Horse Lost on firing range!

Aldaniti

Aldaniti

At the Start
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
2,360
Location
Wickford
Poor sod, if he has been killed I hope it was quick :(

From the RP

THE owner-trainer of the hurdler who galloped loose onto a military firing range in Kent accepted on Friday that the six-time winner "is most probably dead" having been missing for a week.

Owned and trained by Philip Sharp, Zimbabwe escaped onto the 22 square mile range after unseating his rider while being exercised on adjacent Camber Sands.

"It has been a week now," said Sharp, "and I reluctantly must accept that poor Zimbabwe is most probably dead.
13620.jpg
Zimbabwe: lost on firing range
PICTURE:Caroline Norris
"My worst fear is that he is out there somewhere badly injured and suffering terribly. I'm desperately anxious to find him, and then at least I can give him a proper burial."
Sharp has not been allowed to conduct a thorough search of the Ministry of Defence's property due to security restrictions and added: "It is also ridiculous that three sides of the range have 12ft high razor-topped fencing, while there is no protection whatsoever from the beach - children have wandered off across the dunes onto the site.
"I wanted to get a helicopter up with an infrared camera, but they wouldn't let me."
Sharp also said that he considered it unlikely that the horse had returned to the beach and drowned,explaining: "I checked with the coastguard and they've had no reports of a horse being washed up."

An MOD spokesman said they were doing everything possible to find the 10-year-old, whose wins include the 2003 Irish Cesarewitch for his breeder Sheikh Mohammed and former trainer John Oxx. His most recent win came in a Fontwell selling hurdle in April 2007, when trained by Gary Moore.
 
Aldaniti said:
Poor sod, if he has been killed I hope it was quick :(

From the RP

THE owner-trainer of the hurdler who galloped loose onto a military firing range in Kent accepted on Friday that the six-time winner "is most probably dead" having been missing for a week.

Owned and trained by Philip Sharp, Zimbabwe escaped onto the 22 square mile range after unseating his rider while being exercised on adjacent Camber Sands.

"It has been a week now," said Sharp, "and I reluctantly must accept that poor Zimbabwe is most probably dead.
13620.jpg
Zimbabwe: lost on firing range
PICTURE:Caroline Norris
"My worst fear is that he is out there somewhere badly injured and suffering terribly. I'm desperately anxious to find him, and then at least I can give him a proper burial."
Sharp has not been allowed to conduct a thorough search of the Ministry of Defence's property due to security restrictions and added: "It is also ridiculous that three sides of the range have 12ft high razor-topped fencing, while there is no protection whatsoever from the beach - children have wandered off across the dunes onto the site.
"I wanted to get a helicopter up with an infrared camera, but they wouldn't let me."
Sharp also said that he considered it unlikely that the horse had returned to the beach and drowned,explaining: "I checked with the coastguard and they've had no reports of a horse being washed up."

An MOD spokesman said they were doing everything possible to find the 10-year-old, whose wins include the 2003 Irish Cesarewitch for his breeder Sheikh Mohammed and former trainer John Oxx. His most recent win came in a Fontwell selling hurdle in April 2007, when trained by Gary Moore.
Click to expand...
I believe one or two of our members have some knowledge of Philip Sharp. I await their comments with interest.
 
The MoD can't locate a horse in a 22m square range? And they feel our troops can locate a little posse of Taliban in an entire country? If the horse can't be found in a week, then I suggest we pull the boys back now and let the Tallies get on with stoning wimmin and growing opium. We're obviously wasting billions on surveillance and spy systems that are of no use either here or there.
 
I can see what Aldaniti means: if the horse has been injured no-one can get to him to help. I am sure that Aldaniti would prefer Zimbabwe is alive and uninjured but the length of time that has passed does not bode well and I would very much hope he is not out there suffering. And I agree with krizon. Shocking that the MOD, with all of it's technology including thermal imaging, cannot locate a horse lost on it's property. That really does not bode well.
Poor Zimbabwe.
 
krizon said:
The MoD can't locate a horse in a 22m square range? And they feel our troops can locate a little posse of Taliban in an entire country? If the horse can't be found in a week, then I suggest we pull the boys back now and let the Tallies get on with stoning wimmin and growing opium. We're obviously wasting billions on surveillance and spy systems that are of no use either here or there.
Click to expand...

More like they can't be arsed. Pity enough pressure wasn't brought to bear.
 
Anyone else remember the betting patterns on this horse in a claiming hurdle at Plumpton a couple of years back. Drifted from about 4/6 out to bigger than 2/1 before breaking down badly after jumping the first.
 
I know 22 square mile is quite large but its not like they would be looking for a small dog size thing is it! I mean a helicopter with 2 observers would soon find him,dead or alive. But typical MOD! Would also be good practice for them has after 2-3 years they still can't find OBL!!!

Interested in Rory's comments though,lets face it,the horse had lost its way (excuse the pun).
 
Well, you did ask!!!!!

Firstly, this guy Sharp is a clown of the highest order and it is one of life's enormous mysteries how on earth he managed to con a licence - even a permit - out of the authorities in the first place. There are countless stories abounding about him in all sorts of situations - he seems to attract calamity like shite attracts flies.

We do not know what circumstances surrounded this event but we - and others - can have damn good guesses. It is our suspicion that they were more than likely fresh as hell having been cooped up in boxes for days on end due to the weather before being dragged out on a mission to gallop on Camber Sands - resulting in well imagined yee-haas and untold amounts of trouble on setting foot on said beach.

It is worth pointing out here that we have received numerous reports over the years about Sharp horses in one way or another, including many gallop reports coming from 'work' sessions with horses from licensed yards. It would be normal for the Sharp participant to be 'working' (y'all will see the necessity for the inverted commas coming up) with gallop partners that weren't in the same county, let alone within 20 yards of them, (this could be to the left or right of them, or in front or behind) during said 'work session' entirely due to the lack of control of the pilot steering the Sharp inmate. Unseats would not be uncommon either.

I'd be interested to see what this guy really thinks he is going to achieve by antagonising the MoD and threatening legal action - legal action over what?? Sharp is the one in the hottest water so far for admitting - nay boasting over - illegally trespassing on an MoD firing range, complete with unexploded, hidden bombs! I also cannot see that any legal case can be brought against someone whose land a riderless horse trespasses on entirely down to the incompetence that led to the animal getting loose in the first place.

It is a shame that this poor animal has been put through this and I would hope - and think it is most likely - that he had a quick death with minimal suffering. It is still not beyond the realms of possibility that he ended up back on the beach and drowned.
 
Do you mean this is a deliberate act? Surely not. This a decent horse. I'm always defending racing against malcontents. Dearie me. At this point only interested in Zimbabwe's welfare. Will think on about the wider questions.
 
No I am not not saying it was a deliberate act at all, but that it will more than likely have come about entirely due to ignorance and incompetence.
 
There's something about this that has the smell of elderly haddock, the more I think about it. Had the chance to have a natter about it with two Press types this morning at Lingfield, too, and we're of the same opinion: why on earth would Zim go dashing off into the dunes, when he'd know his way back to the horsebox or, if the stables are nearby (I don't actually know where they are), back to the stables? We all know that horses which get loose on first-time visits to racecourses can gallump around a bit, but inevitably find their way back to the horsewalk, a handy gate, or take out the rails trying to get to the horsebox park. Horses have a good sense of smell - I doubt Zim was alone, so why didn't he just turn around and head back to his chums?

Additionally, no mention's made of bringing up a barrel of water and a couple of bales of hay for him to find and keep him going, even if the old boy was daft enough to keep going further into the dunelands of the MoD.

The other point really is simple enough - you could track the friggin' hoofprints, O Great White Hunter, and see how far into the snow-clad dunes the animal had gone. It really wasn't super-science to figure out which way the horse went, given the state of the going!

The other thing is, why was it a week before anyone heard about this? If you'd lost your horse/dog/wife anywhere, you'd be telling everyone in the locality to come and help you find them, not broadcasting the info seven days after the incident.

I don't believe for a moment that the horse wouldn't have tired of twitting about after half an hour, and retraced his own steps to return home, as so many horses prefer to do. Alternatively, he's ended up in someone's yard and they've decided to keep him.

I hope he wasn't blown to bits, of course, that's a horrible scenario, but I'm not at all sure that an experienced, street-smart horse like this would've just kept wandering on and on into unknown territory. It just doesn't have the right ring to it.

Also got to say that the two chaps I spoke with just rolled their eyes at the mention of the 'trainer'!
 
Horses have a good sense of smell - I doubt Zim was alone, so why didn't he just turn around and head back to his chums?
Click to expand...

I was thinking that too. I can only think it is along the lines of what SL mentioned, he may well just have been stir crazy nuts with energy and very, very fresh and just wanting to leg it! The whole thing to me has so many holes in it I'm afraid.
There is actually a thread on the H&H forum that was posted up by the trainers wife I believe. I read it again there today and the latest is a helicopter is going to fly over the area in search of the horse. I thought they were forbidden to do that in the first place or has the MOD now relented?
Quite a bizarre story..... Poor horse.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5215890/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1
 
I said the same Soba - I couldn't see the MoD giving free rein to a fly-over one of their bases!! Surely it will be a no-fly zone and permission will not be granted?

As you've read the Horse and Hound threads, what did you think to the wife getting all snotty with people posting on the thread she originally posted? She posted that they had 'lost' a horse on Camber Sands down the Lydd end, didn't embellish on how they lost it; on receiving lots of sympathetic replies saying they hoped the horse was found she replied with an exceptionally rude "to all those who asked, the rider was unhurt" when she hadn't even mentioned riders at all or how they had lost the animal! Really, if you're wanting help from the general public it doesn't make sense to get shitty with them, especially not when the overwhelming response was sympathy! :whistle:
 
It's beginning to sound like Sharp practice to me...

Shadz, as I believe the Sharps live this way, why on earth was Zim far, far away at Camber Sands? Don't they have a home gallop they can use? Crikey, they could've taken them up to Lingfield for a twirl round in the mornings, like any number of trainers, including John Best, Peter Hedger, and many more, if they wanted to exercise on 'sand'. Racing around by firing lines doesn't sound the most bright of moves in any case, as has been said.
 
Shadow Leader said:
I As you've read the Horse and Hound threads, what did you think to the wife getting all snotty with people posting on the thread she originally posted? She posted that they had 'lost' a horse on Camber Sands down the Lydd end, didn't embellish on how they lost it; on receiving lots of sympathetic replies saying they hoped the horse was found she replied with an exceptionally rude "to all those who asked, the rider was unhurt" when she hadn't even mentioned riders at all or how they had lost the animal! Really, if you're wanting help from the general public it doesn't make sense to get shitty with them, especially not when the overwhelming response was sympathy! :whistle:
Click to expand...
Pretty good clue as to who the rider was, don't you think?
 
Aldaniti said:
I don't understand why its not completely fenced off? if its fenced off on three sides why not the fourth?
Click to expand...
There are strange and ancient laws about the foreshore, quite a few golf courses cannot fence on the seaward side. I believe at Troon they call the beach entry the "Aberdeen Gate"
 
Back
Top