Shergar

Postby **Roguelet** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 7:25 pm

Does anyone have any inside information on this horse... what "really" happened, etc?

reenci · Postby **reenci** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 7:30 pm

seem to recall reading that the IRA in ireland had something to do with it, i guess the owner never paid the ransom & they killed the horse. rotten bastar**.

hungdynasty · Postby **hungdynasty** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 4:36 am

I've heard that Shergar was actually killed by IRA people just hours after kidnaped because Shergar was totally out of control, those guys couldn't handle him and just shot him.

Nancy T · Postby **Nancy T** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 6:05 am

I have the race horse Mysteries book and it surmises that they really had no idea how to handle a stallion and when they could not control him they shot him, probably within hours of his kidnapping. No body was ever found.

Nancy T · Postby **Nancy T** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 6:23 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/date ... 538595.stm

here is a link to BBC article and video, it s was 22 years ago today that he was kidnapped

Heidilady · Postby **Heidilady** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:14 am

Hey I did a search and saw this thread. I was wondering if anybody's seen the Shergar movie with Ian Holm and Mickey Rourke. I've got the dvd but I haven't opened it yet. The online reviews (of which there aren't many) were kind of mixed. I hoped someone here could give me another opinion. I realize it's got some serious artistic license going on plus some fiction. If I really shouldn't see it or keep it I won't open it.

Skipitgirl · Postby **Skipitgirl** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:29 am

I saw a SHergar movie and it wasnt worth crap. Cant remember who was in it. The kidnappers ordered the horse killed after the ransom wasnt paid. The stable boy stole him and dyed him. Long story short, he gets with some gypsies, they have a mare, they race him in a country race, he wins, it starts raining, his dye comes off, the police recognize him, boy runs him over a cliff into the ocean. Flash forward 1 yr, gypsy wagon going down road with mini Shergar following the gypsy mare. :roll:

Id say TOTAL fiction.

Postby **Roguelet** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:56 am

Yeah, that's the same movie. If you're looking for a documentary, I'd suggest returning the movie unopened. However, if you're looking for pure entertainment, it has it's merits. Is it the best horse movie ever made? NO. Can a person just sit and watch it as a fictional entertainment device? YES. Of course, different people like different things, even as fictional entertainment goes, so you may or may not like it, but I'd give it a shot.

It's sort of like those 24-haters who keep complaining that Jack could never do all the stuff he does. It's not the News, it's entertainment! They have to add some fluff and beyond reality stuff just to suck you in a bit and keep your attention... the same applies here, IMO.

kezeli · Postby **kezeli** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:54 am

[quote="Heidilady"]Hey I did a search and saw this thread. I was wondering if anybody's seen the Shergar movie with Ian Holm and Mickey Rourke. I've got the dvd but I haven't opened it yet. The online reviews (of which there aren't many) were kind of mixed. I hoped someone here could give me another opinion. I realize it's got some serious artistic license going on plus some fiction. If I really shouldn't see it or keep it I won't open it.[/quote]

I just ordered it, hope it's good!!

Patuxet · Postby **Patuxet** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:04 pm

Shergar (born 1978. Sire: Great Nephew, Dam: Sharmeen) was an acclaimed racehorse, and winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, the longest winning margin in the race's 226-year history. This victory earned him a spot in the Observer's 100 Most Memorable Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century. A bay colt with a distinctive white blaze, Shergar was named European Horse of the Year in 1981 and retired from racing that September.
Two years later, on February 8, 1983, he was kidnapped by masked gunmen from the Ballymany Stud, near The Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland. The generally accepted account is that Shergar was abducted by an IRA unit who killed him a few days later when negotiations for a £2 million ransom had stalled and the horse was becoming uncontrollable. His remains have never been found. The incident has been the inspiration for several books, documentaries, and a movie.
Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shergar

Linda_d · Postby **Linda_d** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:35 pm

I've never been to Ireland, but I know it's fairly small, and I suspect it probably doesn't have a lot of wilderness -- or even semi-wilderness like you would find even in many parts of the northeastern US. That said, I have to wonder how do you hide a horse's body so it's not found for decades? I think that's the crux mystery because the body has never been found.

Dump it into a lake with weights? But how do you get it into the boat?

Dump it into a mine shaft?

Bury it under the rubble of building?

Why even bother to hide the body if the ransom plot's failed?

It's intriguing.

summerhorse · Postby **summerhorse** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:48 pm

A few years later some guy confessed that they stole the horse and he broke his leg (or severely injured it anyway since I'm guessing they didn't have an X ray machine!) and they shot him within hours, actually before they even sent the ransom demand. All they would need to find is some private land with bogs or woods or both and dump him out there. They had enough people I'm sure to actually dig a shallow grave (an abandoned well would work too) and cover him up with dirt and debri, some rocks, Mother Nature would take care of the rest. If it was a farm where there were animals I doubt anyone would think twice if years later they found some horse bones. They did find a grave once and tested the remains but I guess it wasn't him.

summerhorse · Postby **summerhorse** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:49 pm

There were two movies, both sucked! :shock:

wallinga · Postby **wallinga** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:58 pm

It's a real mystery... He was an incredible horse, and his best son Authaal ran in oz with some success. Walter Swinburn famously said "riding Shergar was like riding pegasus"

Apparently Glint of Gold, runner up in his derby triumph thought he'd won until his jockey spied another horse on the horizon! How cool is that

geowarrior · Postby **geowarrior** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:16 pm

I've been to Ireland a couple of times (a while ago now) and although it doesn't have a lot of wilderness, there's still more than enough to hide a horse's body.

The last time I went to Ireland I went to the Irish Derby at the Curragh. That was an experience. My sister and I are so short and the crowd was so big that we didn't actually see the race, and I can't remember who won.