Flicka - Animal Deaths

Animal Deaths

Two horses died during the production of this movie, causing much publicity and debate.

The death of the first horse occurred at Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California, on April 11, 2005 during a running scene. According to the American Humane Association (AHA), the horse broke its leg after a misstep and suffered a very rare injury requiring the animal to be euthanized. The AHA's report concluded that the "death was accidental and could not have been predicted or prevented."

The second horse died two weeks later, on April 25, 2005, at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in San Fernando Valley. Reports from both the AHA and the Los Angeles Animal Services Department, concluded that during the shooting of a scene involving four horses, one of them got loose from the cowboy who was holding its lead rope, and after having been running loose for some 20 seconds, the horse changed direction and tripped on the regulation length 13-foot lead rope and fell to the ground, breaking its neck and dying instantly. As the accident wouldn't have happened if the horse hadn't come loose, the Los Angeles Animal Services Department concluded that the accident had been preventable.

After an investigation, the AHA declared that the deaths were not the fault of the filmmakers. However, the usual "No animals were harmed in the making of this film" statement would not appear in the end credits of the film, as animals obviously had been harmed.