# Prince Harry Faces Animal Cruelty Claim



## JadeyyAndLadyy (3 September 2010)

Havent seen it be posted, read it in the newspaper yesterday.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cruelty-claim-polo-ponys-stab-wound-spur.html


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## Ignition (3 September 2010)

Unfortunately these things can happen when you mix thin skinned horses and spurs. I daresay he felt awful about it, and hopefully he can be forgiven. More ammunition for the townies against us poshies-with-horses-who-hunt though, sadly


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## JadeyyAndLadyy (3 September 2010)

Ignition said:



			Unfortunately these things can happen when you mix thin skinned horses and spurs. I daresay he felt awful about it, and hopefully he can be forgiven. More ammunition for the townies against us poshies-with-horses-who-hunt though, sadly  

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I Agree. And non-horsey people cant understand that when someone is riding, they cant see whats going on under the horse. Harry did get off as soon as someone mentioned the injury yet people are still calling him heartless....


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## blackstar (3 September 2010)

I don't think its a case of cruelty, it was clearly accidental and as reported he got off for the horse to be treated, but I also think that he's been pretty rough with his spurs to do that, even on a thin skinned polo pony. I ride my relatively thin skinned WBxTB in spurs and really cannot imagine ever doing anything that would cause the skin to break, not with round edge spurs.  Its not a 'nudge' that caused that.


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## snaptie (3 September 2010)

While I support neither, it's fascinating to see the different responses regarding the Traveller horse ridden into the pub and the Princes polo pony being injured with spurs. Both horses are subject to some physical pain and/or mental/emotional suffering in one form or another. 

Ignorant slapping about versus digging a piece of metal into a horses side, which one is better? 

There's only one way to find out. 

FIGHT!!!


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## JadeyyAndLadyy (3 September 2010)

snaptie said:



			While I support neither, it's fascinating to see the different responses regarding the Traveller horse ridden into the pub and the Princes polo pony being injured with spurs. Both horses are subject to some physical pain and/or mental/emotional suffering in one form or another. 

Ignorant slapping about versus digging a piece of metal into a horses side, which one is better? 

There's only one way to find out. 

FIGHT!!!
		
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LOL sorry this did make me chuckle a bit, made me think about harry hill 
But i agree, both as bad as each other, surely he must've been using them spurs so violently to cause them to actually penetrate the skin


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## Dotilas (3 September 2010)

Unless you were at the scene and know the entire circumstances, I personally feel you have no grounds to make comments like that. 

There are a large number of possibilities in how this could have happened, through a bump from another player/horse during a ride off, serious loss of balance etc. I very much doubt that this was deliberate.

To assume the worst is not very open minded of you. In all other aspects the horse looks very fit and well, this is clearly not a welfare case.

And on another note, the daily mail spouts utter ****! If spurs "aren't necessary for a competent rider", why the heck are they compulsary in higher level dressage?!

May I also add that if the horse was bay, the nick would probably never have been noticed.


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## snaptie (4 September 2010)

alicjabw1 said:



			Unless you were at the scene and know the entire circumstances, I personally feel you have no grounds to make comments like that. 

There are a large number of possibilities in how this could have happened, through a bump from another player/horse during a ride off, serious loss of balance etc. I very much doubt that this was deliberate.

To assume the worst is not very open minded of you. In all other aspects the horse looks very fit and well, this is clearly not a welfare case.

And on another note, the daily mail spouts utter ****! If spurs "aren't necessary for a competent rider", why the heck are they compulsary in higher level dressage?!

May I also add that if the horse was bay, the nick would probably never have been noticed.
		
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For me, there has been no issue raised as to the horses ongoing welfare, you are the person who brought it up. He is in fine physical form. And clearly, nobody has stated this was utterly deliberate. The main problem area is how he has been treated. The obsession to win from his rider injured the horse unnecessarily for a silly little game.  

Disregarding all the excuses made on behalf of this incident for the benefit of someone who is a stranger, in dressage the spurs are needed as the practise requires minimal obvious observed signals from the rider, never are they applied hard enough to actively punch a hole, however 'nick' it may be in the sensitive ribcage area from an overexcited person in pursuit of a goal of whatever form. 

I can just picture the clamouring if the person who created the injury was someone accordingly different. 

This forum appears to be full of double-standards and hypocrisy.


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## JanetGeorge (4 September 2010)

snaptie said:



			Disregarding all the excuses made on behalf of this incident for the benefit of someone who is a stranger, in dressage the spurs are needed as the practise requires minimal obvious observed signals from the rider, never are they applied hard enough to actively punch a hole, however 'nick' it may be in the sensitive ribcage area from an overexcited person in pursuit of a goal of whatever form.
		
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I doubt if the spurs were used hard 'in pursuit of a goal'!  Polo ponies rarelyneed encouragement to gofaster!  And 'fine control' is pretty damn important in polo where horses travel in close proximity to each other at full gallop!  From the look of the nick, I would guess it happened when the rider was low over the shoulder striking the ball.  If he over-reached himself (rider not horse!) he could have lost his balance slightly and gripped up with his leg to save himself from falling (which could have resulted in WORSE injury to the horse, the rider and other horses and riders,  as a rider falling at speed often unbalances the horse badly - and a falling horse or rider often 'trips up' others.)

As others have said, if the horse had been bay, the nick would have gone un-noticed - and if had been any other rider, the press wouldn't have bothered running the story!


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## Dobby (4 September 2010)

Ouch. I'm sure this was an accident (as I'm sure he wouldn't use spurs intentionally in such a way to cause this) but all the same, if this is the kind of injury that can happen from wearing spurs in polo then perhaps they should think about changing the rules. I know accidents occur to horses in other disciplines but polo is very different in that it involves direct physical contact with others - surely spurs would be dangerous in such an environment, even if used by a considerate rider?


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## Onyxia (4 September 2010)

snaptie said:



			While I support neither, it's fascinating to see the different responses regarding the Traveller horse ridden into the pub and the Princes polo pony being injured with spurs. Both horses are subject to some physical pain and/or mental/emotional suffering in one form or another. 

Ignorant slapping about versus digging a piece of metal into a horses side, which one is better? 

There's only one way to find out. 

FIGHT!!!
		
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LOL!

The video of the horses in the pub is clearly far worse-the polo pony picked up a wound in a game,sad but it happens and will have been treated correctly ASAP.
The horses in the pub had people kicking out at them and pulling them about for their own amusment,while both obviously feel the same pain and emotions the polo pony was a simple accident(they do still happen  ) the pain/upset for the pub horses was diliberate.


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## Dotilas (4 September 2010)

The large part of my comments were in general response to the article posted which, as usual from the DM, is written by someone who has very little idea about the equestrian world. The article does not reflect badly on just Prince Harry or Polo, it reflects badly on equestrianism in general. 



snaptie said:



			For me, there has been no issue raised as to the horses ongoing welfare, you are the person who brought it up. He is in fine physical form.
		
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The fact that the horse is subject of an "animal cruelty case" caused me to make this comment. The fine form of the horse suggests that this was a one off accident (kudos to whoever said that they do still happen  )




			And clearly, nobody has stated this was utterly deliberate.
		
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My post was mostly in reply to the post above that stated:




			surely he must've been using them spurs so violently
		
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 which in my mind, is near enough an exact statement, and the poster was looking for agreement to this statement. I was merely posting the other possibilities.




			The main problem area is how he has been treated. The obsession to win from his rider injured the horse unnecessarily for a silly little game.
		
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I wholly agree with the comments about riding polo horses above. 




			Disregarding all the excuses made on behalf of this incident for the benefit of someone who is a stranger, in dressage the spurs are needed as the practise requires minimal obvious observed signals from the rider, never are they applied hard enough to actively punch a hole, however 'nick' it may be in the sensitive ribcage area from an overexcited person in pursuit of a goal of whatever form.
		
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Again my comment about spurs in dressage was to highlight the utter tosh that the DM prints, and which a large part of the population seem to take word for word! (This is what worries me the most!




			I can just picture the clamouring if the person who created the injury was someone accordingly different. 

This forum appears to be full of double-standards and hypocrisy.
		
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It is a very small injury, with hardly any blood, and unfortunately things like this do happen. Again I will repeat that had this occured on a darker horse, it would barely be noticable in a photograph.


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## EAST KENT (4 September 2010)

Obviously in a fast and furious game like polo it would be easy to use spurs too harshly ,personally I did`nt think it was "a little nick" at all,quite a cut really.So why can they not use dummy spurs?? Polo ponies are equine motor bikes ,very little encouragement needed to accelerate,and dummies would be quite man enough for the job.


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## amandap (4 September 2010)

I think it does raise the question whether the wearing of spurs in Polo is really a good idea with all the bumping and barging that is the nature of the game. For me this sort of injury shouldn't happen and the fact that it may well go un noticed on horses of other colours or who was riding is not the issue here imo.


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## Achinghips (4 September 2010)

amandap said:



			I think it does raise the question whether the wearing of spurs in Polo is really a good idea with all the bumping and barging that is the nature of the game. For me this sort of injury shouldn't happen and the fact that it may well go un noticed on horses of other colours or who was riding is not the issue here imo.
		
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Agree. Beautifully put.


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## LucyPriory (4 September 2010)

Rotchana said:



			Agree. Beautifully put.

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Causing injury whether by accident or intent with spurs is unacceptable.  I would suggest that anyone who thinks it is ok, should have someone stick them in the ribs sufficiently hard to make a puncture wound and draw blood.


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## Seahorse (4 September 2010)

I used to ride a big german warmblood GP dressage horse, on him I had to wear spurs, one day in the indoor school he got really close to the wall dragging my leg along it which caused my spur to dig in him and get dragged back causing an injury to him just like the one on prince harrys horse.
I imagine if he got his leg knocked into that would do the same thing.


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## SKY (4 September 2010)

i dont use spurrs so dont know, just wondering why use them, is it lack of leg aid.  i fell awful for the horse, but read he got of when he was told horse was hurt, he mighten have noticed when he was on her.


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## MagicMelon (9 September 2010)

I would hope he didn't mean to cause this but hello - why on earth are spurs this sharp used?!  Horrid.  I seriously hope he did get off as soon as he realised.  But TBH, he must have been booting it pretty darn hard to cause that, in which cause - good get him done for animal cruelty.  Nice to know he's not above the law.  I also dont think spurs should be used in polo anyway.


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## maxmaisiemillie (26 January 2020)

I'm a new member, so hello. These pics of Harry on polo ponies concern me, not because of the spurs, but concern for the ponies' mouths. In the bigger picture, his right hand is under, not over, the rein, and all his weight is on the pony's mouth, braced by his legs in the stirrups. It looks very wrong to me and I would like to know what more experienced riders think.


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## ycbm (26 January 2020)

Zombie thread and inappropriate time to be picking on Harry for an incident ten years ago, sorry. 

.


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## JFTDWS (26 January 2020)

Very zombie thread, and I think polo ponies put up with (far far) worse than Harry on them, to be honest.


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## Sandstone1 (26 January 2020)

What s the point of bringing this up?
It's 10 years old and hopefully Harry knows better now.


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## JanetGeorge (26 January 2020)

maxmaisiemillie said:



			I'm a new member, so hello. These pics of Harry on polo ponies concern me, not because of the spurs, but concern for the ponies' mouths. In the bigger picture, his right hand is under, not over, the rein, and all his weight is on the pony's mouth, braced by his legs in the stirrups. It looks very wrong to me and I would like to know what more experienced riders think.
		
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lol, the main thing those pictures tell me is that Harry is trying to ride more like his father, with the goal rating more like his grand-father.  I watched Prince Philip play polo in Australia quite a few times - he was a 5 goal play (if my memory serves me correctly, but no higher.)  He really liked spending play time with Sinclair Hill in Quirindi (one of the polo heartlands in NSW). Sinclair was a 9 goal player.  I also saw Prince Charless play several times in Quirindi - and actually groomed for him at a practice play (match was cancelled 2 hours befoe it was due to start due to excessive rain.)  The rain was a shame - the match - to be played as a 3 a side because the Sydney Showground wasn't quite big enough for 4 a side) - the teams were to be Sinclair and the 2 Princes against 'the Rest of the World.  Prince Charles was a 3 goal player.  In my judgement (and a certain amount of polo gossip), Prince Phillip was the better player because he took more chances (with his own health and his horses') than his son.  Prince Phillip particularly LIKED the tougher games in Asutralia because - apparently when in England if he was on the line, he kept it.  The Aussies of course didn't CARE who he was - and happily tried to catch him and shove.  The proof I was on the sidelines for was when Phillip had the line, well in front and flat out - no-one could have caught him.  And a toddler ran straight out in front of his horse's front legs - EVERYONE gasped in horror.  He stopped - standing horse on hind legs in process - and no-one checked the horse fo a cut mouth - the pic that appeared in the next day's Sydney Morning Herald showed just how close the child had come to being killed.  The cartoon was more 'descriptive' - it showed the 'unnamed' player in exactly that position and the 'quote' coming from his mouth was completely ~~**########!!  I heard it - it was very accurate, lol. EVERYONE who was sober enough and watching heard it!  

Holding the reins over the hands obviously CAN be very severe when used while bracing yourself against the stirrups and with hands raised.  I was taught to hold them that way - in one hand - when schooling a horse who was stiff on one side - obviously the over hand rein on the side of the stiffness and reluctance to flex that way.  It worked - improved every horse I rode who had a one sided stiffness.  It was taught to me by the late, great Molly Sivewright!! But she sure didn't teach it THAT way.  It ensured (when used correctly) that you used less strength in that hand - which also had to GIVE and follow the rein - from your elbows to the bit!

Of course, Sinclair Hill was a better rider than either of them - and a better polo player too.  He MADE his own ponies and made quite a lot of extra money; selling a surplus of ponies bred and schooled by him, which weren't quite good enough to play at his level.

Where Prince Harry is concerned, it is worth remembering that, in common with numerous social sporting events, polo has become synonymous with charity fundraising. And since 2007 Prince William and Prince Harry have together raised over $10 million for charity from polo events.


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## JanetGeorge (26 January 2020)

Oops - and I found the most unheard of newspaper running a story very close to the time and place I was at in '68-'69.  I was on a station near Willow Tree, which was part of the Quirindi 'catchment' area.   The match mentioned in the last sentence of this article was almost certainlt the one where Prince Phillip stopped on a sixpence and saved a young child's life - with expletives deleted.  Of course, back then we didn't have e-mails or newspapers online.  And 1st class post took close to a week, lol.  https://www.moreechampion.com.au/story/2236127/prince-philip-once-visited-moree/


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## ycbm (26 January 2020)

ycbm said:



			Zombie thread and inappropriate time to be picking on Harry for an incident ten years ago, sorry.

.
		
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Bump


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## Five&Two (26 January 2020)

Get over yiu



LucyPriory said:



			Causing injury whether by accident or intent with spurs is unacceptable.  I would suggest that anyone who thinks it is ok, should have someone stick them in the ribs sufficiently hard to make a puncture wound and draw blood.
		
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Get over yourself


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## ester (26 January 2020)

Five&Two said:



			Get over yiu

Get over yourself
		
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you realise you just replied to someone who hasn't been on the forum for years lol!


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## tristar (27 January 2020)

oh no not spurs again


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## Cortez (27 January 2020)

Seen FAR worse on the polo field; those poor buggers put up with a lot of very bad riding. He's not a great rider; neither are a lot of people.


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## maxmaisiemillie (28 January 2020)

I am sorry. I'm 83 and don't know what a zombie post is. I have earned my living looking after horses. These photographs may be 10 years old but I didn't know that. They were in a newspaper about 6 months ago. Thanks to those who replied.


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## CorvusCorax (28 January 2020)

I wish I could get people many years your junior to use a scanner so adeptly!!


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## tristar (29 January 2020)

those photos will be etched on my mind forever.

and that is not a slight boot rub,       its a bloody great hole


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## ycbm (29 January 2020)

tristar said:



			those photos will be etched on my mind forever.

and that is not a slight boot rub,       its a bloody great hole
		
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They are TEN YEARS old.

I dislike polo intensely, things happen every chukka  that would cause a rider elimination in almost any other horse sport.

But honestly, hasn't Harry got enough on his plate without being criticised for ten year old pictures?

Perhaps someone can start a thread on polo and let this one die a quiet death?


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## tristar (29 January 2020)

yes i know its an old thread

strange logic


i think that horse `had a lot on its plate`` as well


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## Leo Walker (29 January 2020)

ester said:



			you realise you just replied to someone who hasn't been on the forum for years lol!
		
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Shes had so many user names I'm surprised shes not talking to herself. Is this number 10 or 11 now?!


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## MagicMelon (23 March 2020)

Ignition said:



			Unfortunately these things can happen when you mix thin skinned horses and spurs. I daresay he felt awful about it, and hopefully he can be forgiven. More ammunition for the townies against us poshies-with-horses-who-hunt though, sadly  

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Disagree. Im no townie and certainly do not hunt. I also disagree that "these things happen". Dont use spurs. Pretty simple. I dont get why spurs are even allowed in an environment like polo (but hey Id like to see spurs and whips banned full stop).


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## honetpot (23 March 2020)

Leo Walker said:



			Shes had so many user names I'm surprised shes not talking to herself. Is this number 10 or 11 now?!
		
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Wish I could attach a Mutley giff.


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