hands) which got me thinking of what difficulties he must have posed to his kidnappers

[carmalee]

Shergar was noted for having the most amiable temperament - he was a very gentle stallion and most certainly didn't warrant the terrible end he got. An absolute tragedy -

[blackcat77]

Maybe the kidnappers didn't know much about horses!
What "terrible end" did Shergar come to? I didn't think that anyone knew what happened to him?

[lankeela]

Problem with most racehorses is that they are just trained to race and in most cases have very little schooling to be 'handled' or socialised. They get very excited in the company of other horses, and tend not to think about the humans having to work round them. I have known some horses who were downright nasty and would rear up at you when you went into the stable, and even knew one who would kick out with his front leg and then swing round and crush you against the wall if you got the other side of him. I last saw him in a stable at Ascot sales, with the new owner trying to put a headcollar on him, saying here boy, there's a good lad, just let me........ He was only a little horse as thoroughbreds go, about 15.2 but was the worst tempered horse I have ever met. He would rear up and strike out at the horse in front when exercising and also buck, kicking out at the horse behind, almost taking the riders head off on occasions! In fact the only safe place was on his back if you had superglue on your jods!

Stallions can be very upredictable especially if there is a mare anywhere near, and as Shergar was an experienced stallion he may have caused problems for inexperienced handlers. Mares tend to be, well, marish, which is where the term comes from, and if in season can be downright bloody awkward.

I am sure Shergar's kidnappers were unlikely to be experts in handling horses, and so it is possible they got rid of him because they found him dangerous or difficult to handle.

[looneych00n]

Blackcat77, shergar was shot and then allegedly buried in a field in Ireland. Sources have alledged that he was shot hours after he was horsenapped, due to him being temperemental. The IRA still wanted a ransom etc knowing full well that the horse was dead. The whereabouts of the remains are still unknown.

[carmalee]

agree with the post about Shergar being shot, the account I read about was that a machine gun was used - unfortunately I don't think this was 'sensational journalism' - seem to remember it was an account given by a member on the fringes of the gang responsible, however would love to be wrong.