Teacher filmed attacking her horse

[GrabbyAbbie]

Just seen the footage of a woman attacking a horse after a "drag hunt"
She is a primary school teacher and a member of the pony club.
Aibu to think she should lose her job over this?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2021/11/09/foxhunter-filmed-slapping-and-kicking-horse-is-primary-school-teacher-15567946/amp/

I used to work at the preschool she’s a director of. (When it was run by a lovely lady in the village hall, many years ago). 90% of the children came from families who had horses or who rode out with the hunt.

I do think she might lose her job, not because the school will want to, but because they can’t keep the lid on this now the story has got so big. Had it have been a story in the local paper it might have been a different kettle of fish.

People in the county are quite angry about it. There’s been a lot of posts in Facebook groups about it. I was gobsmacked to see some huntsmen getting arsey about the people who took the video, today. They knew they couldn’t defend her, outright, so this was their way of trying to detract from the issue.

I absolutely don’t condone the fact that she’s had to move out of her home, with her children, because she’s getting death threats. That’s gone far too far. She’s done wrong but her family haven’t.

Abusing the horse was horrible and cruel and should be investigated further but how is she 'bringing the school into disrepute'? it's got absolutely nothing to do with the school.

Because she's been identified on social media and her job and school has been mentioned as a result.

It doesn't look good on a school to have staff on their books who think it's acceptable to abuse animals.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee

If she's a mother, or if she were a mother, should her children be removed from her too or is it just teachers' children?

Who is talking about having her children removed from her?

If she loses her job then the children in her class are being removed from her care, in effect. Sorry, I thought I'd expressed it simply enough. Teachers are always expected to have much higher standards than parents, strangely enough.

She could be a really good teacher for all we know. I feel really uncomfortable with mob rule. I agree totally that she should be dealt with by the law, but not death threats and job threats from keyboard warriors. I find that more frightening than hunting tbh.

If she loses her job then the children in her class are being removed from her care, in effect. Sorry, I thought I'd expressed it simply enough.

The threshold for losing your job as a teacher is obviously much lower than that of losing your children from your care. It's irrelevant to make such a comparison.

@PWYP76 give over will you?!

I'm not clear about the link between being a primary school teacher and animal cruelty that you're making.

There absolutely is a link between animal cruelty and future crimes.

Most men convicted of child abuse or extreme violence against women started by being violent to animals. It’s about hurting/scaring someone more vulnerable than you.
I assume it would be the same with females too. And I feel like if this was a male teacher people would absolutely not want their children around him.

She’s done wrong but her family haven’t.

I agree.

The legal process of sacking someone isn't straight forward if they can build a case good luck to them .

.Just sacking her now could end up in a tribunal .

I wouldn't have much time for her if she taught my kids due to the hunting side of things, but would be civil and happy if she taught my children well. With what has happened, I think she should lose her job.

Teachers are always expected to have much higher standards than parents, strangely enough.

Teachers are highly trained professionals, who receive a wage from the state in respect of their qualifications and ability to guide children's academic, social and emotional learning, including through appropriate discipline. They are responsible for groups of up to 30 children for c6h/day, five days a week. The state encourages us to send our children to school to benefit from teachers' expertise.

Therefore it doesn't seem at all unreasonable to expect teachers to have higher standards than the average parent.

@BertramLacey

how is she 'bringing the school into disrepute'? it's got absolutely nothing to do with the school.

Because there is a social media storm over it and the school has been identified. Whilst we might want to keep our personal and professional lives separate, if you act like this in public you run the risk that the two will collide. Her actions will have consequences and the school is investigating what happened.

The school is investigating not RSPCA? I didn't know about the social media shit storm but why is the school investigating?

@5keletor

I wouldn't have much time for her if she taught my kids due to the hunting side of things, but would be civil and happy if she taught my children well. With what has happened, I think she should lose her job.

Don't move to the country then. Quite a few staff and kids at the local state secondary hunt.

@treguffin I live in the country. We have a few hunts nearby, I donate to the local sabs and see how nasty a lot of the hunters get. I can't abide bloodsports, father in law will sometimes have to shoot foxes to protect his livestock but there's no need to have them torn apart by hounds for fun.

I agree @treguffin - trial by social media is always wrong.

Hunt saboteurs and animal rights protesters are often pretty unpleasant and ignorant individuals (I used to know some and when it comes to people they seem to be morally bankrupt) and she doesn’t deserve death threats, and I’m on the fence about whether her job should be in danger - I think that is down to the nature of her profession and the fact it has become so big, as PP have said.

I have horses and with one of mine I have to be firmer than I would like to sometimes in order to keep myself safe (he is a work in progress and I am pregnant so I have more of a need to protect myself at the moment), but I don’t hit him. What she did was undoubtedly wrong, but I see worse on the yard where I keep my horses, most days actually. Lots of shouting and hitting for no reason, I switch off from it now, each to their own and you can’t argue with stupid. It doesn’t make it right but really the RSPCA and authorities have more important cases to be worrying about.

People in regulated professions, such as medicine, nursing and teaching, have standards they are expected to adhere to. One of those standards is you should not bring your profession into disrepute with your conduct. Drink driving, posting racist comments on Twitter, beating animals in public etc.

"Teacher beats horse" is disgraceful. It's now in the public. I will be very surprised if she doesn't get fired.

Whilst not condoning her behaviour, there may have been some background which made her temporarily see red. I.e. did the horse bite her or barge her? Sometimes people lash out if they get hurt. Either way she fully deserves to lose her pony club position and be investigated by the RSPCA. But does she deserve to be on the front page of the papers and hounded out of her home and job? Unfortunately there is far worse animal cruelty in the farming industry and many condemning her may well be eating cheap intensively farmed meat and inadvertently be responsible for far greater suffering.

[quote 5keletor]@treguffin I live in the country. We have a few hunts nearby, I donate to the local sabs and see how nasty a lot of the hunters get. I can't abide bloodsports, father in law will sometimes have to shoot foxes to protect his livestock but there's no need to have them torn apart by hounds for fun.[/quote]
Yes lots of sabs at the local school as well!

The school is investigating not RSPCA? I didn't know about the social media shit storm but why is the school investigating?

No, the RSPCA is investigating as well. The school will be investigating because the social media storm around this is bringing the school into disrepute. They cannot sit around and do nothing. I don't know what aspects they are investigating, whether it's cruelty or the resultant shitstorm, but they are investigating.

I think she’s completely fucked after this.

Poor horse. It’s just utterly unbelievable that she did this, and in public! Wonder what goes on behind closed doors!

This probably won't make me popular but If I were a parent and she taught my kids I would be creating merry hell with the school trying to her sacked. I don't care if it's nothing to do with her job, I don't care if it made me a busybody, I can't fucking stand animal abusers, and quite frankly she deserves to suffer in some way.

I'd not send my kids to a preschool where someone like this worked - kids who can't tell you what has gone on fully needed be looked after by people who are kind, patient and have a decent moral compass. I guess if others felt the same, the directorship would be in jealousy.

Re the school job. Well, that is up to the school I guess - what do schools do usually with an animal cruelty conviction?

She is a Huntswoman, part of a Hunt. Cruelty to animals is second nature.
Of course she will lose her job.

Good, I hope she does. Fucking cruel scumbag.

@Hugoslavia

Whilst not condoning her behaviour, there may have been some background which made her temporarily see red. I.e. did the horse bite her or barge her? Sometimes people lash out if they get hurt. Either way she fully deserves to lose her pony club position and be investigated by the RSPCA. But does she deserve to be on the front page of the papers and hounded out of her home and job? Unfortunately there is far worse animal cruelty in the farming industry and many condemning her may well be eating cheap intensively farmed meat and inadvertently be responsible for far greater suffering.

This is exactly what dh just said. Berating her while eating battery eggs and chickens is hypocritical.

Having watched it again you can't actually see her kicking the horse in the video, she looks as though she does and I assume she does, but would be hard to prove beyond doubt. The slaps are horrible to see but the pony was probably not actually hurt by them. Yes please rspca, yes please dumped by pony club and the hunt, but I'm not sure she deserves to lose her job.

Well she probably won't be doing that again 😬, lesson learned perhaps ??? And definitely put down the pitch forks.