Pony Drowned in Oxford Canal

[Wanted]

_{That's Fair enough.}

I doff my cap sir!

[Zayna]

Poor pony. I hope it isn't the little boy's pony that has been stolen, it is doing the rounds on Facebook, heartbreaking.

[Athy]

Zayna, I doubt it. I would think that if somebody steals a little boy's pony, it is with the intention of either selling it or riding it. Ineither case, it won't be much use if disabled or dead.

[Mick and Maggie]

Congratulation on what may be a new personal best for using masses of words and still not answering some simple basic questions!

But I said "I do hope that your attraction towards myself is 'healthy' as the saying goes. It's a bit late in life for me to have a stalker and the wife might object to the competition." Honestly I don't think you are a fool.... but then what's my opinion worth against thousands of others!

[Water Rat.]

Attention Mick and Maggie. I feel personal insults are best given in private. Your posts have come across as unnecessarily rude to Alan Fincher. People are entitled to have an opinion about this publication, and, since I have no idea what your connection to NBW world is, I for one now think even less of it! Well done!

Edited December 15, 2013 by Water Rat.

[eightpot]

^^^ Spot on.

 

The first time I read NBW, I honestly thought it was a parody site. Then I found out it was serious, which made it funnier.

[cereal tiller]

Attention Mick and Maggie. I feel personal insults are best given in private. Your posts have come across as unnecessarily rude to Alan Fincher. People are entitled to have an opinion to this publication, and, since I have no idea what your connection to NBW world is, I for one now think even less of it! Well done!

Well said that girl.

 

why do people have to be rude?

 

Courtesy empowers a debater,impoliteness is self defeating.

[madcat]

Poor old horse, down through the ages we betray their trust. Horrid things sometimes people.

 

Mick and Maggie what on earth are you up to having a go at Alan , all your mass of text is too eyeball boggling for a cat to wade through so I haven't.

 

Considering the only papers I ever read have been fished out of the recycle bin at the moorings I have to take pot luck on what I get. Sadly mostly DM so a brief moment of despair at the headlines before they go to the great messy job clearup fate they were collected for.

 

Off topic but somehow the D Mail has managed to convince my mother that the Koreans can spy on you through the TV. I wish she would ring them up with the minute details of the neighbours lives and spare me, it must be just as exiting as the stuff they learning about her through the flat screen . Oh the excitement......yawn !

[Mick and Maggie]

Attention Mick and Maggie. I feel personal insults are best given in private.

What I said was 'Honestly I don't think you are a fool.... but then what's my opinion worth against thousands of others!'

 

So should I have said he was a fool?

[mark99]

No; because you tried to insinuate that thousands of others do by using a childish form of converse logic for which your further explanation underlines your first motive.

 

And here is my take on NBW - it's good for a laugh and only taken seriously by those types you see stumbing aboard their static unlicenced narrowboats with a can of special brew at 10am.

Edited December 15, 2013 by mark99

[Zayna]

I've done a bit of searching and it isn't Tic Toc, the little white pony who has gone missing. It's a coloured pony foal, still heartbreaking enough.

 

Horrible.

[Barry]

No; because you tried to insinuate that thousands of others do by using a childish form of converse logic for which your further explanation underlines your first motive.

 

And here is my take on NBW - it's good for a laugh and only taken seriously by those types you see stumbing aboard their static unlicenced narrowboats with a can of special brew at 10am.

 

And here's my take on NBW.

 

It isn't an newspaper at all - far from it - It is a blog - written to look like an internet newspaper. One man's creation for his own entertainment. So journastically it is utterly irrelevant.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Bazza2

[Water Rat.]

Mick and Maggie. I very much doubt 'thousands of people' think Alan Fincher is a fool, you, however are starting to appear to be one. Your tone is offensive and who do you think you are to be calling people, you may not even know, a fool? So, please desist in this vendetta and just accept other people may not always agree with you.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Water Rat.

[MtB]

Mick and Maggie. I very much doubt 'thousands of people' think Alan Fincher is a fool, you, however are starting to appear to be one. Your tone is offensive and who do you think you are to be calling people, you may not even know, a fool? So, please desist in this vendetta and just accept other people may not always agree with you.

 

Seconded.

 

MtB

[Barry]

Thirded

[Ray T]

Mick and Maggie. I very much doubt 'thousands of people' think Alan Fincher is a fool, you, however are starting to appear to be one. Your tone is offencive and who do you think you are to be calling people, you may not even know, a fool? So, please desist in this vendetta and just accept other people may not always agree with you.

 

Mick and Maggie, have you ever met Alan F, or had a face to face conversation with him?

If not, then discretion is the better part of valour.

 

I have met Alan on many occasions and IMHO he cannot in any way be described as a fool.

 

With regards to NBW, I actually enjoy Orph Mabel's column, he always writes with integrity.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Ray T

[Alastair]

i know its sad when any animal is hurt or worse killed but would also like to point out that in both reports there is a hell of a lot of guess work and filling in of gaps when there is know real evidence that any person is actually responsible for either incident

Yes

 

I have a *lot* of experience with horses. I find it very difficult to believe that someone could drag the horse into the water; for starters, they'd have to enter the water themselves.

 

Far more likely that they were trying to lead the pony, it startled, they pulled directly on the rope and the pony pulled back - until they got into the mud on the side of the canal and went in.

 

This would be utterly normal behaviour for a horse or pony - if you put a rope around their neck, and pull forward, they will pull away, even if they are backing into something.

[billS]

Yes

 

I have a *lot* of experience with horses. I find it very difficult to believe that someone could drag the horse into the water; for starters, they'd have to enter the water themselves.

 

Far more likely that they were trying to lead the pony, it startled, they pulled directly on the rope and the pony pulled back - until they got into the mud on the side of the canal and went in.

 

This would be utterly normal behaviour for a horse or pony - if you put a rope around their neck, and pull forward, they will pull away, even if they are backing into something.

 

Did you look at the drag marks on the photograph? I don't think that pony was on it's feet when it went in.

[Nightwatch]

Or, were the drag marks made by the person on the other end of the rope in the scenario described above?

 

Martyn

[Guest]

Yes

 

I have a *lot* of experience with horses. I find it very difficult to believe that someone could drag the horse into the water; for starters, they'd have to enter the water themselves.

 

Far more likely that they were trying to lead the pony, it startled, they pulled directly on the rope and the pony pulled back - until they got into the mud on the side of the canal and went in.

 

This would be utterly normal behaviour for a horse or pony - if you put a rope around their neck, and pull forward, they will pull away, even if they are backing into something.

 

As others have said re-check the photograph on NBW..

 

It is pretty clear that the pony was not walked to the edge of the canal.

 

You are eliminating the possibility that the pony was not concious when it went into the water.

Or, were the drag marks made by the person on the other end of the rope in the scenario described above?

 

Martyn

 

I think the drag marks are too wide. It looks more consistent with the pony being dragged to the edge whilst unconscious to me and then rolled in.

[Alastair]

If I could look at the site, and the hoof marks, I could probably state with certainty what had happened.

 

It is really not possible to tell from that photo.

 

If the pony was dead when dragged there, then the act was stupid but not necessarily from cruelty.

 

My gut feeling is that this was an accident caused by utter incompetence in handling horses.

[Guest]

Which differs from what the RSPCA say.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2522761/Pony-pushed-canal-left-drown-yobs.html

 

If you don't like the Daily Mail the BBC are reporting it the same way.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-25379471

Edited December 16, 2013 by The Dog House

[Gingerbeer]

i know its sad when any animal is hurt or worse killed but would also like to point out that in both reports there is a hell of a lot of guess work and filling in of gaps when there is know real evidence that any person is actually responsible for either incident

 

Horses and ponies can swim. This was no accident.

[Alastair]

I've dragged horse carcasses. The legs and body make huge marks.

 

How on earth are they saying it was dragged into the water? I repeat; the person doing the dragging have to go into the water, right in, not just the edge.

 

Horses can swim very well, yes, but if the bank is steep would exhaust themselves struggling then drown.

 

You can't tell from those photographs. It is possible that the horse had just died and they pushed it in the canal, it's possible that it backed in (which would make marks like drag marks, but there would be hoofprints).

 

Yes there is something fishy here. Either utter incompetence in handling livestock, or malicious intent or disposal of a just-died animal. But you can't tell from those photographs.

[Gingerbeer]

quote....

Let me introduce you to Glenn Greenwald a journalist, political commentator, lawyer, columnist, blogger and author. Greenwald was named by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2013. Three of the four books he authored have been New York Times best-sellers.

 

 

Not really much of an accomplishment...Sherrilyn Kenyon has had 64 best sellers on the New York Times list and she writes romance novels. We all have our heroes I suppose.