The theft of the sacrificial horse is indicative of inauspiciousness for both the host and the priests. Taittiriya Shruti supports this view: ‘if an incapable person performs an ashvamedha and his enemies get possession of the horse, his sacrifice is destroyed. If the sacrifice is destroyed, the performer perishes.
Sarga-39
Ashvamedha by the incapable 1.39.10
The theft of the sacrificial horse is indicative of inauspiciousness for both the host and the priests. Taittiriya Shruti supports this view: ‘if an incapable person performs an ashvamedha and his enemies get possession of the horse, his sacrifice is destroyed. If the sacrifice is destroyed, the performer perishes.