So let me get this straight…you KNEW the horse was tied up and left in the woods and did nothing??? I really hope you are a troll, because if you aren’t you are as bad as the person that did it.
Pitching a fit isn’t enough. You should have called the authorities immediately or at least made your fiance have the balls to do something about it.
If this is a true story, you need to seriously re-evaluate the people you are hanging around with, including your fiance.
Um, you should have called the authorities when your fiance told you Ethan left the horse tied on the ground with plans to leave him there until the next morning. This is abuse with a capital A. Please step in and help immediately. Ethan shouldn’t be allowed to own any living creature. And, your fiance is guilty by association. Disgusting story. Let us know if the horse makes it out…
This is so disgusting and I really hope it isn’t true. It sounds like you found out what happened to the horse in the car ride back… why didn’t you go back and get the horse? If I knew “Ethan’s” demeanor and he didn’t come back on the black horse, I wouldn’t have gotten in the car. I would have demanded to know where it was and went to get it. Your fiance sounds like a real piece of work too… you really want to spend the rest of your life with him? Good luck.
I really hope this story is just that because honestly, you’re all guilty.
God speed to those poor horses…
Seriously…where did the OP think the horse was when Ethan didn’t come back with it?
I found this disturbing on many levels. Unless one speaks up at the time of the event, they become complicit and accepting of the behavior. This applies to all aspects of life. It says as much about the perpetrator as the witness.
If this is a true event, I would not hesitate to speak to Ethan. I don’t care if it causes bad feelings or someone being uncomfortable. Right is right.
Calling troll. Or more likely, Paperback Writer of kids’ or romance fiction, looking for us to “forge” some plausibility into the “hot iron” of her trial plot!
Firstly, Ethan is an uncommon name and would make it too obvious who these people are in what sounds like a sparsely-populated rural area (if they were real). “Catching cows,” terminology fail, is Clue#2, and the OP (noob poster!) being green enough to wonder whether or not this is OK but needing a “barrel horse” to “rodeo” doesn’t scan either. It’s also a reach that a “rodeo” type would have even found COTH to begin with.
And she would want to marry a guy who didn’t even say WTF to Ethan? Okaaaay. :rolleyes:
I remember hearing tales growing up about trussing a truly rank horse on the ground to teach him submission when it was either that or the slaughter truck–but for an hour or two, not for two DAYS. And if you know anything about the physiology of large animals and the forces on their lungs and circulation lying down, not to mention dehydration, stress, and predators, Bluey’s right that a horse left for that long would be DEAD.
I vote “horse whisperer” knockoff Harlequin Romance.
and Ethan left his saddle and bridle on the horse while they laid the horse down and tied it up? Don’t cowboys usually value their saddles?
If it’s true: Call and report it. If it happened someone witnessed it. One of them may be disturbed enough to talk IF authorities question them.
Will it go to court? maybe
Will it be dropped? maybe
In my book, just stirring the hornets nest is sometimes worth the end result (public humiliation) even if it is not legal satisfaction. But, be prepared for the $#!t storm to turn on you. They will likely counter sue with Libel.
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7686709]
I vote “horse whisperer” knockoff Harlequin Romance.[/QUOTE]
In that case OP might change her heroine and hero to be more vocal about the abuse. Wouldn’t do to have readers disgusted with the pair.
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7686709]
Calling troll. Or more likely, Paperback Writer of kids’ or romance fiction, looking for us to “forge” some plausibility into the “hot iron” of her trial plot!
Firstly, Ethan is an uncommon name and would make it too obvious who these people are in what sounds like a sparsely-populated rural area (if they were real). “Catching cows,” terminology fail, is Clue#2, and the OP (noob poster!) being green enough to wonder whether or not this is OK but needing a “barrel horse” to “rodeo” doesn’t scan either. It’s also a reach that a “rodeo” type would have even found COTH to begin with.
And she would want to marry a guy who didn’t even say WTF to Ethan? Okaaaay. :rolleyes:
I remember hearing tales growing up about trussing a truly rank horse on the ground to teach him submission when it was either that or the slaughter truck–but for an hour or two, not for two DAYS. And if you know anything about the physiology of large animals and the forces on their lungs and circulation lying down, not to mention dehydration, stress, and predators, Bluey’s right that a horse left for that long would be DEAD.
I vote “horse whisperer” knockoff Harlequin Romance.[/QUOTE]
Oh, Bravo, well done, Lady Eboshi. You make an excellent case. Alsong with Dispatcher’s point, all of which I missed although it sure sounded like something from the land of meth heads, frankly. I believed it, but on second read, gosh it sure sounds bogus. What rider, what cowboy, would leave a horse on the trail like that? Bluey’s right, too. Its a bust.
I’m thinking the only “cow” caught is the OP Troll for posting such obvious BS.
I’d suggest losing your boyfriend. Druggies hang around druggies, drunks hang around drunks…lowlife animal abusers hang around other lowlife animal abusers. Sorry, but he’s just as bad as his friend Ethan.
Dump the guy…either he sees nothing wrong with horse torture, or he’s too weak to say/do something about it. He’s a coward either way.
If it smells like a fish …
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7686709]
Calling troll. Or more likely, Paperback Writer of kids’ or romance fiction, looking for us to “forge” some plausibility into the “hot iron” of her trial plot!
Firstly, Ethan is an uncommon name and would make it too obvious who these people are in what sounds like a sparsely-populated rural area (if they were real). “Catching cows,” terminology fail, is Clue#2, and the OP (noob poster!) being green enough to wonder whether or not this is OK but needing a “barrel horse” to “rodeo” doesn’t scan either. It’s also a reach that a “rodeo” type would have even found COTH to begin with.
And she would want to marry a guy who didn’t even say WTF to Ethan? Okaaaay. :rolleyes:
I remember hearing tales growing up about trussing a truly rank horse on the ground to teach him submission when it was either that or the slaughter truck–but for an hour or two, not for two DAYS. And if you know anything about the physiology of large animals and the forces on their lungs and circulation lying down, not to mention dehydration, stress, and predators, Bluey’s right that a horse left for that long would be DEAD.
I vote “horse whisperer” knockoff Harlequin Romance.[/QUOTE]
Copying for posterity, just in case the op goes poof
[QUOTE=misssmorgan;7686295]
Okay I’m contemplating whether or not to call the authorities on my fiancé’s friend for abusing his horse.
We have been around horses all of our lives, I love them as my pets and occasionally rodeo. However my fiancé uses horses for a living (catching cows mainly), but he also ropes calves and steers in rodeo and just for fun, as does his friend Ethan.
Well me, my fiancé, his friend Ethan, and about 5 other people were out trail riding in a few hundred acres of woods. Ethan had bought a black barrel horse from someone and was riding him on the trails that day (He bought the horse in hopes of being able to rope off of him). While riding I noticed that Ethan was using a handmade tie-down on his black horse, but it was a chain instead of leather. I didn’t say anything about it to him, but I did say something to my boyfriend and he pretty much just let it roll off of his shoulders.
Well we had been riding for about 2 hours and Ethan seemed to be getting pretty frustrated with his horse and rode off separately from the rest of us. Again, I didn’t think much of it.
Well we had gotten back to the truck and trailer; Ethan and 2 other guys that were riding with us hadn’t gotten back yet. Well after about 30 minutes they come back, but Ethan is riding along on the back of someone else’s horse.
Apparently the horse had tried to run off with him in the bushes and that made Ethan pretty mad. So Ethan and the 2 other guys roped the horse, laid him on his side, and tied his left- front leg, and his right-back leg up, and tied his reins to the saddle horn with his head pulled to the right side (they did all of this to keep the horse from being able to get up). They rode off and left the horse tied up on the ground (with the tie down made from a chain), in the woods, with no food or water for TWO DAYS. I had no idea what they had done with the horse until after we left, and I pitched a fit about it. Ethan was supposed to go get the horse the next morning (it was about 8:30 or 9:00 when we left), but he waited 2 days…
Okay as if that wasn’t bad enough, after he got the horse from the middle of the woods, he kept using the chain for the tie down every time he rode him, and the last time I saw that horse (about 4 days ago) the horse’s nose and jaw had a huge gash where the chain was cutting into him every time Ethan rode him, which I know was over 3 times. The chain would cut into him and leave a scab/scar, and then he would ride him again and the chain would cut further into the scab/scar, and the last time I seen him it was cutting into the meat. It took EVERYTHING I had not to say something to Ethan about it, but my fiancé said since it was his friend that he would handle it, which apparently he didn’t because today he went to Ethan to talk about buying that black horse for me as a barrel horse and he came back and told me that I wouldn’t want that horse because his face was cut up worse than he thought.
I have finally reached my breaking point and I don’t believe that Ethan should be allowed to keep that horse any longer, or any of his other horses for that matter.
Is this a situation where I should call some sort of authorities?
I don’t know what to do! Please help![/QUOTE]
Yeah, the “catching cows” was a red flag for me too.
As was the very through description of exactly how the horse was trussed up, right down to which leg on what side, etc…described in such detail by someone who wasn’t there to actually see it?
I’m voting troll.
[QUOTE=ThreeFigs;7686547]
I’m thinking troll. “Catching cows”?[/QUOTE]
While its possible the OP may very well be a troll…
yes, horses are still used on working ranches comprised of hundreds of acres and are used to track/herd/and rope cattle for whatever purpose…returning them to the herd, branding calves, etc.
But, FWIW, I think the OP is an idiot if not a troll, and there is no possible explanation for the OP to not wonder why Ethan came back without a horse.
I know if that were me, and he came back without a horse, I’d demand to know where the horse was, and if I was given the explanation given here, I’d kick him in the b@!!$ and then go get his horse, and refuse to turn it over to him ever again.
[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;7686898]
While its possible the OP may very well be a troll…
yes, horses are still used on working ranches comprised of hundreds of acres and are used to track/herd/and rope cattle for whatever purpose…returning them to the herd, branding calves, etc.[/QUOTE]
We know that. Nobody calls it “catching cows”, though, you do get that, right?
Yes OP, you should get the horse some help. You could buy it from Ethan before he kills it outright. You might be able to get AC on it if there is a current wound that seems aged, ie has pus or mangled flesh or partially healed noseband stripes.
I’m not going to say your story is made up. I beat myself up with regularity for not paying a call on someone, someone whose horse was a LOT thinner than she had made out to be. That horse died during our rough winter, and if I’d been nosier and pushier it might not have. Instead I happily gave advice that was never taken and wasn’t really appropriate for a horse that had gotten that thin anyway.
OP I’d really think twice about that fiancé of yours if this sort of thing doesn’t bother him because it’s “his buddy”. Some buddies are worthless POS.
[And I see that your fiancé didn’t want to buy the horse for you because it’s cut up worse than he thought. My my.]
I can see how you’d be loading up your horse at the trailhead and in comes Ethan but you have to go now so you ask your fiancé and he’s driving and not about to stop and you hear about part of it later, that Ethan didn’t fall off and the horse run off, instead he made a choice, and still later get the rest of it. What KIND of choice he made.
I understand that if you thought it would be collected the next day you’d not go hunting for it, maybe you have kids and a job and all that. Maybe you don’t have your own car or know the trails where the horse might have been left. Maybe Ethan’s one that “needs shooting” a mean type fellow and scary in his own right.
I’d say that the next step for the horse on Ethan’s part is to up and shoot it when it doesn’t do what he wants yet again. He might auction it straight to the KB also, but if he’s a mean sort that won’t give him the satisfaction of showing it who is boss.
That is NOT the sort of person I would want as a friend, or my DH to have as a friend.
AC varies from county to county and state to state. Generally you can make an anonymous complaint in which case you need photographs of the abuse, ie the noseband and the wounds. It has to be something that a judge would see and say is cruel. Stories , even if they are horrific, aren’t too good without eye-witness corroboration or photographs - good sharp clear photographs. Maybe the judge will remove the particular horse. Maybe there are others treated roughly in that manner. If AC doesn’t act then taking the story to the local news outlets can be useful. Best of luck to the poor horse.
Suckerfor horses, yes, I know horses are still used for cattle work. I have done it myself on a place that’s THOUSANDS of acres. No cowboy (or his girlfriend, unless she’s a total city chick) would refer to it as “catching cows”. You herd them, work them, gather them, trail them, and occasionally rope a bunch-quitter.
We’d “catch” a horse to ride. “Catch” a bite to eat. “Catch” a nap in the shade. To “catch” a cow is just an odd phrase. Lady Eboshi and others pointed out other odd details – this is a troll, or some young’un trying out her creative writing skills.
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