killing of Little Blacky - True Grit (2010) Discussion

[–] Lucy9596 13 years ago

The horse would have died anyway and so he gave him the coup de grâce.

The real question is why didn't he take more horses (there was at least one more from Mr Pepper's gang) so he could swap before the poor thing is kaputt?

It’s just so sad that the variety of the world should be used as a contentious issue.

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[–] id_11 13 years ago

I don't think that is a real question. Well, technically it is a real question, but it definitely is not one of any importance. Taking two horses would slow them down significantly...it would be hard to coordinate them going at the speed they were.

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[–] RoyShacham 13 years ago

In This Situation Ther's 2 Options:
1)They kill 2 horses instead of 1, cause the 2 horses will run on the same pace.
2)The other horse will delay them.

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[–] mokienatrix 13 years ago

Regarding the first option, the horses will run at the same pace, but the unburdened horse is not carrying a couple hundred pounds of extra weight. It makes a difference.

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[–] Lucy9596 13 years ago

Exactly.

It’s just so sad that the variety of the world should be used as a contentious issue.

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[–] lil_miss_independent92 12 years ago

Well that does make sense except you overlooked the fact that Mattie is getting weak with every passing minute....therefore she is incapable of riding a horse by herself. And it would slow them down if they roped the other horse and brought it with. The big issue in that scene I think would be the whole time limit. They were in a big hurry because Mattie got bit and had to be rushed off right away.

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[–] gabypanama 13 years ago

They would all have to ru. The same distance at the same time, they would either all die exhaustion the same, or make it slower for them all to run simultaneosly.

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[–] Lucy9596 13 years ago

Try to imagine to run a distance with and without a back pack. What would be easier? Exactly.

It’s just so sad that the variety of the world should be used as a contentious issue.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Foster (878) a year ago

The Marshall said he could only catch Little Blacky. Remember he himself was on foot by that time

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[–] Lucy9596 13 years ago

You work with horses much?
For your question about worn out humans: yes it's possible that they die. Actually there was this guy at the marathon in Chicago. Died due to his exhaustion.

I didn't say it's always the case. Sometimes it can be.
I still think he should have taken another horse with him and switch. Wouldn't have been the first time to handle the problem like this.

It’s just so sad that the variety of the world should be used as a contentious issue.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] brock_stoner 12 years ago

I would have considered taking another horse too. But in Cogburn's defense, he took a calculated risk, believing riding out Blackie would have been just enough to get them there ASAP. The other horse was itself probably exhausted and wouldn't have been much more help.

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[–] thesnowleopard 13 years ago

When a horse is down and coughing up blood, it's pretty done for, in terms of what veterinary medicine they had back then. And yes, you can run a horse to death in a pretty short amount of time. A horse is not a car. You may be an educated fool (as opposed to an uneducated one), but if you think a horse couldn't be run to death like that, you sure don't know horses.

I agree with the person who said taking two horses would have slowed them down. Trying to drag along another horse would have taken forever and done no good because the second horse would have been almost as exhausted as the one they were riding by the time they switched, save only that it hadn't been carrying anyone.

Innsmouth Free Press http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com

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[–] goodthingsjohn 13 years ago

Yes. Horses are quite capable of running to death. Humans will usually shut down before death unless it is a situation where you are literally running for your life. (ever hear of that Nike guy? Yeah, he collapsed and died after his marathon.)
Horses, on the other hand, are noble and can literally run until their death. Dehydration...then blood in the lungs....then paralysis....then death by a form of heart attack where the heart is simply beating too hard and cannot keep up. Sustaining an abnormal heart rate for a long time will cause death.

Cogburn was merely saving the horse some pain. Cogburn was doing the right thing for the horse in putting it out of it's misery. People are so worried about "cruelty" that they lose all concept of reality. Life is not always a happy ending.

Is it sad what happened to Little Blackie? Yes, it is. But when given the choice, who's death would you rather risk: a Horse's or a humans? Obviously, saving the girl mattered more than the horse. And Cogburn did what any logical and humane person would do and put the horse out of it's misery.

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[–] joeymlib 13 years ago

For as far as we know, too, the horse could of had torn muscles/slightly busted and overstretched ligaments from the amount of running it was forced into. Horses aren't meant to be pushed that hard, that fast, that long - and quite simply lack parts of survival in the sense of "shutting down" like humans. Which, as mentioned, have been known to die as well from pure exhaustion. It's illustrated that they went a very long distance, so the overall pain from emotional and physical stress could have also just been enough to "scar" the horse for life. Hell, it wasn't even that gritty in comparison - it seemed right.

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[–] id_11 13 years ago

yeah it was injured as hell what should they have done left it there to die of thirst/starvation

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[–] baeksu 13 years ago

Cracks me up how sensitive people are with violence towards animals, but won't bat an eye to watch any manner of violence towards humans.

Don't get me wrong; I'm generally against both. It's just funny how people will comment on this movie later and the scene where they shoot the horse comes up. All that violence - towards innocent and guilty people alike - and people remember the poor horse that got shot.

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[–] ambrosia-apples 13 years ago

I'm sure that it was freezing, or close to it, outside as well. A hot, sweaty, extremely exhausted horse laying on the ground wouldn't last long.

"It could be worse. We could be surrounded by a pack of wild dogs."

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[–] niceredwine 11 years ago

in recent studies it has been revealed that almost 70% of marathon runners take painkillers before the run. one of the reasons why so many run themselves into the hospital or an early grave.

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[–] strlslvr987 13 years ago

I thought the horse's name was "Little Wacky"!! Because he was acting wacky when she first rode him? Missed the boat on that one...

What is it about animals dying in movies? Countless humans were brutally murdered right and left in this film, but I bawled like a baby when poor Blacky was run to death then killed by Cogburn. I cringed every time a horse went down and it made my stomach hurt to see those boys being mean to that donkey.

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[–] beti1948 13 years ago

Oh, man, I'm totally the same way. I can watch the worst violence against people but against animals? That just does me in.

For my part, I think it bothers me more because animals have no control over the situation (Little Blackie being run to death, the horses being shot since they are a bigger target and easier to hit, the donkey tied up and unable to get away from the little jerky kids) and people often do (not always but many times).

I'm just a big softie and even though I know it's just a movie, I get all teary and upset - and if it's a dog, I just about have to leave the room. (And before the trolls ask, I'm vegetarian/part-time vegan.)

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[–] realbullet 13 years ago

You think when a horse runs really far in a short amount of time and falls over, that it is inevitable that it will die? Really? Are you an uneducated fool? Do human beings die when they get really worn out?

Bridges did not need to kill the horse. The Coen Brothers put it in the film simply for spectacle, to show, once again, just how "gritty" human nature was back in those "Wild West" days.

Wow -- that is terrible.

It was in the book; the Coen's did not put that in there. Yes horses can run themselves to death. They will run well beyond exhaustion and bleed internally. In general, for long trips they jog & walk the horse, as well as walk beside it for awhile.

If you notice, they start out in early afternoon, by the time the horse dies it is late evening. To keep the horse going, he is stabbing it in the thigh with a knife. By then, the horse would already be in agony.

You missed the point. It's over here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> .

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] rossrjensen 13 years ago

Where I'm from, it's pretty common knowledge that horses can run themselves to death if you push them. Way to make yourself sound like a jerk and be wrong about it.

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