A two-year-old girl from the Riet River informal settlement in Verulam is recovering from serious head injuries after she was allegedly kicked by a horse while playing with a friend on 11 August, which left her with a fractured skull.
According to the family and their neighbours the horse is a “menace” that frequents the area and on that day had come in search of food and water. The mother of the toddler was watching over her child play with others when she needed to go to the bathroom. A few seconds later tragedy struck. A community member, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was a few meters away when she saw the mother run out of the bathroom screaming. “She carried the baby in both her arms and was crying for help. The baby was unconscious. I threw water on her and she woke up taking in a big gasp of air. All the neighbours came out in panic trying to arrange transport for the child to go to hospital.” She said it was a very traumatic experience. “It was so sad to see the child that way. One could actually see the mark of the horseshoe on the baby’s face.”
The grandmother of the child, Bongi Mgulwa said she approached the owner. “I asked him if he knew what happened to my grandchild and he said he heard about the incident. He then asked where the child was. I informed him that the child had been taken to hospital as she was bleeding a lot. He then told me to keep him informed.” After speaking to the owner Mgulwa said she called her daughter to find out how the child was. “She said the child went for X-rays and it revealed that her skull was cracked and she had to be transferred to another hospital as there were no beds in Osindisweni. We then called the owner and informed him of the latest.
“We asked him to take the child to a private hospital so she would be in better care, to which he replied ‘I don’t have money.’ I then asked if money is more important than the child’s life and he said he’ll call me back. He didn’t. He’s treating it as if the horse kicked a dog and not a human being.” Mgulwa said the owner has four horses, all of which have been terrorising the community for a few years, “however even after confronting the owner on multiple occasions he does not take any action. Whenever the horses come into the area the dogs bark wildly, children get scared and there’s a lot of commotion.”
She said this is the third time one of the horses attacked a child in the settlement. “There was one incident where a child was kicked in her private part. It even turned blue because she was so sore. The owner only gave the family R100. In another incident a child was kicked and his nose was cut. Now this happens.”
Zinzi Mgulwa, the aunt of the child said she got a call from her neighbour while at work informing her about the incident. “I rushed home as quickly as I could. I didn’t fully understand the extent of the problem until I was told about the child’s condition and the response from the owner, who didn’t even want to speak to the community.” Mgulwa said people who choose to have such pets should ensure that they cannot make their way into the public to avoid situations such as this. Tagan Lea Maritz, owner and founder of Professional Sheath Cleaning Services South Africa, which provides professional services to the horse industry is a long time horse owner and professional in the horse industry. She said owning a horse comes with responsibility. “A person who wishes to own a horse should have access to other experienced and knowledgeable people to help guide them through all the dos and don’ts of horsemanship. The first thing any horse owner will tell someone is ‘don’t walk behind a horse,’ any horse is prone to throwing a kick for a variety of reasons. Although a horse may be tame, they are still animals with a fight or flight response. When handling these animals you should always be aware of your surroundings and their capabilities.
Maritz said it is not a wise decision to let one’s animals out of their property, “they can injure themselves or others. Also horses and motor vehicles are a very dangerous mix. However, often people do not have the resources; such as access to ample grazing to keep their animals on their property. Therefore their options are limited.”She said the kick from a horse can be very dangerous or deadly if it catches someone in the wrong place. “A well timed kick could break bones in a split second. According to various sources a horse kick can exert up to 900kgs of force per square inch. I have been kicked a number of times, because I work with these animals every day. Even though a kick from a horse can be dangerous, it should never be considered the horse’s fault. Instead it should be the owners responsibility to keep their horses away from the public and those that have no knowledge on horse body language and handling.” Verulam SAPS spokesperson, Captain Henry Kisten confirmed that a case of “Failure to prevent animal to cause injury to another person” was opened. He said, “The matter will be thoroughly investigated and depending on the findings the owner of the horse will be formally charged.” After several attempts to reach the horses owner, no response had been received by the time of print. The child was admitted at Addington Hospital in Durban and discharged on Monday.
