Horse Abuse Case

[cowwrangler]

Horse Case Investigated In SD



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Posts Authorities in Stanley County are investigating the theft and apparent abuse of a successful rodeo barrel-racing horse.

Sheriff Brad Rathbun says the horse owned by rodeo competitor Wendy Halweg of Mitchell was taken from the County Fairgrounds Sunday morning, after it had competed in the Fort Pierre Rodeo during the Fourth of July.

The horse was later found injured and confined to a tree near a home in Fort Pierre. The horse named Dually is being treated by a veterinarian. Halweg says it might never compete again.

The South Dakota Rodeo Association has offered a reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Rathbun says there are at least two suspects, but no arrests have been made.


sounds like they have some suspects,from what i heard so far is Duallys rear legs are all rope burned from where they was heeling him,these people need to be made an example of so this doesnt happpen again,they stole him ,then abused him

 

[kolanuraven]

Poor baby....hope they hang these horse thieves

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Oh that just BURNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope he can recover and be a useful horse, if not competing again. It takes so much effort, time, love, etc to make a successful barrel horse. Any type of competition horse for that matter. Just sickens me that people do this sorta thang.

 

[Faster horses]

Makes me sick regardless of what kind of horse he was.
JERKS. THEY NEED TO PAY!!!!

Horses are just victims. Animals are just victims.
I hope someone raises HOLY HELL about this.

 

[Justin]

there are alot, i mean ALOT of people trying to find out anything they can about who did this. i heard some details about it that just about made me sick. the only just punishment for those involved would be to do to them what they did to that horse. but i'm sure if found and convicted they will get maybe some community service. but i do know that they will be fighting to survive if they ever show up at another rodeo. hopefully the aftermath of there actions haunt them for the rest of thier misserable lives.

 

[srd65]

Here is the news article from today's Capital Journal in Pierre. I too have heard some pretty ugly stories about this. The worst is that the suspects are "rodeo type cowboys" that have parents with deep pockets and are trying to buy their way out of it.




Horse thieves sought
Investigation continues after horse found injured

By David Montgomery
Capital journal staff
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009 - 12:23:43 am CDT
FORT PIERRE — When Wendy Halweg put her horse Dually in his stall after the Fourth of July Rodeo Saturday night, the pair had just turned in a strong third-place performance in the women's barrel racing competition.

Early the next morning, Halweg found Dually missing from his stall. She searched the rodeo grounds frantically before calling the Stanley County Sheriff's Department. A deputy soon found Dually — but in far worse condition than Halweg had left the horse.

"He had been pretty much terrorized or tortured," Halweg said. "He was severely rope-burned and was missing shoes."

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Dually is now recuperating at a veterinary clinic, and Halweg said there is a good chance he will never compete in rodeos again.

Stanley County Sheriff Brad Rathbun said Tuesday an investigation into the incident is underway with several suspects.

"As soon as we can figure out what's going on, then we'll make an arrest," Rathbun said. "We're hoping to wrap it up here by the end of the week."

Sindi Jandreau, director of the Badlands Circuit for the Women's Professional Rodeo Association, said the incident has sent shock waves through the rodeo community.

"In our rodeo world, nobody bothers anybody's horses. They're like our kids," Jandreau said. "You just don't mess with them. It's kind of a cowboy code."

Halweg said she is shocked anyone could treat a horse as roughly as Dually was treated.

"For someone to terrorize a horse — and with the shape he was in not call a vet or call the sheriff — is amazing to me," Halweg said. "I cannot believe that anyone would leave a horse how he was left."

According to Rathbun, a sheriff's deputy responded around 7:30 a.m. Sunday to an address on Two Rivers Street where a horse had damaged a vehicle. The horse had been tied up at a residence on Two Rivers Street, Rathbun said, and a deputy found someone on the horse. Shortly after arriving, Rathbun said, the deputy received Halweg's report about Dually missing from his pen.

Rathbun declined to release additional information about the case, citing a pending investigation.

Jandreau said the experience must have been traumatic for a rodeo horse.

"They are so pampered. Most rodeo contestants take extremely good care of their animals. I'm sure he just couldn't even imagine that someone would rope him and hit him or treat him like that," Jandreau said. "Out here, it's a ranching community. It just blows my mind that somebody would do that in South Dakota."

The incident has changed Halweg's plans. She was registered for four rodeos this weekend and is in 8th place to go to the circuit finals, Halweg said. But she said she is most concerned for Dually's well-being.

"This is as if it's my first-born child. It's no different," Halweg said. "He's pretty phenomenal."

Jandreau said she hopes justice is done.

"Hopefully it'll come to an end and justice will be served," Jandreau said. "It would make the rodeo world a lot happier. There's people who would like to handle it their own way."

Halweg urged people who have information about the incident to contact the authorities.

"If they will do that to a horse, what is next?" Halweg said. "I'm just hoping that they catch the guilty parties and that something's done about it."


http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2009/07/08/news/doc4a5429ce02aa2702117872.txt