Footballer Wayne Rooney is well-known for his fiery antics on and off the piich.
And it seems his newest racehorse, Announcement, has been taken one too many tips from its owner.
According to The Sun, Rooney has been forced to draft in help from an equine therapist to curb the filly's temper - after it broke a trainer's nose.
Wayne Rooney, 28, with one of his retired
horses, Switcharooney. The football star has sent his newest horse
Annoucement to a horse behavioural expert after it lashed out and broke a
trainer's nose
The 28-year-old striker employed Gary Witheford, an expert in dangerous and difficult horses, to try and calm the young racehorse down.
Mr Witheford, 54, from Burbage, Wiltshire, told the paper Rooney's newest horse had 'pyschological issues'.
He said: 'It would be an understatement to say she was highly strung. She has been really bad.
'Last week she even broke someone's nose.'
Rooney, who recently retired two other horses, bought the three-year-old racehorse last month.
He
owns Announcement with his fellow Manchester United teammates Michael
Carrick and Jonny Evans. Former teammate, and now Sunderland defender
John O'Shea, also has a share.
Gary Witheford, pictured with a grey stallion,
is an expert in difficult and dangerous horses and said Announcement was
'highly strung'
Pippy, pictured above, another of Rooney's
horses, was forced to retire after a series of bad results - which
included just one win
But stablehands found the young horse too hard to handle. They battled to get her into the stalls and she refused to stand still long enough to be saddled, the paper reports.
Mr
Witheford, who describes himself as having a 'unique insight into the
psychology of the horse', used his own techniques to try and soothe the
horse.
The therapist uses his own bespoke techniques to deal with horses who have behavioural issues.
Four-part share: Wayne Rooney, top left, Jonny
Evans, top right, Michael Carrick, bottom left, and Gary O'Shea, bottom
right, who all own a share in the fiesty young racehorse
Gary, 54, told the paper he was very pleased with the work he had done and said Announcement could be racing by mid-May.
But the horse's problems are the latest setback for Rooney in his bumpy racehorse-owning career.
Rooney and his wife Coleen's previous two horses, Pippy and Switcherooney, were retired in December after the pair managed just a single victory between them - a win by Pippy in August 2012 - in 23 starts.
Horse fan Rooney, who has owned three other horses, enjoys a day at Chester races with his team mate, Danny Welbeck (right)
Rooney with Paul Scholes, front left, Gary Neville, front right, and Rio Ferdinand, back right, at Chester races
It is not known how much Rooney paid for Announcement, but it is thought he invested £200,000 in his first few horses. He also had a third horse, Tomway, which he sold for £2,000.
A source also told The Sun that Gary's bill for days of therapy is likely to be more than £1,000.
But Announcement, who is being trained by Ian Williams, seems to be taking to the sport better than Rooney's other horses.
Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, two of the
four footballers which own the horse, training at Manchester United's
ground in Carrington
Coleen Rooney at Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourt
She has already equalled Rooney's racing record by
winning only her second race at Thirsk, North Yorks.
The horse also
finished fourth in her debut race at Kempton Park, Middlesex.
It is believed the Rooneys paid a total of £40,000 a year to the Manor House Stables in
Cheshire for the horses to be trained and cared for.
It is thought ex-teammate Michael Owen got the pair into the sport through the stables that he co-owns in Malpas, Cheshire.
Owen founded Manor House Stables in 2007 and trainer Tom Dascombe joined two years later.
The stables reported winnings of close to £700,000 for 2013 with over 50 victories in less than 12 months.
Mr Dascombe also trains several horses owned by Michael Owen, under his company name Owen Promotions LTD.
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