Are horses naturally vicious? A Connecticut court says they are
After a聽horse聽named Scuppy bit a boy in the face, a Connecticut court came to a conclusion that threw animal lovers:聽Horses聽are a naturally vicious species.
Horse聽owners and farmers are mobilizing as the state Supreme Court hears an appeal in the case Tuesday. Such a classification 鈥� America's first, if it stands 鈥� would make owning聽horses聽uninsurable and jeopardize the state's sizable聽horse聽industry, farmers and聽horse聽owners say.
"You could not pair children and聽horses, the core equestrian business nationwide that it's all about," said Doug Dubitsky, a lawyer who represents farmers and聽horse聽businesses.
When the boy tried to pet the聽horse聽at Glendale Farms in Milford in 2006, according to court papers, the animal stuck his neck out from behind a fence and bit the child on his right cheek, "removing a large chunk of it."
In February 2012, the mid-level Appellate Court said that testimony by Timothy Astriab, whose family owns the farm, demonstrated that Scuppy belongs to "a species naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious."
Although he had no knowledge of Scuppy biting anyone before, Astriab testified that Scuppy was no different than other聽horses聽that would bite if a finger was put in front of him. "Significantly, Astriab acknowledged his concern that if someone made contact with Scuppy, whether to pet or feed him, they could get bit," the justices said.
If allowed to stand, Connecticut would be the first US state to consider聽horses聽as inherently dangerous, said Dubitsky.
Horse聽farmers and equine enthusiasts, who cite 2005 statistics saying that the聽horse聽industry contributes about $221 million a year to the state's economy in boarding, training, lessons and breeding businesses, are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn the Appellate Court's decision. The Connecticut Farm Bureau and Connecticut聽Horse聽Council filed a friend of the court brief saying that under common law viciousness generally is judged individually according to age, breed and gender, not as an entire species.
