Horse's mane and tail cut off in an act of vandalism

Horse’s mane and tail cut off in an act of vandalism

Horse owner Lisa Anne Kreger of Walworth, N.Y. arrived at the barn at 6:30 on Monday morning to feed her 4-year-old palomino gelding, Dusty, and immediately noticed something wrong. Part of his forelock was missing, and when she entered his stall, she was shocked to find parts of his mane and nearly all of his tail chopped off. A sideways R, similar to the “Lazy R” symbol used in some ranch brands, was scrawled across Dusty’s side in black spray paint. The same symbol was spray-painted on the horse’s stall door.

Photo by Lisa Anne Kreger via Facebook

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Dusty was not injured in the incident, but with his tail gone, he has lost his primary defense against flies right in the middle of summer. His tail was cut so short that it can’t easily hold a tail bag or tail extension.

The vandals entered the barn sometime between 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 and 6:30 a.m. on Monday. The other horse in the barn was untouched, and nothing in the barn was found to be stolen or damaged.

Kreger told local TV station WHAM that she does not believe this was a random act of vandalism.

“I absolutely believe 100 percent that I was targeted,” she said. But why she would be targeted and who the perpetrators are remains a mystery.

Kreger posted on Facebook that she had been diagnosed with PTSD, and Dusty has been integral to her healing process. She and Dusty have received an outpouring of support on the social network and received an offer of a donated sheet from Glitz My Ride to protect Dusty from the flies as his tail regrows.

Horse tail thefts are not unheard of. Horse hair can be sold for use in crafts fashion accessories or as tail extensions for show horses. A white tail like Dusty’s is especially valuable. However, the nature of this incident suggests it was more a crime of vandalism than theft.

The loss of Dusty’s tail no doubt pales in comparison to the loss of peace of mind that Kreger and the property’s owner, Mike Bellingham, are now suffering as a result of the invasion. Both Kreger and Bellingham live on the property.

Anyone with information about the crime should contact the New York State Police

Read about protecting your horse and farm from crime:
Criminal Acts against Horses and What You Can Do to Prevent Them
Protect Your Horse from Theft
Horse Theft Prevention Tips

10 years ago

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky.Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

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View Comments

Sarah says:
July 24, 2014 at 8:52 am
Poor horse :( How could someone do such a thing?
Mary says:
July 24, 2014 at 10:44 am
this is an awful act of violence against an innocent creature. This horse did nothing to deserve this kind of abuse. Why, if you are angry with someone, would you abuse an innocent creature who has nothing to do with the situation. This is SICK and the person who did this needs help!
Donna says:
July 24, 2014 at 11:04 am
I am OUTRAGED! My heart goes out to this sweet, beautiful horse and it's owner. I hope the sick, twisted, evil person(s) responsible will be found and HORSEWHIPPED!!
Mark says:
July 24, 2014 at 11:05 am
They should find the people shave they heads and put them in jail for 90 days!!!!!
karen says:
July 24, 2014 at 12:35 pm
When they find the person(s) who did this, I'm sorry, but they should have the same thing done to them. And be made to work supervised, with horses the rest of their lives after serving time for cruelty to animals. Plus be made to pay vet bills for the horse and medical bills for the people who own this horse. This sounds like revenge for something since another horse was unharmed. What would that person(s) do if it was done to one of their animals? How would they react? The people who suffer from PTSD, even if it's not in service to the USA, are suffering. It's not something simple to see or to heal from. I hope they catch whoever did this and make them suffer too. And I'n not normally a vindictive person
Dina k says:
July 24, 2014 at 12:50 pm
This is VERY disturbing!! The jerk who did this should pay. For the owner, go to http://www.dropcam.com and put a camera in your barn stall. You can view the images anytime from a smart phone. The camera is only about $150 and gives you piece of mind.
Steen says:
July 24, 2014 at 2:28 pm
Obnoxious people who do things like that. A poor animals who have not done anything.
Christina says:
July 25, 2014 at 11:19 am
I am grateful the horse was not hurt or wounded. However who ever did this should be heavily fined and serve jail time and community service. This makes me sick to my stomach, that poor horse did not deserve this. :(
Stacy says:
July 25, 2014 at 1:18 pm
have they found any leads to the sick person(s) who might have done this? Please stay on this story until they are caught, do not let this fade away!!
kygal says:
July 25, 2014 at 1:24 pm
I don't understand some people why any one would hurt a defenseless animal. Hope they find the idiot.