08/29/2026
⛔️⛔️WARNING- VIDEO IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO WATCH⛔️⛔️
-DISCLAIMER-First I will say the individual attacked in the video (a trainer who was hired to work with the horse) survived. She has severe injuries and will require a surgery to repair her shoulder. Photos of injuries are included in comments-
This is an 8 year old large pony type mare that was born with and raised and owned the by the same person. Her dam is a very kind horse that is still alive and whom she was pastured with. This mare was never abused or mistreated. She is very loved and had even been ridden some being trained by her owner. The love borders on spoiling as admitted by the owner, however the owner remembers setting boundaries with her from an early age as she was "dominant". She is hand fed treats.This was not the first session with this horse. This was the result of the horse casually crowding the trainer and being asked to move out of her space. The trainer is an experienced horse person and well attuned to equine body language. The horse is in a very large roudpen/arena. Immediately after the attack the horse quietly steps back and stays just a few feet away, watching alert but relaxed. She is loose during this time and the gate is left open when people enter to render aid and the horse is not reactive nor fearful at this time. She does display licking and chewing, and then lifts a back foot slightly to rest. Owner hasn't noticed big changes in heat cycles but they did have some family changes some time before the incident. The horse has been somewhat aggressive to goats and small animals and some other horses. This horse has not had dental care since she was about two. She eats very well and is in fact overweight. Moves out very soundly. No major injuries except a fit during halter training that resulted in falling down. She has charged, attacked and or bitten two others since this including her owner. She shows no neurological behavior otherwise and is very sweet when you have something she wants.
*This horse has been surrendered by the owner. We will share updates after this horse is vetted Tuesday. We plan to pull blood, do genetic testing, xrays, ultrasound etc. We are looking for a possible physical reason for the aggression. That does not mean we will or will not euthanize her. I've picked 5 people to assist in making that decision (Vet, behavior, etc). We are well aware these situations bring out deep feelings and while we expect emotional comments please respect the owner, the trainer, and CHRN. We absolutely realize the liability and that she is likely not going to be able to be placed in a traditional sense if at all. We are NOT interested in "rewilding", sanctuary or animal communicators. This horse is DANGEROUS. No amount of training or "fixing" medical issues can guarantee this won't happen again and that's a big consideration. There are horses all over the world with medical issues, in pain, that are spoiled or not "reprimanded" who do NOT try to kill people. This situation is exceedingly rare. Unabused, known history, known training, young, healthy, mare that reacts to being asked to back off with a vicious dog like attack. This isn't a stallion. Not an abused horse. Not a feral horse. We must consider human safety over a horse's life.
