There are many good things about the modern phenomenon of social media, but a prevailing downside is the ability for anyone, anywhere to give their opinion about anything.
Molly Piper, 24, a student from Antrim in Northern Ireland, has received a huge amount of abuse online for sharing videos of her horse Moonlight, who had a difficult start in life. Animal Flow Movements
"I bought Moonlight in January 2022 as a 4 year old who had done very little," Piper told Newsweek. "I was warned he was a difficult horse, but I was willing to put the work in."
In a video posted on Instagram by Piper, she reveals the comments that some people have made in response to footage of Moonlight acting out.
"If that was my horse, I'd have sold him for meat. There's too many good horses out there to waste time on ones like him. Poor horse incapable human. Dangerous. Useless. You're risking your life and wasting your time, for what," read the comments.
"I get hate comments daily," Piper said. "They range from unsolicited advice from people who know nothing of our story, to genuine nasty comments berating me and wishing horrible things on me."
Piper added that, after she started working with Moonlight, it became clear that something was wrong.
"There were good moments and rides but also very bad moments, including a fall where he reared and flipped over backwards," Piper said. "I had him investigated by a vet and was told he was fine.
"I pushed for X-rays of his back and we ended up injecting him with steroids, but unfortunately his problems weren't explained to me fully and I was told to continue on riding away. We had an excellent summer where we competed and did very well," Piper added.
"The problems started again in September 2022. Over the next months, we would continue to have saddle issues, physio visits, more lessons, everything I could think of to try and help him and understand why he was upset. It was difficult to discern between typical young horse behavior and something more."
Piper was aware not only of the more-overt symptoms, but also of more-subtle ones such as being very jumpy, clumsiness and biting.
"I knew something was definitely wrong, and I was determined to get answers," Piper added. "He was getting so hard to handle that my parents refused to lead him."
Eventually, Moonlight was diagnosed with a condition known as 'kissing spine,' "which, in simple terms, is when the vertebrae in his spine rub together and cause pain," said Piper.
"He had a ligament snip surgery at the end of May, where the ligament between the spinal processes is cut to allow them to move apart and create space, taking away the pain.
"From there, he has to follow an intense rehabilitation program to build his core and strengthen his back. Kissing spine is a degenerative disease so his future is still uncertain and the rehabilitation is lifelong," Piper added. "I have not sat on him again yet, as I'm taking everything slowly and making sure he's ready and happy."
Horses with kissing spine "can exhibit changes in behavior such as hypersensitivity to brushing, girthiness, bucking, rearing, head tossing, kicking out, hollowing the back, resisting the bit, trouble with transitions, cross-cantering, and refusing or rushing fences," says the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Center for Equine Health. "Their backs are often sore to the touch."
Piper believes that there are some unhelpful attitudes towards horses, with less-docile animals often put into two categories; spicy or dangerous.
"The spicy ones can be seen as fun to a more-experienced rider who is able to deal with the behavior, but this often means their behavior is disregarded as them being quirky, and pain doesn't get investigated," Piper said.
"These horses, though, are lucky enough to have loving owners. The 'dangerous' ones sadly get passed around and lied about, possibly ending up in bad situations due to nobody listening to them. Moonlight was branded as 'dangerous' by many people, and I feel very fortunate that he is in my hands and not somebody who would have passed him on."
Piper added that, since his surgery, Moonlight is feeling much better. "He is overall a much happier," she said. "He's much easier to handle and is more comfortable in his body. He still has his slightly crazy moments, but I wouldn't have him any other way. He has a lot of character, and I love him for it!"
Users on Instagram loved the video. "I took the time to read your stories as I could tell how much you love your horse and well done your amazing," wrote one. "No horse is bad, just misunderstood," posted another.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things life, from abolishing the monarchy to travel to aesthetic medicine. Leonie joined Newsweek in 2022 from the Aesthetics Journal where she was the Deputy Editor, and had previously worked as a journalist for TMRW Magazine and Foundry Fox. She is a graduate of Cardiff University where she gained a MA in Journalism. Languages: English.
You can get in touch with Leonie by emailing l.helm@newsweek.com
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more
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