[WiZ] This one's easy even by my standards

[WiZ]

A man is observing some unusual horses at rest. Although nobody is in danger, he realises after a few minutes that he will have to shoot them quickly. Why?

[GalFisk]

Unusually: small? Large? Wild? Domesticated? Bred? Located? Quickly: within seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Do the horses belong to someone relevant? Do they signify something relevant? Shoot: kill? If yes, will the dead horses fulfill a relevant purpose? Would they create a relevant problem if they were not shot? Is war relevant? Shoot: with any deadly weapon? With a silent, deadly weapon? With a less lethal weapon? With medicine or tranquilizer?
Relevant how many the horses are? If so: 2? 3-5? 6-10? 11-30? More? Could he accomplish what he has to by trapping them? Chasing them off? Sedating them? Destroying them with explosives?

[WiZ]

Unusually: small? Large? Wild? Domesticated? Bred? no to these Located? yes, strictly speaking, but not most relevantly Quickly: within seconds? Minutes? this Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Do the horses belong to someone relevant? yes Do they signify something relevant? yes Shoot: kill? no If yes, will the dead horses fulfill a relevant purpose? n/a Would they create a relevant problem if they were not shot? yope; perhaps rephrase Is war relevant? no Shoot: with any deadly weapon? no With a silent, deadly weapon? no With a less lethal weapon? no With medicine or tranquilizer? no
Relevant how many the horses are? not especially If so: 2? 3-5? 6-10? About this, I think 11-30? More? Could he accomplish what he has to by trapping them? no Chasing them off? no Sedating them? possibly Destroying them with explosives? no

[RedWine]

Horses as animals? Real, living horses? Printed horses? Painted horses? Is he playing a game?
Is the puzzle set in modern times?
Do all "he's" refer to the man? Does "them" refer to the horses? Will he shoot all of them?

[yojimbo]

wild horses/mustangs? if so, is that why they are unusual? is he a photographer?
"shoot" is becoming a classic lateral puzzle verb, I think

[WiZ]

Redwine

Horses as animals? yes Real, living horses? yes Printed horses? no Painted horses? yes! (DOYD 'painted') Is he playing a game? no
Is the puzzle set in modern times? within the last century, yes
Do all "he's" refer to the man? yes Does "them" refer to the horses? yes Will he shoot all of them? yes, most likely

Yojimbo

wild horses/mustangs? no if so, is that why they are unusual? n/a is he a photographer? no, but ORT

"shoot" is becoming a classic lateral puzzle verb, I think
Indeed. I can think of one of Paul's, one of E.J. Harshman's, and one other classic that hinge upon that specific double meaning.

[RedWine]

Did the man paint the horses? Are their (horses) bodies painted different color than they initially were? Are the horses pictured on a painting? Does someone relevantly think that the horses are in fact something else (like, zebras)?

[WiZ]

Did the man paint the horses? not personally, but explore Are their (horses) bodies painted different color than they initially were? yes Are the horses pictured on a painting? no Does someone relevantly think that the horses are in fact something else (like, zebras)? no

[RedWine]

Did the man have them painted? Are more people relevant? Is it relevant what color were they painted? Does the man play a prank or someone? Does he do a scam? Does he act within his professional capacity?

[WiZ]

Did the man have them painted? yes Are more people relevant? yes Is it relevant what color were they painted? no, only that they were bold, bright, familiar colours Does the man play a prank or someone? no Does he do a scam? no Does he act within his professional capacity? yes, from start to finish

[RedWine]

Are the horses in zoo? In a theme park? For sale? Are they adult horses? or ponies?
Do the man want to have the horses photographed (by someone else)?

[WiZ]

Are the horses in zoo? no In a theme park? no For sale? no Are they adult horses? yes or ponies? no
Do the man want to have the horses photographed (by someone else)? no to 'photographed'

[RedWine]

Does the man want someone else to relevantly see the horses? To picture the horses? To film the horses?

[Tiger]

Are these horses considered rare? Thought to be extinct? Not known to be found in this certain location? The last of their kind? Special in some way?

Does he want to protect the horses by disguising them?

[GalFisk]

Was paint applied to the bodies of the horses? Were they made to look like a different species? A different breed? Were they shot with paint balls? Were the horses in danger? Was he?

[Balin]

Is he going to "shoot" them with a camera? With a video camera?

[WiZ]

Redwine

Does the man want someone else to relevantly see the horses? yes To picture the horses? I'm not sure what you mean - he didn't want anyone to do a drawing or painting of the horses To film the horses? yes

Tiger

Are these horses considered rare? At the time of his realisation, yes Thought to be extinct? no Not known to be found in this certain location? not especially The last of their kind? not especially Special in some way? Not in any relevantly specific way

Does he want to protect the horses by disguising them? no

Galfisk

Was paint yope to yes-ish applied to the bodies of the horses? yes Were they made to look like a different species? no A different breed? no, not a predetermined or nameable different breed Were they shot with paint balls? no Were the horses in danger? no Was he? no, there was no risk of physical harm to him

Balin

Is he going to "shoot" them with a camera? no With a video camera? this (or one of his collaborators will, at least)

[Balin]

Not paint - maybe dye?

[WiZ]

Not paint - maybe dye? No; certainly not as one would ordinarily conceive of it

[RedWine]

Was there only an impression of horses being painted, maybe because of some colored light effects?

[WiZ]

Was there only an impression of horses being painted, maybe because of some colored light effects? no, the horses were genuinely coated in some kind of colourant

[Tiger]

Ink, perhaps? Were they being marked with letters? Numbers? Words?

[RedWine]

Was it a historical movie scene? Did the horses wear sort of clothing?

[WiZ]

Tiger

Ink, perhaps? no Were they being marked with letters? no Numbers? no Words? no

Redwine

Was it a historical movie scene? no Did the horses wear sort of clothing? no

[Tiger]

Did he use something natural like fruit juice?
Is he trying to deceive whomever is going to view the footage?

[RedWine]

Is the colourant natural? Artificial? Did the man pay someone to colour the horses?
Was it a movie scene? A documentary scene? Was the man filming for some other purpose than a movie?

[WiZ]

Tiger

Did he use something natural no like fruit juice? this is very ORT, however
Is he trying to deceive whomever is going to view the footage? no

Redwine

Is the colourant natural? no Artificial? yes Did the man pay someone to colour the horses? yes
Was it a movie scene? yes A documentary scene? no Was the man filming for some other purpose than a movie? no

[RedWine]

Did the substance do something else relevant to the horses besides of colouring them? Did he plan to colour them? Did he realise that the colour will not last long? Is it relevant how was the colouring done?

[WiZ]

Did the substance do something else relevant to the horses besides of colouring them? no to yope Did he plan to colour them? yes Did he realise that the colour will not last long? Yes. Why? Is it relevant how was the colouring done? yes (moreso the colouring agent)

[RedWine]

Were the horses about to go into a body of water that would wash the colour up? Did the color change in contact with air?

[WiZ]

Were the horses about to go into a body of water that would wash the colour up? no Did the color change in contact with air? no

[GalFisk]

Movie effects relevant? Green screens? Chroma keying? Mattes? Did he have the entire bodies colored? In a single color? Was the color harmless to the horses? Was the coloring agent chosen to go away by itself, without further human intervention? Is black and white filming relevant? Does he change their color so they will be more visible on film? Less?

[RedWine]

Was man's realisation prompted by something that happened? Did the horses relevantly change between the colouring and the realisation? Is location relevant?

[danobrazil]

Is it a silent film? It is a famous movie? Was the substance made of a food which the horses would lick off themselves and each other?
Any of these relevant - Black and White, Animal rights, famous book, male lead, female lead, other animals, Black Beauty, Flicka, Misty, Fantasy film, 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s?

[WiZ]

Galfisk

Movie effects relevant? no Green screens? Chroma keying? Mattes? n/a to these Did he have the entire bodies colored? yes In a single color? yes Was the color harmless to the horses? yes Was the coloring agent chosen to go away by itself, without further human intervention? I think not Is black and white filming relevant? no Does he change their color so they will be more visible on film? Less? His reasons for colouring the horses does not have to do with visibility per se

Redwine

Was man's realisation prompted by something that happened? yes Did the horses relevantly change between the colouring and the realisation? yes Is location relevant? no - simply that he's on set

Danobrazil

Is it a silent film? no It is a famous movie? very Was the substance made of a food which the horses would lick off themselves and each other? Yes!
Any of these relevant - Black and White, Animal rights, famous book this, male lead, female lead, other animals, Black Beauty, Flicka, Misty, Fantasy film this, 1920s, 30s, this 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s?

***** SPOILER *****

In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the 'horses of a different colour' were coloured with Jell-O crystals. The director very soon realised he would have to shoot the scene quickly, as the horses almost immediately began to lick their colouring off!

Congratulations to Danobrazil for the solution, and to Redwine and Galfisk for some good questions. I apologise for the puzzle title; I genuinely believed this one would go instantly.

[danobrazil]

Thanks, very interesting! I didn't know jell-o has been around that long.
I was thinking something mushy, pasty like oatmeal.

[yojimbo]

when the puzzle first appeared, I was tempted to ask if a knacker was relevant. considering the source of jell-o, that might have contributed to an earlier collapse of the puzzle? or perhaps not...
rather gruesome to ponder horses smeared with the rendered remains of some of their brothers...