I saw posted on facebook about someone who had a horse die in a program there. The person said s/he was warned that horses do die in the program but thought it was just hype to keep wimps out. There was no info on how the horse died, just that CA offered him/her another horse or free training on a different horse.
I hope it’s not true. Who in their right mind would put a horse in a program after being warned horses have died?
Is this hearsay or verified in some publication somewhere?
It died…how, allegedly?
Horses do die.
Of a stroke while milling about in the pasture in perfect weather with water, shelter and plentiful hay available?
Getting tangled in unsafe fencing?
After being galloped undersaddle in 100 degree weather for three hours with bloody spur marks and whip welts evident and not having been given water for two days prior?
Horses do die. There is always a risk when you start a horse in work, just as there is a risk when people start exercising/ working out. Stuff happens.
Horses die all the time. Horses hurt themselves in pastures, in stalls, in trailers, in crossties, in regular use, in training and in fluke health and accidental circumstances. The more horses you deal with, the higher your odds are going to be that eventually it’s going to happen to a horse you are responsible for- even if you are a superstar trainer or have extreme safety precautions in every step of the process. I don’t know anything about the incidents alluded to here- but I bet that the unusual element is the fact that it concerns a “celebrity” rather than anything particular about the pattern of deaths. Of course- to the people who lost their horses it’s a very big deal and I feel for them.
I saw that same post too, dacasodivine. Here’s my take:
why the hell would CA say “you know, horses die in my program” ~ that right there doesn’t make any sense, even if he is a crap trainer. Surely he’s not that stupid.
the OP still hasn’t provided details.
I bet the clause the OP is talking about is a standard ‘if your horse dies while here in an unavoidable circumstance (colic, injury, etc etc)’ something NOT directly caused by the training, we are not responsible…’
Hmmm, could be someone who just lost a horse through no fault of CA and reacted by posting on FB. There was no info on how the horse died. Just that the horse was dead (and he/she had been warned horses do die in the program) and now buried on CA’s ranch and he had offered him/her another horse or free training. It really was lacking in information. Of course that post was “shared.”
I put posts like that right up there with the shared photos with “Like if you love Jesus! Ignore if you support Satan!”…
There may be a grain of truth…but most likely someone either lying, or making a mountain out of a molehill.
Consider, too, that the horses sent to CA might have larger than average problems.
I watched a horse flip over and die instantly on one cowboy dude’s place. The proximate cause was the pro’s mistake. The ultimate cause was the owner’s mistake… actually, several of them which were what put this messed up filly at the cowboy’s place.
In hindsight, it was good for the HO and her kid that this horse ended up in the ground.
So this is what I found on Facebook-
“The story of my experience with Clinton Anderson Academy and the Downunder Ranch and the loss of my 16.2 fabulous black Friesian was so sad. Clinton himself told me several times, horses die in this program. I really thought it was a scare tactic to keep out the wimps. I never in the world thought a world class outfit like his would ever allow horses to actually die. But my horse is now buried at the Downunder Ranch in Stephenville, TX,
Our money for training was returned to us. He offered us a 14.1 hand gelding but I turned it down because I do not have any use for a pony on this farm. We already have a couple 14.1 hand ponies. He offered a free training for any horse in the future. But I won’t ever use that. How could I? My trust and confidence has been destroyed. So the moral to the story is to believe what people tell you. If they say horses die in this program believe them.”
“Thank you everyone for your condolences and kind words. We do not know how he died. We will never know. And it really doesn’t make any difference, he’s dead. We can’t bring him back.
We did not have him autopsied. It could have cost thousands of dollars on top of an already tragic situation. Our grief was just too accute to think ahead to legal options and we were in shock. He was 200 miles away from us and we didn’t have anyone in our corner that far away. So he was buried on the DUH ranch. But feel free to share our story. If I knew one person that had had such an experience I would have never agreed to send him there.”
This is the owner-
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairy-Knob-Farm/214399208607812
She has a ton of pictures of Friesians I know aren’t hers (I know the actual owners) on her page. Kinda odd.
No necropsy, so no way of knowing if the horse keeled over from natural causes, but she’s going to make sure all the internet knows her horse died at CA’s ranch. Hmmmmm…
I saw an update where she offers more explanation. She now says CA “told [her] he had been tied out low to graze for two hours. When the academy student came back to get him he was laying down and was dead.”
That stinks. Whatever the situation, losing a horse is awful.
It’s like she was setting her readers up for the announcement:
Tomorrow, I hope, I should hear from the trainer at Clinton Anderson Academy at the Downunder Ranch in Stephenville. I feel like I have been tied to the patience pole for two weeks. Hee hee! I can’t wait to get a report and just hear that… he is still alive.
The posts on this page just sound “off” as you read them. I’m surprised I didn’t read about a grey OTTB someone is stalking who is scary because he runs.
I was going to say, I bet horses have died on pretty much every pro trainer’s property at some point. I would want to know a lot more before believing it was something the trainer did. Heck, didn’t the Parellis lose one who ran through a fence or something? Yes, it might have done it because it was being chased by a rope (either case) or it might have done it because horses have been known to do suicidal things for no humanly-discernible reason…
Weird, she says on March 19th:
"Tomorrow, I hope, I should hear from the trainer at Clinton Anderson Academy at the Downunder Ranch in Stephenville. I feel like I have been tied to the patience pole for two weeks. Hee hee! I can’t wait to get a report and just hear that he is still alive."
Then the next day:
“Well I just got the worst call of my life a couple hours ago. My fabulous Friesian unexpectedly passed away this morning. It was out of the blue and a total shock to everyone. I am beside myself with grief. I know he has gone to horse paradise where he can frolic and play all day. I will miss you sweet boy. You take a big piece of my heart with you. And I hope someday we will be together again.”
Ok visited the Facebook page and this woman seems a little coo coo for coconuts. She made the statement that she realized that this particular horse was not meant to be ridden in this life and that his role was to be in the pasture to be beautiful and be admired.
I’m not saying that CA gets a free pass, but all she’ll say is that she does not know the circumstances surrounding the horse’s death which I find odd. They must have told her something about how he died.
Her whole Facebook page smacks of majikal horsies.
Her story and her page are just bizarre. Too much majikal farting butterflies for me.
FB of the owner: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairy-Knob-Farm/214399208607812
she seems a little. . … different.
http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/veterinary-medical-schools.php
I keep refraining from writing what I’m thinking- but this link shows a list of various schools who offer necropsy- and in all cases it’s less that $500 to have the necropsy and disposal. It’s not “thousands of dollars”… most of them are less than $300. certainly the cost of the training the horse was going to get was going to cost more than that- so that money is in the bank- it’s not like they have to come up with extra money- they aren’t going to be charged for the training- so you take that money and you find out the cause of death if there is something that seems fishy- you don’t just trust that there is a dead friesian in a hole somewhere in Texas…you know- at least SEE THE DEAD HORSE- 200 miles in Texas is next door… it’s NOTHING and for a horse who your share telepathic dreams with- you drive 2.5 hours to see for yourself. …oh and there I went and started typing again.
“Fairy” is right! Well, I won’t presume to say much about CA based on the non-information on that Fb page. It’s a very . . . interesting . . . page.
Very bizarre. She has no idea why her horse died but wanted them to somehow prevent the horse’s death. He could have had a heart attach or something. She says just enough in that one post to make you think that his death was caused by something they did.
Thanks everyone for clearing it up.
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