Protection just plain horse sense

KERRI-LEE Mckenzie’s chest was bleeding from a stab wound and a vicious assailant was whispering in her ear that he was about to rape her when her horse Domino and his stable companion Archie came galloping to her rescue.

The astonishing incident took place at Toti Ranch in Amanzimtoti on the KwazuluNatal south coast, when the 25year-old Mckenzie took Domino and Archie to a far paddock for some extra grass.

Domino’s owner does not live in Durban and Kerri-lee is his regular rider.

While Mckenzie is still recovering from her injuries, her mother and Toti Ranch stable owner, Serena Mckenzie, said the attack last week could have had a far worse ending had it not been for the two heroic horses.

“Kerri-lee had taken the horses down to the paddock, when she spotted some rubbish.

“She was afraid that the horses might try to eat the rubbish, so she went to pick it up. As she was doing that, this man came up from behind, grabbed her and put a knife to her neck,” said Mckenzie.

According to her mother, Kerri-lee fought back, headbutting her attacker, as well as trying to stomp on his feet with her gumboots.

“He was trying to strangle her and as she fought back, he stabbed her in the chest. He also told her he wanted to rape her,” said Mckenzie.

At that moment, Domino charged – and the attacker took fright and fled.

Another rider, who was in a higher paddock, said she saw Kerri-lee crawling out of the bushes and thought she was playing with the horses.

But Domino was in fact already chasing the panicked assailant across the paddock.

“Archie stood over Kerri-lee as if protecting her.

“Kerri-lee was rushed to hospital.

“Fortunately the knife had not hit any major vessels or organs, but she had to have a few stitches,” said Mckenzie.

The police dog unit was called to the scene and a tracker dog chased the scent as far as a nearby township, but the suspect had disappeared.

Local horse behaviourist Glynn Redgrave described the incident as “amazing” but said horses could form an incredible bond with their rider, owner or groom.

“Horses are masters of body language and a horse can tell if you are confident, assertive or nervous.

“You are dealing with an ac- tive, intelligent animal that is also a teacher of unconditional love, and a horse could definitely sense if someone was being attacked.

“This horse must have a phenomenal bond with the rider,” said Redgrave.

Another KZN horse behaviourist, Patsy Divine, who specialises in equine facilitated therapy and equine facilitated lear ning, said it was “absolutely feasible” the horses helped with intention and not by chance.

“It’s inherent in horses to read energy and if there was bad energy in that situation, those horses knew it and would have recognised she was in a bad place.

“They are powerful, gentle animals and would definitely sense distress.

“And if I were the attacker, I would definitely run from an attacking horse,” said Divine.