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2nd horse killed during filming of 'Flicka'

Associated Press
Apr. 27, 2005 07:25 PM

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Two days after a horse died during filming of a remake of the 1943 classic "My Friend Flicka," an animal-welfare group said it has learned another horse had died on the set two weeks earlier.

A quarter horse tripped during a rodeo scene and broke a back leg April 11 at the Blue Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, American Humane Association spokeswoman Sara Spaulding said Wednesday.

The horse was put down after a veterinarian on the set determined the injury was untreatable, she said.

 

On Monday, a rodeo horse died after it broke away from handlers and tripped on its rope at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in the San Fernando Valley.

Spaulding said an investigation was being conducted to determine whether guidelines were being followed during filming. She said 20th Century Fox, which is producing the film, did not immediately report the death, and that the association became aware of the incident Wednesday.

Phone calls seeking comment from a representative for 20th Century Fox were not immediately returned.

Two other animals have died in the past several years on movie sets, Spaulding said - a cow during filming of the 2003 film "The Rundown" and a horse during filming of the 2001 movie "American Outlaws."

Spaulding said the association is considering new guidelines on the use of animals in movie productions. "We believe horses are at particular risk," she said.

The remake of "Flicka," starring country music star Tim McGraw, is scheduled for release in February.