K. Fallon's antics at Longchamp today

Clowance wouldn't load and had planted herself; Fallon got off and hit her once (seemingly hard-ish, but unable to see if it was a slap or a punch) in the belly, then waved/swished his whip around behind her to try to get her moving. It wasn't pretty although it was arguably effective (Clowance did eventually load). Personally the whip-waving didn't bother me too much - it's not as if he was lashing the filly into stripes - but the belly-blow was a nasty touch as it seemed to be more a venting of his frustration than a technique to get her moving. Either way, it didn't present the best picture of the man, or of racing in general to the casual observer.
 
Happens nearly daily at every course during either saddling or desaddling.

Out of order but it's one of those things like lots of things in racing that have always gone on and therefore it's alright!
 
One has to also realise that it takes quite a blow to actually hurt a horse, except in the case of hitting them round the head. Giving them a slap in the belly they will hardly feel, it will be more of a nuisance to them than anything else; also like everything else they require discipline so that they do not become unruly. I'd have no problem whatsoever to someone giving one of mine a slap in the belly.
 
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I didn't see the punch but the waving of the whip was a thing of nothing. I've seen the starter's assistant do worse things.
 
Even a 'punch' in the belly is something of nothing, she will no doubt have viewed it as something of a nuisance rather than anything else. I can't see what is out of order about dishing out discipline to a napping horse, not in this case at least. The case of the stalls handler punching one in the face was slightly different; then again that too would happen all the time in yards in such a situation. A horse bites me; it gets a wallop. End of. Similarly, one naps with me and it receives a kick in the belly, then a slap.
 
If I knew anyone had hit a horse of mine in the face, they'd be deeply regretful for what followed next. Smacks, slaps, a knee in the gut to stop a horse breath-holding while you girth it, etc. - no prob. Slaps or punches to the head - s/he would probably need dentures if I saw that. With the sole exception of a 'real' biter (not a cheeky nibbler of jackets, etc., or a playful tug) - when the smack should be immediate and on the lips.
 
Smacking a horse on the head if it bites sounds like a great way to get a head shy horse to me. And if a horse can feel a fly land, how does a knee in the guts feel to it?
 
I wouldn't mind if it was discipline but it looked more like KF's anger getting the better of him than anything else - it didn't really do much good either if he was trying to get her to move, she just became more stubborn and it took 5 stall handlers to load her.

Agree with Cantoris on the whip - he just looked like a lunatic though that said he wasn't exactly stood in the best place relative to a mulish horse.
 
Kri, that's pretty much what I'm saying - it's not as though he hit her in the head, at which point it's a different case altogether. A slap in the belly is nothing.
 
Holding on to a horse's ear and squeezing at the base, is an old fashioned method of restraint known as 'twitching', which seems very popular with jockeys on difficult stalls loaders !, but the ear is a highly controversial site to twitch, even with the hand, as it's very sensitive.

I'm sure lots of horses do yield to this method, but I've also seen it have the opposite effect and leave the horse a nightmare to get a bridle on throughout its life.

Whilst it's not uncommon to twitch a horse using a mechanical twitch on the nose (usually a bit of thick string on the end of a short wooden pole), typically for clipping, in the past, some 'traditionalists' have been known to use a mechanical twitch on the ear . . . in my opinion, a barbaric practice.
 
I've just finished clipping one and I had to hand-twitch his ear to do his face otherwise you get smacked in the face. I don't consider it cruel in any way. He is 18 years old and has been clipped umpteen times. I use very quiet, small clippers and he is just being a prat. He has never been hurt or hit while clipping but if he feels like it will lift you off the straw bale.

My horse however has warts in his ears and I don't touch them (or clip them) as he is ultra sensitive which is understandable. However when he decides to walk all over me in the stable, he will get a short, sharp clout and a ticking off!

I have never been accused of having nervy horses - in fact quite the opposite. I like mine to be happy and relaxed and am often told how well mannered and chilled out they are.
 
While we all know various levels of 'disciplining' go on in yards, punching a filly hyped up seconds before loading to race achieves precisely nothing, other than self-satisfaction on the part of the punchee.

And I too have many years of experience in dealing with thoroughbreds, so like everything in life, the opinions we all hold are not necessarily 'right' or 'wrong'. However, if it was my filly, seconds before such a prestigious race who was treated like that, I would be incandescent. Sure, at home when the surroundings are familiar and the filly is arsing about, she'd get short shrift if I felt she was taking the p*ss but just before the off any such punishment, regardless of whether or not we think it actually hurt her, is a waste of time.

Stall handlers should do their jobs properly, which means dealing with difficult animals. Jockeys are there to ride the animal, not lose their temper with it.

Have I lost my rag with any of mine? Too right I have - the ISHIGURU filly got a sorting out the time before last when being trimmed by my extremely patient and kind farrier. It was her fourth trim, she'd been playing up each time and been handled kindly but firmly but she has the kind of temeprament that just has to see how far she can go. So she found out... Funny but last week she was sweet and angelic almost with the farrier.

None of us get it right every time but the real art of dealing with horses is to chose your time and not react to theirs.
 
Granted, this was a Monjeu. And probably not being physically hurt too much. It was ugly. And the jockey looked out of control.
 
Songsheet, I understand that Fallon hit the filly in the belly when she planted - usually a fairly standard way of getting a horse to move when you're on the ground and they have planted, and hardly in any way cruel. Indeed, she probably hardly felt it, certainly no more than receiving a kick in the belly from a rider on board. Waving a whip around behind a horse is, again, fairly standard practice when one is planting; arguably less frightening for the filly than having a long-tom cracked or waved behind her which would happen to a horse reluctant to start under NH rules or in a point.
 
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