Primary teacher filmed kicking and hitting horse found innocent

[SushiSuave]

I never start threads about things in the news but this has shocked me. How on earth has this woman been found innocent when she was filmed kicking and hitting the horse?! I don't believe she caused lasting injury but surely being found innocent is condoning treating animals in this way?

Horsey people are some of the cruelest people to animals I have ever come across in my life. I've noticed this over and over.

I'm appalled. I don't see why it matters what other evidence there was. She punched and kicked the pony. How can those photos and that video ever be justified?

That pony doesn't understand what it's being punished for! It hasn't learnt its lesson. All it knows is that if it gets spooked and runs off it will get a battering when it comes back!

Now she feels completely vindicated and other people will think they can do that to their animals and it's fine.

I'm glad she lost her job and I hope no one else gives her a teaching job, I wouldn't want her any where near my kids. How can she teach them about kind hands and feet?

@Hippyhippybake that’s so sad. We have a new rescue cat that cannot stand to have anyone walk behind her, I suspect she has been kicked in her previous life 🥲

There is a huge difference between reprimanding a horse and a child - obviously.

First the horse probably didn't feel that much (a child would have done). But a child would understand that they would were being told off for something they had done earlier. A horse - no chance.

If our dog does something wrong, we have to tell him off immediately, like stealing food. Otherwise we have lost our opportunity and have to let it go.

How the hell does a horse link running off being wrong with a smack in the face/kick later?

It appears to me that she was in the wrong. The social media shit and her job are different things. Doesn't mean she should get off. My dog gets up to mischief often often. Can i kick and punch him? No. Nor would i even think of it.

The next time you criticise the RSPCA for not investigating or prosecuting an abuse/welfare case, just remember that an actual video of the abuse wasn’t even enough to secure a conviction.

No one deserves death threats.

Her children have been targeted.

The mob mentality is out of control.

You never, ever hit a horse around the head or punch it anywhere! They are flight animals so their first instincts if they are frightened is to run away.
There is never any justification for treating an animal like this.
If she is like this in public, imagine what she does in private.

Treating horses like this is not far outside the norm sadly. And far far worse goes on in the racing industry.
I'm not saying what she did was right however the video doesn't show the behaviour of the animal in the minutes before which were dangerous. He had dragged a child down the road and I believe lashed out at another pony. When she grabbed the pony she already had another pony in her control.
These are big powerful animals and can do a hell of a lot of damage very very quickly and as the person responsible for them you have to prioritise everyone's safety first. Including the ponies. You do what you need to do to keep everyone safe.
I have been around horses for nearly 30 years and that pony was not in the least bit distressed.

And the animal abuse apologists appear

It is definitely out of the norm in my horsey circles and I would challenge anyone I saw who treated a horse in this way.
Look at tne body language of the horse, it certainly was distressd and punching it in the face is despicable.

This. Casual abuse is absolutely normal and accepted in many horse places. A slap across the nose, a punch in the chest, a slap on the shoulder, a hard yank on the bit, a smack with a stick. They might be justified by the perpetrator and others will nod along and say it has to be done or the horse won’t respect you but it’s bollocks really. The casual cruelty and abuse meted out to many horses in riding schools is one of the reasons I don’t ride at the moment - I can’t find a stables I’m happy with the way they treat the horses.

I guess there is a question to be asked about why the pony was there in the first place if he’s unpredictable? Presumably people know their horses and if they have form for this, you don’t take them to big horsey events.

Clear footage of nasty animal abuse. Shocking that she got away with it! I have no words to describe this person.
Lucky to have beautiful animals like this and look at what she does. Probably hits her kids as well. Most abusers start with animals before moving to children.

Just to add to the above I in absolutely no way condone the way she behaved. But I do understand the panic and reactive way people can behave when in a dangerous situation with a large animal.

So imagine she punched the horse and startled it even more, it backs into another horse in fright and that horse lashes out. Good idea. Well handled.

how was punching it in the head doing what she needed to do to keep everyone safe?

Disgusting outcome. Vile woman who is now playing the victim.

I'm no animal abuse apologist, the case has however resulted in death threats which is awful.

I really worry about the whipped up hatred.

We own ponies and this woman is disgusting!!! The video is absolutely awful. She kicked the horse and then hit in the face several time. Horrible woman and I hope this follows her for life!

I’m surprised and saddened by the outcome.

So if she did that to the children in her charge, you'd be ok with that?
Children are unpredictable too. Should we all go around kicking them and punching them?

I actually agree with this. I never allow our ponies to be hit, but horsey people are often horrible people.

She is vile and deserves to be shunned.

did the mentality, quite evident on this forum, help get her off i wonder?

Erm.. the video of her punching and kicking the horse perhaps?

i guess you have to be a lot crueler