They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

 

I remember going to a movie of this title when I was younger.  I don’t remember what it was about but I know I would most certainly remember it if horses were actually shot.  Bambi, Old Yeller and Little Blackie in True Grit; all animal deaths that scarred me for life.  Glen Campbell died by the rattlesnake pit barely got notice as I was still crying over John Wayne’s horse, Beau, taking a bullet.

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been following with interest the case of the five missing rodeo horses taken in November from an Arkansas college.  When I first saw the alert on Facebook, I thought they were probably taken by an unsavory lot looking to make a quick buck by driving them to Mexico for slaughter.  When I heard the trailer and tack had been found but not the horses, I had hoped the criminals felt the pressure of the manhunt, so to speak, and ditched the trailer and stock and the horses would be found roaming in someone’s pasture.

 

Four of the horses were found, tied to a trees for who knows how long and although not many details were released, their condition was deplorable at best.  There are still some concerns with the long term health of these horses but at least they are alive and under the care of the vets and the people who love them.  (See this story here for how they tracked these horses.  It is pretty remarkable.)

 

The fifth horse, Credit Card, was not initially found.  I had hoped he got loose from a tree and was roaming nearby.  But unfortunately he was found dead.  Few details were released “pending investigation”.  It sounded like they knew who did it and and arrests were coming.

 

And they did.  But the story that came with the arrests was even worse than the theft itself.  From the affidavits released by the sheriff to the news stories in the area, it was a planned theft; possibly by a woman scorned.  Not only did she “allegedly” steal from her own rodeo team, she ordered that particular horse killed in what sounds like retaliation for love gone bad.  And Credit Card was not just left for dead, but mutilated. 

 

 

I wanted to title this post Crazy Psycho Bitch because I could not fathom, nor could most of us who run in horse circles, how this barrel racer, this person that we would relate to as a horse person, an equestrian, could do something this horrific, this heinous, to a horse no matter who it belonged and no matter the reason.      

 

And it gets even crazier.  Not only was she a Crazy Psycho Bitch, but she and her cronies were Dumber than Dirt.  She cased the place before the theft – even asked questions, so the witnesses have stated – about the horses she planned to steal.  Then she had her mama’s boyfriend steal the horses and trailer and put the bullet to the horse’s head (while she watched, they say).  They enlisted the  help of a minor to assist with the mutilation.  All this happened near her mother’s home.  Heck, the sheriff even saw the stolen trailer on her mother’s property. 

 

Perhaps it will bring closure to the families who lost so much, but I don’t think it will ever bring them peace.  And they still have to ride the roller coaster of the justice system and you never know what direction that could go.  Yeah, innocent until proven guilty.  Sounds to me like she buried herself.  They shoot horses, don’t they?  This story will haunt me for a long time.  Unbelievable.

 

If you would like to make a donation to the “Credit Card” scholarship fund, or donate funds that will benefit team members and their recovered horses, you can visit the www.saufoundation.org website and click on the “Make a Gift” button. You can also call (870)-235-4078, (877) 235-7409, or mail to SAU Foundation, P.O. Box 9174, Magnolia, AR 71754.

 

More information on this story can be found at:

http://www.bannernews.net/blog/?p=7165

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/12/041.shtml

http://m.therepublic.com/view/story/f96819078cb2454dba12952c2647c037/#.Tt2UZ1EMMxU.faceboo

Read the affidavit of probable cause in the SAU horse theft case.