Post by Laura on Mar 18, 2003 8:47:20 GMT -5
From another Michigan board.... Thought you all might like to hear.. very sad.. but it sounds as though they are at peace with what they have had to do.... 
Posted by Polly on March 18, 19103 at 04:41:33:
This email is in response to my inquiry on injured parties and the stallion, and my email of support for them during a very difficult time.
Received today:
Hi Polly;
Thank you for passing on your good thoughts for my husband and business partner, Donald, but also for your concern for the other party injured in the accident at the Michigan Horse Council Horse Expo.
Following is an account of the events stated as clearly as I can recall.
This was a totally unexpected event and I confess that I was shocked for some time after the injuries occurred. Decisions that we took as a result of the stallion's behavior were the most difficult we have ever had to make.
The accident occurred on Sunday. Donald had not ridden Texcoco on either day of the Expo due to severe migraine but had revised the script and the routine to show both stallions in hand. Huachenero, who had been so good on Saturday, spooked upon entering the exhibition arena at the Pavilion. He knocked his owner and trainer, Donald, down, after biting him three times, and then dropped down on Donald's chest with his knees.
I think that the horse thought there was something to be afraid of and instead of the "flight" mechanism taking place he went into "fight" mode - after I had time to think things over it was exactly like a stud
fight. That wasn't it though. One of the volunteers at the arena caught Huachenero and tried to calm him. When she tried to stroke his face to calm him further I believe that Huachenero thought she was going to
strike him - we'll never know for sure - he grabbed her hand and flipped her around in four or five circles like a rag doll before he let her go.
Both Donald and the volunteer were rushed to hospital by ambulance. Donald has significant chest injury and is in a great deal of pain but his life is not threatened. He stayed in hospital till the following
afternoon for observation and then we stayed at a hotel until he recovered sufficiently to drive home. The volunteer has both bones of her lower right arm broken and one finger was bitten off half way up.
She required surgery but her life was not in danger. Texcoco, the other Azteca stallion, was very upset by all of this but he is fine and is the same old lovable fellow.
Donald and I agonized over the decision of what to do about Huachenero. His behavior certainly was not acceptable for an Azteca, any other type of horse or any domestic animal or pet. Two vets and several horse people that we spoke to agreed with our own assessment
that a horse that learns it can get away with that behavior may very well act that way again. Even though gelding the horse might calm him down it probably would not remove aggression from a male horse that is
more than two years old. After a great amount of soul searching we had him put down. We are now awaiting a necropsy report. We hope to learn if there were any lesions or tumors in his brain or other organs, or any
unusual hormone or chemical blood levels that might have caused him to act as he did. We bred, raised and trained Huachenero, and owned him his entire life. He was not only a magnificent and talented stallion, but
was also a beloved and respected member of our family.
Our decision to put the horse down is the only responsible decision in case the aggressive behavior might have happened again. It is one thing to be trashed by your own horse and easy to forgive him but if the horse had grabbed the volunteer by her shoulder, neck or face we might have been looking at a fatal injury. We don't keep our horses on our own
property, having sold most of our stock last fall, and cannot take the chance of another third party injury, and truth be told, I don't think that Donald wants to be injured this badly again. It's only luck that he
is alive now. A human is no contest in a stud fight - even with a a smaller stallion like Huachenero. There is also the breed to consider - we felt that we would be irresponsible to allow a known aggressive horse
to procreate as an Azteca. This item hit the TV news and the papers in the midwest USA and I don't know if it appeared in other areas or countries. We feel that our decision is good for everyone associated with the breed and for anyone who would have had to live with doubt about whether the horse would "act out" again.
Again, thank you for your kind words. During our stay in Michigan we met the most kind and wonderful people we have ever encountered. I apologize that it has taken so long to reply to your e-mail.
Regards,
Joan Caskie,
Partner, AZTECANA.
:horsie:
Posted by Polly on March 18, 19103 at 04:41:33:
This email is in response to my inquiry on injured parties and the stallion, and my email of support for them during a very difficult time.
Received today:
Hi Polly;
Thank you for passing on your good thoughts for my husband and business partner, Donald, but also for your concern for the other party injured in the accident at the Michigan Horse Council Horse Expo.
Following is an account of the events stated as clearly as I can recall.
This was a totally unexpected event and I confess that I was shocked for some time after the injuries occurred. Decisions that we took as a result of the stallion's behavior were the most difficult we have ever had to make.
The accident occurred on Sunday. Donald had not ridden Texcoco on either day of the Expo due to severe migraine but had revised the script and the routine to show both stallions in hand. Huachenero, who had been so good on Saturday, spooked upon entering the exhibition arena at the Pavilion. He knocked his owner and trainer, Donald, down, after biting him three times, and then dropped down on Donald's chest with his knees.
I think that the horse thought there was something to be afraid of and instead of the "flight" mechanism taking place he went into "fight" mode - after I had time to think things over it was exactly like a stud
fight. That wasn't it though. One of the volunteers at the arena caught Huachenero and tried to calm him. When she tried to stroke his face to calm him further I believe that Huachenero thought she was going to
strike him - we'll never know for sure - he grabbed her hand and flipped her around in four or five circles like a rag doll before he let her go.
Both Donald and the volunteer were rushed to hospital by ambulance. Donald has significant chest injury and is in a great deal of pain but his life is not threatened. He stayed in hospital till the following
afternoon for observation and then we stayed at a hotel until he recovered sufficiently to drive home. The volunteer has both bones of her lower right arm broken and one finger was bitten off half way up.
She required surgery but her life was not in danger. Texcoco, the other Azteca stallion, was very upset by all of this but he is fine and is the same old lovable fellow.
Donald and I agonized over the decision of what to do about Huachenero. His behavior certainly was not acceptable for an Azteca, any other type of horse or any domestic animal or pet. Two vets and several horse people that we spoke to agreed with our own assessment
that a horse that learns it can get away with that behavior may very well act that way again. Even though gelding the horse might calm him down it probably would not remove aggression from a male horse that is
more than two years old. After a great amount of soul searching we had him put down. We are now awaiting a necropsy report. We hope to learn if there were any lesions or tumors in his brain or other organs, or any
unusual hormone or chemical blood levels that might have caused him to act as he did. We bred, raised and trained Huachenero, and owned him his entire life. He was not only a magnificent and talented stallion, but
was also a beloved and respected member of our family.
Our decision to put the horse down is the only responsible decision in case the aggressive behavior might have happened again. It is one thing to be trashed by your own horse and easy to forgive him but if the horse had grabbed the volunteer by her shoulder, neck or face we might have been looking at a fatal injury. We don't keep our horses on our own
property, having sold most of our stock last fall, and cannot take the chance of another third party injury, and truth be told, I don't think that Donald wants to be injured this badly again. It's only luck that he
is alive now. A human is no contest in a stud fight - even with a a smaller stallion like Huachenero. There is also the breed to consider - we felt that we would be irresponsible to allow a known aggressive horse
to procreate as an Azteca. This item hit the TV news and the papers in the midwest USA and I don't know if it appeared in other areas or countries. We feel that our decision is good for everyone associated with the breed and for anyone who would have had to live with doubt about whether the horse would "act out" again.
Again, thank you for your kind words. During our stay in Michigan we met the most kind and wonderful people we have ever encountered. I apologize that it has taken so long to reply to your e-mail.
Regards,
Joan Caskie,
Partner, AZTECANA.
:horsie:
Glad the people involved are going to be OK.
