Show Horse taken from stall and slaughtered

[skydy]

[QUOTE=Mardi;8379056]
But now the story has traction, with national exposure, William Shatner, and a piece in the NY Times (read nationally).

Even if ONE owner decides not to participate in Wellington, it’s had an effect. One owner at Wellington = a substantial amount of money invested in the local economy.[/QUOTE]

I don’t understand how national exposure will help Florida law enforcement catch the people that have been stealing and butchering horses.
One owner not showing at WEF will make no difference.

The large amount of CASH donated may help in this case, but that money has accumulated so quickly because the owners are well known and have many friends who can donate…

The people in Fla. were fed up long ago about this, thus the change in the law.
This is a very difficult crime to address and I can’t imagine that a boycott of WEF would somehow affect miracles of law enforcement.

Perhaps more people will now, when visiting Florida, be aware of the problem and hopefully take precautions, along with those who live there that think it can’t happen to them.

What a nightmare for everyone.

[Dewey]

I believe that the thinking is that national exposure will put more pressure on local authorities to solve the case–and maybe more resources would be provided.

[findeight]

If it had been done in the immediate WEF area, it might have an effect, the other side of the state not so much.

Just some thoughts…

The former show horses that ended up in the illegal WEF area slaughterhouses were not butchered by the side of the road and the vast majority not stolen, they were mostly SOLD into it. Possibly without direct knowledge but in at least some cases, maybe not and sellers knew exactly where they were going.

Perhaps some of the outrage over this illegal industry operating needs to be turned inward. Everybody knows race horses get dumped into it, but what happens to used up, unwanted show horses? If these places could not get product, they could not operate, too many in our industry are willing to provide product knowingly or unknowingly. We overbreedand and spin off the aging or used up.

If there is a silver lining, maybe this on top of the illegal slaughterhouse operation will shine a light into what the bottom end of our market REALLY is when we are done with our show partners or seeking to sell youngsters into a saturated market. Maybe we need an Old Friends Show Horse Edition?

Can think of few people nicer then the Stevens really feel awful for them, of all the people for this to happen to…

Also, have twice heard reference to possibly attaching importance to consuming the meat of talented animals (back when it was defeated enemies)conveying power to the consumer. Sounds wacko but is actually still practiced in some cultures and cults. Some in the Caribbean. That actually might explain why somebody went to a ton of trouble for this particular horse.

[neigh]

[QUOTE=BITSA;8378532]
Then they get deported.[/QUOTE]

According to 60 Minutes, 60,000+ illegal immigrants have committed over 160,000+
felony crimes and not a single one has been deported. I don’t have much faith in that happening.

[Mardi]

@skydy;8379085

I don’t understand how national exposure will help Florida law enforcement catch the people that have been stealing and butchering horses.
One owner not showing at WEF will make no difference.

The large amount of CASH donated may help in this case, but that money has accumulated so quickly because the owners are well known and have many friends who can donate…

The people in Fla. were fed up long ago about this, thus the change in the law.
This is a very difficult crime to address and I can’t imagine that a boycott of WEF would somehow affect miracles of law enforcement.

Perhaps more people will now, when visiting Florida, be aware of the problem and hopefully take precautions, along with those who live there that think it can’t happen to them.

Since you responded to my post, I just want to clarify my point.

One owner not showing at WEF has nothing to do with helping law enforcement.
I’m talking about the owner who decides not to attend because of the perceived risk to his/her horse when stabled in the Wellington area. Again, that will have a financial impact on the local economy, and reduce the trainer’s income, which affects barn staff, and on and on. Like a stone thrown into a pond and the impulses of energy that go out from it, these terrible events are capable of having an effect on the community of Wellington and the horse shows (h/j and dressage). I was in NO WAY advocating a boycott for WEF/AGDF.

The deceased horse’s owners may be well known to some, but to the majority they aren’t. That is not to downplay their reputation, it’s that the amount of money coming in now is due to national exposure (social media, news reports, etc.) and the equestrian community wanting this nightmare to stop.

Hopefully the infusion of cash and national exposure will give law enforcement the tools they need.

[StableRat]

I agree with you chunky munky… the Stephans said the horse wasn’t insured

[FatCatFarm]

[QUOTE=StableRat;8379584]
I agree with you chunky munky… the Stephans said the horse wasn’t insured[/QUOTE]

Just wow! I read in one article where she allegedly said the horse was worth $500k.

[DMK]

I cannot fathom it having any impact on WEF attendance. Now I can see people investing in more security systems when stabled off the showgrounds, but this was most likely a crime of opportunity having nothing to do with what happened in Loxahatchee, other than probably due to short term demand that needed to be met after a large supply was cut off.

There would be nothing easy or opportunistic about going after something as high profile as a horse show and surrounding farms and about the LAST thing I imagine anyone who steals/supplies horse meat wants to do is draw attention to themselves. I suspect (and I most certainly hope) that whoever did this to the Stephens’ is now $hitting bricks because there are 30,000 reasons why this did not play out the way I imagine they thought it would.

[inca]

[QUOTE=eqtrooper;8377715]
Santiago Cabrera was sentenced to 5 years on 12-17-10 and along with him, Luis Cordero was sentenced to 4 years on 2-1-11 for killing 2 horses for meat in the Miami-Dade area. Taken at night, walked to a remote area and same manner. Twenty horses were killed in 2009 when they were arrested but they were only prosecuted for 2. Note: Cordero would be out now and possibly if let out early, Cabrera is too. It was said they were part of a bigger ring but not proven. Just mentioning.[/QUOTE]

Intersting…I’m sure authorities are pursuing this angle (at least I hope they are!)

[Berry0317]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8376496]
Would the person who is a cop comment on this? Destroying property is one thing, but in such a cruel and horrific manner is something else. Perhaps some attorneys could also comment? What is the most serious charge that could be brought against the people who did this?[/QUOTE]

Not sure if you are referring to me or not, but I am a cop in FL. To my understanding some of the charges include Occupied Burglary of a Dwelling (because they took the horse out of the barn that was ATTACHED to the house), Grand Theft, and of course the Good Horse Slaughter Act…all of which are felonies. There may be more because I am sure we are NOT hearing ALL of what occurred from either the cops OR The Stevens’.
One other thing that was brought up re the evidence left behind. Because the charges are felonies they “should” be able to submit the rope that was left behind for what’s called “touch DNA.” Anytime anything is touched, DNA is left behind. There are ways now to gather said DNA for testing. Either the Dept working the case can do this, or they can send it to FDLE to have it done. Once this is done, if the DNA is in the system then a name will be known. Hopefully this scum butcher has committed some other crime and he is known to law enforcement.
As I’ve stated before, I do not believe this is a random occurrence. This horse and/or the Stevens’ were targets for some reason. Be it related to the raids, or they used the raids as an excuse/diversion. The cops, The Stevens’ and the scum butchers are the only ones who really know what is going on. The rest of us just speculate. We may never know/learn the truth. I DO NOT believe The Stevens’ had anything to do with this themselves. I just believe they were targets of something, and all of what was done, was done to “send a message!”

[Secret_Dove]

[QUOTE=Berry0317;8379987]
Not sure if you are referring to me or not, but I am a cop in FL. To my understanding some of the charges include Occupied Burglary of a Dwelling (because they took the horse out of the barn that was ATTACHED to the house), Grand Theft, and of course the Good Horse Slaughter Act…all of which are felonies. There may be more because I am sure we are NOT hearing ALL of what occurred from either the cops OR The Stevens’.
One other thing that was brought up re the evidence left behind. Because the charges are felonies they “should” be able to submit the rope that was left behind for what’s called “touch DNA.” Anytime anything is touched, DNA is left behind. There are ways now to gather said DNA for testing. Either the Dept working the case can do this, or they can send it to FDLE to have it done. Once this is done, if the DNA is in the system then a name will be known. Hopefully this scum butcher has committed some other crime and he is known to law enforcement.
As I’ve stated before, I do not believe this is a random occurrence. This horse and/or the Stevens’ were targets for some reason. Be it related to the raids, or they used the raids as an excuse/diversion. The cops, The Stevens’ and the scum butchers are the only ones who really know what is going on. The rest of us just speculate. We may never know/learn the truth. I DO NOT believe The Stevens’ had anything to do with this themselves. I just believe they were targets of something, and all of what was done, was done to “send a message!”[/QUOTE]
I agree that the cops and the Stevens are not telling the public everything that went on that night. Why would they? They want to catch the killer(s) not make them take off. I would think by now they have an idea of who did the crime from the DNA off the rope, if they were able to collect any and match it. I also believe that this was not done at random. I think it’s a possiblity that this is a message to the Stevens, somehow tied into the Palm Beach raid or a copy of it. Whoever did this knew the layout of the farm well enough to know where to go to do their dirty deed as quick as possible. They might have targeted the horse for its size. I’m not sure they knew he was a $500,000 show jumper from Europe, they just knew he had a lot of meat on him.

[ynl063w]

[QUOTE=Secret Dove;8380207]
They might have targeted the horse for its size. [/QUOTE]

Can someone explain to me what is the connection between horse size and this particular case? Exactly how big was this horse anyway? He was a winning Grand Prix jumper - he couldn’t have been that far outside of the norm with regards to height and weight than any other random Grand Prix horse out there. And if size is such a big factor for those who are into stealing and butchering horses in the middle of the night, why aren’t they looking for draft horses (those might be few and far between in FLorida though)? And what is the average size of the horses that have been victims of this sort of crime in the past in Florida?

[sixteenhands]

[QUOTE=Secret Dove;8380207]
I think it’s a possiblity that this is a message to the Stevens, somehow tied into the Palm Beach raid or a copy of it. [/QUOTE]

I have heard nothing that ties the Stephens to the raids on the illegal slaughter farms in Loxhatchee. Which means I can’t figure out why a “message” needed to be sent to them.

[Carol_Ames]

There is one farm in the Middleburg/ Purc:yes:ellville area

[Mardi]

[QUOTE=DMK;8379851]

There would be nothing easy or opportunistic about going after something as high profile as a horse show and surrounding farms and about the LAST thing I imagine anyone who steals/supplies horse meat wants to do is draw attention to themselves. I suspect (and I most certainly hope) that whoever did this to the Stephens’ is now $hitting bricks because there are 30,000 reasons why this did not play out the way I imagine they thought it would.[/QUOTE]

Not sure we should underestimate these brazen killers. The crime at the Stephens’ was done by people who aren’t afraid of anything.

[BaroquePony]

They are smart. And they did literally fillet the horse and they took the ‘backstrap’ or tenderloin … they knew what they were doing.

[BaroquePony]

And no one in their right mind would chose this as a method for insurance … I know they did not have the horse insured, but early on someone jumped to that possibility …

[boosma47]

[QUOTE=BITSA;8378532]
Then they get deported.[/QUOTE]

Fat chance that’ll happen. Even if deported, they’ll be allowed right back. That happens for human murderers and rapists, why not here?

[pryme_thyme]

I haven’t had time to read all the posts after the original article. But I do want to send my thoughts to the owners and lovers of this horse.

[DMK]

[QUOTE=Mardi;8380354]
Not sure we should underestimate these brazen killers. The crime at the Stephens’ was done by people who aren’t afraid of anything.[/QUOTE]

Whether people are brazen or not, I think it is always useful to remember what these criminals want. And what they want is horse meat and to not get caught. Brazen doesn’t always line up with both those goals. Exactly what would be gained by all this publicity? Did things get easier for the illegal horse meat market? If horses were so rare as to only be found at horse shows, sure maybe I’d be more concerned, but quite frankly, I’d be a lot more concerned about horses not on showgrounds. In fact, I think the advice the Stephans gave on the gofundme site is incredibly useful for all of us, and probably hints at how this crime was carried out.

The following was posted on that site by Centennial and certainly is good information for everyone who owns a horse:

WOW! We have exceeded our goal in the first 2 days of fundraising! Thank you to everyone who has donated and helped to spread the word of this growing problem. We are inspired by the support we have received and are not going to stop here, and we hope you won’t either. Phedras de Blondel has brought this issue to light in the show jumping world, but stealing horses and slaughtering them for sale and human consumption on the black market is not a new issue. This is a growing epidemic that needs to be stopped! This event has changed our lives forever here at Centennial Farm, and it has given us a new mission. We are in the process of setting up a 501©(3) non-profit foundation to eradicate the theft and slaughter of horses for human consumption. Phedras de Blondel’s tragic death will not be in vain, he has started a ball rolling that will not cease until the criminals who participate in this horrific activity are stopped. For the time being, the reward will remain at $30,000 for any valuable information that leads to an arrest and conviction, and all additional funds will go toward our efforts to eliminate this growing problem. Please continue to spread the word and continue to donate, because this problem is not going away on its own. This tragic event has shown us that it is much easier than any of us thought to steal a horse, for any reason, including human consumption, and we have learned a lot. Unfortunately show horses are now targets for these horrible criminals for several reasons. Show horses are usually large and muscular, and sadly that makes them prime targets for meat. They are also easier to catch and handle since they are housed in stalls. It is much easier for someone to steal a horse out of a stall than to try to catch a horse in a paddock. Show horses are used to being handled by different people and these butchers are professionals, they know how to approach a horse in a stall and remove it without issue. In order to help ALL horse owners we have compiled a list of things we have learned and things that YOU can do in your own barn to prevent this kind of thing from happening to your horses:

1. Look at your property from a criminal’s perspective in order to spot access points that you may not have been aware of. It is also useful to look at your property on Google Earth and Google Maps Street View to see what other people can see without ever setting foot on the property. You may be surprised by the visible details.
2. Equip your property with infrared cameras. Any security cameras can be useful, but most crimes happen at night and if your cameras can’t see in the dark, it greatly reduces their effectiveness. It can also be helpful to post signs around your property that display that the property is monitored by video surveillance.
3. Install motion activated lights, and/or keep your barn aisles lit at night. Criminals will be less likely to target locations that are well lit, and motion activated lights can act as backup if the criminals turn the aisle lights off.
4. Get a guard dog.
5. Locking stall doors is not a realistic solution for several reasons. It can be dangerous in case there was an emergency and you needed to get the horses out quickly. And in addition, it is far too easy for criminals to cut locks with simple bolt cutters. A better solution would be to install alarm units made for home windows and doors on each stall door, the alarm would then be triggered by the door opening during the hours it is activated. This is more secure than locks because you can have the alarm connected to your cell phone so you can be immediately notified if anyone opens the stall door.
6. You can also hire a night-time security guard to patrol your property while you are not there. Prices vary, but it can be worthwhile for your peace of mind.

Please continue to spread the word and help us stop the horrific theft of horses for slaughter and human consumption. These criminals need to know that we are taking a stand and will not allow this to continue. Thank you everyone for your continued support.