Horse killed by car on Walkers Road
(CNS): Updated – A horse, which was being trained by its owner broke loose on Monday afternoon and was killed on Walkers Road, near Mulberry Drive. Police have confirmed that it appears the horse, which was saddled but without a rider, ran into the road. Despite the driver’s attempts to swerve and avoid the animal as it ran into the busy road, it was hit by the Ford Taurus which was heading south and appears to have died soon after. The 49 year old female driver was unhurt in the incident which occurred at around 5;15pm (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
Police said that enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
Category: Local News
Barely any mentions of sympathy to the driver. This is an awful thing to happen and if the driver is an animal lover I am sure it will haunt them.
The owner of the horse was apparently training it. It is very unfortunate that it bolted and this accident happened but I really don’t think you can suggest that the owner is in any way cruel to his animal. Not on this evidence anyway.
I also do not like to see horses tethered at the side of the road, but I am not going to automatically assume that they are not looked after. I have seen some that look in good health and other that look appalling. I have witnessed 2 horses (near the cricket pitch) bolting down the road when they and somehow become tangled with a bike and come loose. On that occasion the police were called. I tried to persuade the officer that he should close the road until the animals could be caught as this could easily result in an accident. He wasn’t interested and asked if I wanted to stop the traffic so the horses could cross the road!! I can only hope that this incident highlights to the powers that be just how dangerous these situations can be.
Regards the ongoing Brit/Foreigner/Caymanian argument I see on here. I see an awful lot of antagonism towards immigrants to the UK and whilst I always disagreed with it I didn’t fully appreciate how wrong it was until I moved to Cayman. The boot is now on the other foot. I am in the group of people who are not welcomed here by many. It’s not a nice feeling.
May we all learn to live in peace. May we all learn to treat our animals with kindness and respect. May we all learn not to judge individuals without having evidence.
To my respondents:
Caymanians are an uncultured people?
Reminiscent of the "dark ages" are we?
Just a quick snapshot of the "culture" of others for the room:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3267643/Football-hooligans-bring-back-memories-of-1970s-terrace-wars.html
http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=592&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=england+hooligans&aq=0&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=england+hoo
Only keeping things in perspective guys.
In the spirit of fairness why don’t more of you challenge the ridiculous and out-of-place comments in regards to Caymanian society in this very thread?
But oh – the minute certain groups are placed in an unflattering yet honest light – everyone’s panties are in a bunch.
Typical.
I assume this is the post that got you all worked up:
"Animals, like children, are innocent and defensless. The way Cayman treats animals is shocking and says so much about the culture. It’s like living in the dark ages. "
It is pretty difficultto tell from the post what the nationality of the poster is, but there is one clue. "Defensless" whilst missing an "e" is spelt with an "s." This is the American spelling, unlikely to be used by someone from the UK. We would spell it defenceless.
So while I agree that the language of the post to which you object is a bit much, it is no more objectionable than your usual display of prejudice.
I am not an American or a Brit but I spell IT"DEFENSELESS" so does that make me a target of your hatred also.
The woman hit the horse because it ran across her path, not intentionally I’m sure, but some of you beleive that an animal should have more sympathy and rights than a human being sometimes. You would pass a man in need and not stop to assist but you will an animal. Go figure.
I love my pets and hope that this never happens to them, but I am not going to condemn or harbor the type of behaviour you all display here with the anti this group or the next, you are all as guilty as the other with this, so please stop the trashing of each other 🙁
You missed the point when you rushed to vent your spleen. His point was that Whodatis went off on his typical anti-British rant when the evidence was that the posting that set him off was not written by someone who was British.
Whodatis would probably find a problem with someone posting "The sky is blue" and rant about the underlying British imperialist agenda and how the poor Chagossians can’t see the blue skies over "their" territory.
I have pets that I adore but some of the comments here are a bit too much drama for me. It is a dead horse for chrissake, people, not a dead child! No human was killed or injured. It was a bit sad if the animal suffered much but other than that, what is all the fuss about?
This was an accident. It is not like the horse owner lead the animal into the path of a vehicle on purpose. If any of you have pets you should be offering some sympathy to the owner of the animal.
And how did we get on the subject of animals cruelty anyway? This horse escaped while being trained. So it either bucked the rider and bolted, or it ran off with the lead during groundwork. Inferring cruelty is mindless.
Anyway… Last time I passed by the meat department at the supermarket, I saw all kinds of sliced, diced and chopped up remains of dead animals. Animals die every day to curb our appetite. Over 35 million cattle and about 115 million pigs are slaughtered to keep us in Whoppers and porkchops. Ever been to a feed lot or a slaughterhouse? Not a pretty sight. But because we do not see the suffering it is irrelevant to us and unworthy of mention here.
Unless you bleeding hearts are strict vegetarians and you do not use paper, or any other product associated with the death of animals you are abject hypocrites getting your knickers in a knot about the plight of horses here. You are more part of the problem of animal suffering than a solution.
Considering the economy and the number of families here trying to make ends meet, I wonder if people will get equally preachy that this great source of animal protein will likely be buried or burned – wasted, rather than ending up in a savoury Pastissada de Caval?
Some of us do not mind dead animals so much. We have some perspective on the issue. (I’ll take mine rare, please.)
Now, if you don’t mind, I have to go, my roast needs basting.
(Ummmm! Yummy!)
Interesting comments on this story.
However, just this weekend I witnessed a few thousand publicly intoxicated British men pummel themselves like animals (with children in the midst) in the stands of a Premiership football match.
I have never seen such a scene in Cayman.
What’s that about culture again?
I watched every game’s highlights this weekend and saw no such thing. Nor was it reported in any of the media, can you please clarify where you saw these "few thousand" "pummellng" each other?
Football hooliganism is an ever present and major part of British culture.
Do we have to debate this issue? I think not.
My post was in response toclaims of Caymanians having a regressive culture that harks back to the "dark ages".
I find this quite puzzling as I have personally witnessed mobs of British men charging after one another with nail studded pieces of 2"x4"’s (wood) – inflicting life threatening and stopping injuries in the process … all in the name of "FOOTBALL".
(I am yet to see such disgraceful displays in Cayman.)
A few links for you:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3267643/Football-hooligans-bring-back-memories-of-1970s-terrace-wars.html
http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=592&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=england+hooligans&aq=0&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=england+hoo
Whodatis, you forgot to bring in your usual references to the Chagos Islanders and Man Fridays. I’m disappointed in you.
But to be fair to you, there are some real hooligan sh##s in Britain. We know that. But they’re here too, old boy/girl. As a teacher I can vouch for their high quality of sh##dom, and not only at football matches.
whodatis – you really are quite a sad little person. People criticize the treatment of animals on our island and your response is….football hooliganism is in other countries…..and you have yet to see that in Cayman. Wow, very salient point that. You hit that nail on the head, well done!
Are you so sensitive to any criticism of our island that you have to throw out something so unrelated?. Of course you’ve never "witnessed that behavior in Cayman" You’ve never seen a competitive, professional football match in Cayman for a start.
It’s like someone criticizing Mount Trashmore and having Whodatis say " we don’t cull baby seals in Cayman though do we?". Nothing to do with it though is it?
Please try and be more grown-up in your posts. Some of us may get to the end of them then…
Did you really just use The Sun as a point of reference to back up your argument?
I too have seen the skinheads chasing the Paki’s but to be honest I see equally as bad each afternoon here around 3pm when the schools let out.
Give it a rest, mate.
A few years ago, a female friend of mine was smashed in the front of her head by a local male with a 2"x4" (wood) while walking down the road here. All in the name of a few dollars.
Whodatis you just dont like the Britsh people, period.
Whodatis, why are you always so negative? you sound so grumpy all the time,you must be a barrel of laughs to live with.
"…you must be a barrel of laughs to live with…"
2 barrels actually!
By the way, no – I am not a negative person at all. It just appears that way when I respond to negative posts. Its all about context I guess.
In this particular thread, Caymanians are branded as cruel, immoral people that purposely directs helpless horses into the path of oncoming traffic … any response to such hate-filled garbage would most likely come across as negative.
I guess you have forgotten the so called domino riot in East End last year.
Given the number of people involved in that incident, the equivalent number people in the UK would be around 52,000. As always you lack perspective and sense of scale.
Of course when you said you had never seen such a scene in Cayman you might have been referring to the quality of football on display, in which case I would have to whole heartedly agree with you.
This is not a Cayman-specific problem but one that needs to be addressed regardless.
Animal welfare on this island is horrible. Or maybe you can take all the animals to the Pirates Cave ‘Animal Sanctuary’ if you want to see tortured animals it’s a great place to visit, and another shame on this island. This with the dolphin prison does not bode well for the island.
The one exception is the botanical gardens, which is world class and should be marketed much more.
My horse is currently tied out. People often gossip (and even call the Dept of Agriculture) to complain about how he is left out in the sun with no feed or water. They don’t seem to notice that he is tied to a huge almond tree from which he can also get shade and shelter. They also don’t see me carrying out several 5 gallon containers of water, and sacks of feed and hay to him at 6 am and 6 pm each day. Fortunately the vets from the Dept of Agriculture know and often comment that I look after my horse exceptionally well. Whilst I appreciate some horses are tethered in less than kind conditions, sometimes some of you finger pointers actually don’t know what you are talking about.
The horse that just died was saddled according to the news report. So that horse is unlikely to have been saddled at the side of the road on a tether. More likely something startled the horse and/or the rider fell off and the horse got away. Most unfortunate and my thoughts go out to the horse owner who must be grieving their loss right now. Unlike others here, I won’t be so quick to assume that person is a negligent owner without knowing all of the facts.
While I agree that many finger-pointers here are morons, I have almond trees growing in my yard.
Hmmm…???
Aren’t almond trees deciduous?
So, you you hold a parasol over the horse all day when the tree’s branches are bare or what?
Just wonderin’.
I don’t see anywhere where I said I keep him tied to the same almond tree all year round. If I did the finger points (please don’t join them) might have a point! Certain times of year (when the almond tree is bare) the grass has no nutrition, and the horse comes home to the yard to live in his stall. The point I was making was clear enough. Not all owners who tie their horses out are negligent.
I was just wonderin’, that’s all. I am on your side here.
Nowhere in the comment did you even obliquely imply that you rotated almond trees, nor did you mention any other type of tree or alternative shelter, now did you? Something was amiss. So, in my own inimitable way, I prompted you to clarify your steed’s shelter. You have and I am now duly enlightened. Kudos to your for taking care of your animal. Most of the bleeding hearts boo-hooing here about animalsbeing ill-treated are abject hypocrites whose life-styles result in the deaths of countless innocent critters – they are just too dumb to know it or too in denial to admit it.
The fact is, no matter how you explain yourself, no matter how healthy your horse is, there will always be some finger-pointer coming along to point their pointy finger and pointedly point out points they want to make a point about. The late Hon. Haig Bodden referred to such people as "rubber squeaking toys". And so they are.
Sounds like a great life your horse has, fed and watered, tied to a tree, which provides all the shelter he needs. The rest of us can only dream of a life this good.
I do not have to defend myself to the likes of you and others here. If I kept the horse tied to the same tree all year round as you assume and imply then you might have a point and I doubt the dept of ag would make so many comments about how well I look after my animals. The fact is they live in my yard, which has ample room, but various people in the area I live ask me to put my horse on their vacant plots to keep the bush and grass down, and my horse is always happy to oblige! The point I make remains – my horse is fed and watered each morning and night and he is never tied where he can get no shade or shelter. He is alsoridden frequently and very much cared for and loved not only by myself, but also by the people in the community where we live. I know that many other horses on-island are equally loved and cared for and not generally neglected island-wide as is the impression when reading the comments in this thread. Thankfully, not everyone is as hateful, judgmental and opinionated as most of the people who appear to be commenting here.
Thank you for taking care of your horse, and riding him. My horse is back in the US and I miss being able to ride him whenever I wanted…A few weeks ago some horses appeared near my driveway and were never able to reach their water buckets and were always getting their ropes wound around the large amount of brush near them. I stopped last week to unwind them and noticed that their water buckets were black, filled with bugs, and had plants growing in them. I dumped both buckets, took them home, scrubbed them with soap and water, moved them to where the horses could reach them and filled them with clean fresh water. I brought them water twice a day for the last week because I never saw anyone tend to them. This week, the horses were gone. I will likely never know who they belong to or if they are actually being taken care of, so I certainly appreciate your efforts in taking good care of your guy! If you ever need an extra rider, I would love it!
If you have to tie your horse out then perhaps you should not own one
I apprecicate that you look after your horse well, but I don’t believe that an animal should be tied up to the same spot, having minimal range of motion all day. What’s the point of having a horse then?
Obviously I don’t know if you ride your horse on a regular basis or what thelevel of interaction with your animal is. Personally, I believe it defeats the purpose of owning an animal if all you do is feed it twice a day.
The same applies to all those dogs that are just tied up to a tree all day long. What’s the point? Really?
CNS: Why would you post the photo of the horse dead on the road? Insensitive.
It’s not insensitive, its a fact of Life, or in this case death. The picture brings home the reality.
HAY (Joke intended….)
CNS crew are more pro-life and anti-cruelty than you will ever know – but they are also a news business. I can guarantee this was at the edge of their acceptability – If I (or U) gave them a close up with blood, etc – they would NOT have posted it….
My heart goes out to all the animals on this island! I get so angry when I see a horse tied up next to the road, standing in the sun, with no shade available. I dare the owners of these horses to go and stand tied up for a week in the blistering sun with no shade! Especially the area around the cricket pitch!
This horse is now in a better place where animal cruelty does not exist.
I am a animal lover (have a cat and dog back home from where I come being looked after by family for the time), but sad to say that the only why to get rid of the problem of stray dogs and cats, is to ban these animals in the Caymans. If you want a animal, get a fish!
People cannot even look after themselves, now they want animals to take care of????? What happens to the animals when a hurricane strikes and you are evacuated? This is very un-humane, but the humane society has their hands full all the time and they cannot keep up!
I know what you mean. My heart breaks when I see how some of the animals are treated here.
XXX
I know what you mean, my heart breaks when i look at my plate and see that all my veggies and steak are gone. How was your biological meal last night / this morning, including fruit juice, milk, etc.? or did you just eat plastics again?
no one should be allowed to keep horses tied up next to roads….yet another example of caymans abysmal record for animal welfare….
or maybe its part of the ‘caymankind’ culture and heritage…..zzzzzz
Too many people on this Island own Horses and cow’s, with nowhere to keep them.
Tying an animal out all day without food and water is a disgrace. If you don’t have the land and the means to keep a large animal, THEN DON’T!
There has to be a law passed to stop this cruelty.
Who would be paying the vet bills if this horse needed treatment? Yes, you got it. Joe Public.
Government pays for ALL treatment to large animals on the Islands.
I agree its a disgrace the amount of animals tethered at the roadside in the hot sun. These animals should be untied and given (yes given) to farmers who want them and have the land.
My sympathy goes out to the person driving too, they must have been quite shaken up by the experience.
Not to mention the driver will also be out of pocket. Does the horse owner have insurance that the driver’s insurance company can sue?
Guess who’s premium will go up?
Animals, like children, are innocent and defensless. The way Cayman treats animals is shocking and says so much about the culture. It’s like living in the dark ages.