https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr2SrvCrQc4/
I think he is editing and cutting parts together. The cop’s truck decals does not match where he said this happened. Cop’s ID says Sterling TX.
I bet he is avoiding NM due to the brand inspection.
He is posting stories on Insta. He lost a rowel on his spur and got it replaced because, you know its important to look the part and spur poor tired Falcon.
He replaced it with a chopped up nickel that looks pretty sharp… 
I don’t think it’s possible for him to avoid brand inspection states… There are quite a few between TX and WA!
Okay, this makes me angry. That bozo does NOT need to be using something with sharp edges like that. Why on earth does he even need spurs?! 
Of course, he does not. He’s just putting on a show, which is what this whole shindig is about. At the expense of that poor horse. Argh.
I know.
100’s of people are saying on his SM posts that he will have a hard time crossing into NM due to the brand inspection and his brother is monitoring his account most likely told him to not go into NM. But they don’t seem to think too far in advance. OR maybe they are arranging to have Falcon branded between now and the next state with an inspection and Cereal will be like; “arrived at my branding inspection on time” like he did for his “scheduled” vet appointment a week or so ago.
So you don’t have to actually brand the horse to get a brand inspection done… at your appointment the inspector just verifies that you own the horse (compares the bill of sale or registration documentation to the horse) and documents a description of the horse, and then issues the brand inspection. It’s not all that involved, it just requires getting an appointment set up with a local brand inspector.
I don’t know about other states, but there aren’t that many inspectors in NM, and it isn’t always easy to get an appointment set up due to factors like scheduling and distance… which is where I could see this ding dong running into issues.
That said… I’m not sure how relevant all of this is since a previous post on this thread says that brand inspections aren’t really a thing that’s enforced? When I lived in a brand inspection state, all the horse people I knew treated the brand inspection seriously and I was advised to not travel with my horse (that came in from Texas) until I got her inspection done. But that conflicts with other information in this thread, so who knows.
No idea what the Utah Travel Permit thing referenced in this map is… but I’m pretty sure this is an accurate representation of which states are brand inspection states for horses.
I used to write travel permits for local livestock heading directly to the sale barn. It’s a less official document, intended for animals heading directly to a facility (sale barn) where there is a brand inspector. I hope he doesn’t have his paperwork in order and there is enough attention on him to get a LEO to ask for his papers. In MT any highway patrol can request them and I believe he would have to have a health cert too; done in the previous 30 days which would mean he would have to get another one at some point. Possible tripping hazards if he doesn’t just give up on his little quest before he hits a brand inspection state.
Brand inspections are certainly enforced in Montana, more than ever. It seems like I read somewhere this spring that the fines were going up and I could have sworn it was around $5000 but the websites say $500 and down. I don’t really think this knucklehead is going to make it to Montana so it would depend on what the other states are doing. My friend in NM had inspections done on all her horses and kept her paper work in order. In the past they were easy to get here on just a say-so but any more they are cracking down on the process and things are more strict than they were just a few years ago.
They aren’t going to seize the horse over a brand inspection. However much they may scold and threaten. Maybe a fine, maybe nothing.
Plus it is not hard to comply with a brand inspection and get a second look from the inspector.
Brand inspections will be less of an inconvenience than the hassles he’s already weathered, that haven’t stopped him.
See up-thread for more discussion of the brand inspection states.
Yes, I know, I read your previous posts and referenced them above. I was just saying that if he has rerouted to avoid New Mexico specifically to avoid brand inspections, then, well, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when looking at the map above.
I had a friend that got in trouble for not having a brand inspection done… apparently it was a big ordeal. She was the one that educated me on the whole brand inspection thing when I moved from TX to NM. She told me her story and said to get the brand inspection done ASAP when I moved into NM. I did, kept my paperwork in order, and never had any issues.
I understand what @OverandOnward is saying about brand inspections being an empty threat… but for the horse’s sake, there’s a part of me that hopes that brand inspections could be a tool used to stop the ride, since he will be passing through a bunch of states where they’re required.
Very probably they will send him straight to a vet for the health cert, if he doesn’t have it. May even find a trailer ride for him. Such a situation may mean a delay in his travel.
But such a stop is very, very unlikely to create a LE seizure.
As someone who works with horse rescue – Local and other branches of govt’s do not want to seize animals except in extreme cases, and it is hard to get to that point. This is kind of universal in the U.S. Especially an animal as large, care intensive and expensive to feed as a horse. Brand inspections generate fines, hardly ever a seizure. Re abuse/neglect, there is a protracted process that is easy for an abusive/neglectful owner to manipulate and avoid. One way to dodge abuse/neglect is to simply move the animal out of the jurisdiction, or move it somewhere else that isn’t known to LE. That isn’t illegal. Horse not in jurisdiction OR can’t be found = investigation over.
A health cert is absolutely not a certification of a sound horse. Or a properly fed horse. That isn’t the purpose. It’s about controlling certain contagious disease more than anything else.
The last health cert I got was disease focused (admit it has been awhile). The health cert pretty much said only that the horse has an appropriate Coggins, doesn’t have a fever, and doesn’t show overt symptoms of certain diseases of concern.
Knucklehead may already have gotten a health cert at the vet’s in San Angelo. Or before he started, if cued by someone who was aware. He may need to get another one on the way once he goes past 30 days. And as long as the horse isn’t sick, a vet will issue one. Even if the vet delivers yet another lecture to Knucklehead along with it.
Even if the vet in San Angelo told him the horse isn’t fit for this, Knucklehead might still have gotten a health cert at that practice.
New Mexico is not a problem with brand inspection, it isn’t required unless the horse is there more than 30 days.
The other thing that is very, very unlikely to result in seizure is Animal Control, in whatever form. Guys, they didn’t look under the saddle because that’s not what they are responsible to do. I am not sure what triggers an abuse investigation, but it is not easy to get one. Obviously they were not asked to investigate for abuse. They didn’t see anything overt to trigger such an investigation. And the horse does not meet the standard of neglect.
Abuse/neglect: Even if found, owners are almost always counseled what to correct, and given time - a lot of time, in some cases - to correct the situation. Knucklehead simply moves on. That’s the end of that one.
I am sorry to keep telling y’all that an LE seizure over brand inspections or neglect/abuse is wishful thinking, but it is. No state wants custody & care of a random animal just because the paperwork wasn’t done. They just fine the owner punitively. It is extremely hard and time consuming to get a seizure for neglect/abuse (other than an extreme case which this is just not). If the owner moves the animal out of the jurisdiction, the case is over.
There is nothing wrong with knowledgeable members of the horse community continuing to try to hold Knucklehead appropriately accountable. It’s all good to raise red flags with the gp. Focusing on the horse’s condition every day is definitely helpful to help keep Knucklehead caring for the horse, to at least some extent.
BUT expectations need to be held in check. And maybe this case will be helpful for future changes to animal protection laws. Although that might not be as good if AC and LE are not supporting the claims.
I am sorry, y’all. As I pointed out way up-thread, almost nothing is going to stop Knucklehead. Except Knucklehead.
What I meant by the health cert was his paper work would not be in order. What I meant by the brand inspection is that he would get a fine. I didn’t picture him getting thrown in jail and Falcon rescued from his ignorant possession. If Falcon was in a trailer when approached by an officer, they would not let him unload. If they confront him on the side of the road it would be possible for them to impound the horse instead of letting him traipse through an entire state with no health current health cert or brand inspection. At that point, he’s driving a car that could be stolen as a comparison. At worst, a hassle, a delay, a fine, since he does appear to legally own the horse. But I guarantee that he can’t get caught with NO papers and think that he will just get turned loose in the state of Montana to carry on his merry way. I am quite familiar with brand inspections and laws, been dealing with them for decades and unfortunately I’ve been on the “please find something to enforce” end of things too working WITH animal control officers and I know it’s beyond difficult to get enough to actually get a horse in better hands.
What I think is going to happen to Knucklehead is the bloom is going to fall off this rose at some point and if it’s getting hassled and getting a fine at a state line, hopefully so. I think he’s going to get bored, tired, and not like his experience any more before any of that happens. I don’t like what’s happening to his horse and I hope Falcon is made of war horse material and manages to survive this death march he’s being forced to endure.
Sterling County, which yes surrounds Sterling City where he was documented by the dude following him.
Yep, as you point out, Post is well north of Sterling County. So that stop is probably part of the previously documented stop near Sterling City (documented by the dude).
Sterling City to Post is 113 miles by Hwy 84. It’s mostly the same type of terrain, maybe even a bit flatter than it was.
Post is still on Hwy 84 toward Lubbock. As pointed out, from the Lubbock area he could divert west to NM, or stay on a northward course across the OK panhandle into Colorado.
My guess is that he continues north, because to go through NM would add many more miles over much more difficult country. On or off the highway, he is far more likely to hit points impassable to a horse, although I suppose he could try to find transportation.
BUT what I would do and what Knucklehead would do … 
That’s also what I hope. Honestly I’m surprised that hasn’t happened yet.
I’m a little concerned that he’s lasted this long only because he’s enjoying the problems of the ride. 
It’s early May and he is probably not yet being fried by the sun, or not enough to make him want to quit. That’s the one thing that he seems to have gotten right - time of year. It’s just me but I wouldn’t last 30 minutes along the side of that road in full Texas summer. And I was born & raised here. But, Knucklehead may think it meets his expectations.
Yeah I didn’t expect him to last this long and I don’t like that he’s using his problems as posting fodder. I hope things get more unfun for him soon! I’ve only been through TX once but been between MT and NM more times than I can count and high summer anywhere out there should hand him his…walking papers? Hopefully with a fully functional and relieved horse.
This is what I expect, too. When the glamor fades and people following him begin to lose interest, he’ll stop this parade of nonsense. But he’ll have to find a way to exit this so that, in his mind, he saves his ego and public persona.
I don’t see any possible way for him to make it through Colorado, and across parts of Wyoming or Utah, at the rate he’s going. Unless he’s being hauled a large part of the way, he’s going to end up riding in some hostile territory right as summer heat hits.
I wonder how that $60,000 Go Fund Me plea for another horse and a pack animal is going? 
Yes, unless he gets physically miserable enough to just quit, period.
This guy really doesn’t strike me as the tough, stoic type. At all. Or one dedicated to principles, like finishing/fulfilling a mission, let alone a “destiny.”
ETA: mentally miserable might do it, too. Mental toughness and stoicism seem to be in pretty short supply with him, and getting shorter…
Speaking of Utah. What are the rules for National Parks, which Utah is paved with
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
