The veterinarian who examined Ammi believed that the break was too severe to heal properly. He suggested that the horse be put down. The businessman, however, would not give up on Ammi, and ordered that his horse be rehabilitated. He made sure that Ammi received the best care available. Over time, the prized horse did recover and return to training.
"You are no longer to be called Ammi," said the businessman. "You are now Ammi-Racham, for you have received mercy."
Ammi-Racham ran well for his trainer, and the businessman was confident that the stallion would perform even better than before because the animal had learned a valuable lesson. However, something in the horse changed when he was placed back into a race for the first time since his injury. He became afraid of the other horses and refused to run with them. No matter what the jockey tried, he could not get his mount to compete.
Upon seeing this ill behavior, the businessman asked the trainer to work diligently with Ammi-Racham to restore his confidence. The trainer did as he was asked and attempted many times and in various ways to reintroduce his charge to racing. But Ammi-Racham stubbornly refused to run with any other horses. He was too scared of hurting himself again.
Finally, the businessman gave up trying. He saw that the horse would never fulfill his purpose, therefore he handed Ammi-Racham over to the stable servants and instructed them to load the horse into a trailer for transport.
"I had planned to breed him, but after witnessing his persistent fear I have decided to send him to the slaughterhouse," explained the businessman. "That way I can recover at least some of my expenses."