Hasbeen Dale Hiteman suspended

[Fuguzzi]

The following is a true story. Late 80s, I am doing a catch paddock for a trainer every single person on here has heard of at YR. He is using a well known catch driver, the horse is a year old mediocre NYSS type and is after the stakes season and the horse is racing in nw4/25,000 lifetime. Kind of an unreliable type as far as winning, the horse is just earning hos keep. Only the most ardent YR fans would remember the horse.

Now the stage is set. The horse has the 4 or 5 I cant remember Goes off somewhere between 5 and 10 to 1, gets a live trip, fails to fire, just about holding his ground to finish 4th. I meet the horse and the driver is really angry. He barely gets the lines on the hook, storms off looking i assume for the trainer. I head down to the paddock with the horse. My only real skin in the game is the $40 paddock and now was certainly not the time to say anything, although I knew both people quite well.

We are in that race ( like the 6th or something ) where the spit box and vet's room are past the lineup of horses. Plenty of people around besides the other grooms and trainers, etc. Suddenly, mid way through the horse's bath, the driver is storming towards our stall, colors down to his waste and helmet on with the trainer in tow. The driver tells me to get pout of the stall. The horse is dripping wet and soapy. I look at the trainer like WTF?

The driver goes past me into the stall, horse on crossties naturally and standing by his ribs, left side , proceeds to slash and leash the horses hind legs, above and below the hocks at least 5 times. Loud strikes that raise instant welts like ant trails under his coat. The horse of course is dancing around on the ties like crazy. Whole thing lasts maybe 20 seconds, but it was brutal.  Driver says nothing, trainer does nothing and I am a young kid in shock.

Yes, my instinct was to protect my horse, but what was i really to do in the moment? I questioned myself a lot in the days afterwards. Had I been the owner or trainer, yes I would have tackled the driver to the ground and screamed for help if need be. The trainer did nothing. Driver and trainer were tight, so apparently the trainer was cool with it. Can you imagine being so sick and demented over a bet probably, that you could do that and right there in the paddock steps away from judges and the state vet? Not to mention in front of your peers. As it is, no one said or did a thing.

What did i do? I literally and without a word shoved the wet sponge and the 40 bucks I had fished out of my pocket into the trainers chest and said, "he's yours, you bathe him'  I walked right out of the paddock and took a long shower, I felt so sick to my stomach and dirty. That relationship with the trainer was obviously over, although we had to still co-exist on the back stretch. There were other races and catch paddocks that involved the catch driver, of course. We barely spoke or made eye contact all those times. And he never, ever drove a horse for me when I was in charge. True story that has resonated with me my whole life.

Absolutely true story that all came flooding back reading about that helpless filly.

Thanks for listening...

[Fuguzzi]

I see the typo  Horse is a 3 year old

[LAW AND ORDER]

ANY REASON FOR PROTECTING THE HORSE ABUSING DRIVER AND TRAINER AND TELLING US THEIR NAMES?

[Fuguzzi]

ANY REASON FOR PROTECTING THE HORSE ABUSING DRIVER AND TRAINER AND TELLING US THEIR NAMES?

Yes, I have legit reasons. I see no upside, sorry.

[remington]

I don't think I could have walked away from that without getting myself into trouble.

[MIKE CAMPBELL]

Yes, I have legit reasons. I see no upside, sorry.

Good for you. Shit like that goes on more than you think. I turned in a trainer for prodding. I told security where they could find the prod. The trainer got a 6 month suspension and $2500 fine. It happened at Freehold around 1978. Dirtbag is dead now but rumor has it, after he came back from suspension, he continued doing it.

[Fuguzzi]

I respect your turning him in. I was young, shy in those days and in a fish bowl. All i can tell you is one of them is still in the business, one is not.

[okdfool]

I respect your turning him in. I was young, shy in those days and in a fish bowl. All i can tell you is one of them is still in the business, one is not.

I totally understand being in shock and not really know what to do , theres several who have taken them to the back track for beatings after a race, luckily now a days there are cameras everywhere and dont forget it is pretty easy to grab a whip and ask them how they like it

[okdfool]

Good- sounds like he's getting what he deserves. And I agree, it's unfortunate the horse didn't kick him in the fucking head

Horses dont kick back when they are beaten to submission thars why he better never be permitted around a horse again

[Fuguzzi]

TY! And that man ( the driver ) had fury in his eyes. Real rage. Consider it's at least 10 minutes to get the horse inside, strip the equipment and get the bath going AND still he was so furious. Crazy.

[takethereigns]

always like the reference to hiteman as the:

zombie in the sulky and the night of the driving dead.

[Larry Bird Boy]

TY! And that man ( the driver ) had fury in his eyes. Real rage. Consider it's at least 10 minutes to get the horse inside, strip the equipment and get the bath going AND still he was so furious. Crazy.

Well because people like you still protect him they will continue to keep doing it. You could post the names on here and let’s us handle. You mean even now you’re still scared to share the abusers names? Come on man let us horseploppers handle these fucking assholes.

[Fuguzzi]

It's not quite as simple as that. Nor is it about being scared. There were many people within eye and earshot who had to be at least semi aware of what happened. Nothing happened at the time. I am not on here to "out" people, especially 40 years later.

[Yonkers1A]

Hiteman is gone who else should go ?

[The Exporter]

What's happening to that Canadian horse killer at Monticello?