Show Horse taken from stall and slaughtered

[QUOTE=ynl063w;8380278]
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?[/QUOTE]
It’s easy. Show horses, especially show jumpers, are very muscular and and large. The larger and more muscles the horse has the more meat it has. The fact that they’re fit means they have more meat. Look at some of the horses jumping Grand Prixs, you can tell they are bigger in the middle,etc than a regualr horse would be. Bigger the better. There are probably more show horses in Florida than Draft horses. Make it easy for the killers to get what they want.

[QUOTE=Secret Dove;8381047]
It’s easy. Show horses, especially show jumpers, are very muscular and and large. The larger and more muscles the horse has the more meat it has. The fact that they’re fit means they have more meat. Look at some of the horses jumping Grand Prixs, you can tell they are bigger in the middle,etc than a regualr horse would be. Bigger the better. There are probably more show horses in Florida than Draft horses. Make it easy for the killers to get what they want.[/QUOTE]

I get that. But a few posters here were implying that this particular horse, as opposed to any other horse in the barn, was targeted specifically because of his size. I was wondering how much bigger this horse could have been compared to any other Grand Prix jumper. I also mentioned that draft horses are probably not too common in Florida. In fact I think I said all of this in my previous post but I guess it bears repeating.

“I don’t understand how national exposure will help Florida law enforcement catch the people that have been stealing and butchering horses.”

Sure it can. The more people who are aware of this, the more people who can possibly tell authorities if they know anything at all. They say America’s Most Wanted (aka national exposure) sometimes helps unearth the criminals.

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8381195]
“I don’t understand how national exposure will help Florida law enforcement catch the people that have been stealing and butchering horses.”

Sure it can. The more people who are aware of this, the more people who can possibly tell authorities if they know anything at all. They say America’s Most Wanted (aka national exposure) sometimes helps unearth the criminals.[/QUOTE]

I’m not sure how in this case that it will help.

I hope it will, but Florida has been dealing with this problem for years and unless the horsemeat is being exported out of the state, I don’t understand how awareness in say, California, will help law enforcement in Florida.

I feel so very bad for all the people who have had their horses taken by these horrible people. Hopefully the reward in this case will bring results.
It does seem as though there is more than one group of criminals doing this to horses, and the idea of continuing the pressure with the funds left over seems to offer some hope.

I am concerned for the owners who don’t have the means to equip their farms with infrared cameras though, that doesn’t seem like a practical solution.
Dogs, geese and motion sensor lights are more likely to be of help to the average owners, for stabled horses anyway…

Well, you never know, though, Skydy. Those evil people may have told some friend/realative in some far off state who was horrified about it and wants to talk. I wouldn’t want to limit any possibilities. Any and all leads, from anywhere, would be o.k., right?

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8381321]
Well, you never know, though, Skydy. Those evil people may have told some friend/realative in some far off state who was horrified about it and wants to talk. I wouldn’t want to limit any possibilities. Any and all leads, from anywhere, would be o.k., right?[/QUOTE]

Oh, absolutely. You never know.
It can’t hurt, the thought of getting reward money is effective in some cases. The current victims are lucky to have a reward fund as an incentive in this case.

With the admission of at least one person who lives in Florida. let alone those out of state,that this is the first they’ve heard of this type of crime, it is clear that previous victims have not had the expensive horse , or connections to garner the interest of the public.

I hope, now that high profile people and an expensive horse have been victimized, the outrage will trickle down to average folks who have lost less expensive but dearly loved horses.
It sounds as if the current victims intend to try to keep the ball rolling, and that’s great.:yes:

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8381195]
“I don’t understand how national exposure will help Florida law enforcement catch the people that have been stealing and butchering horses.”

Sure it can. The more people who are aware of this, the more people who can possibly tell authorities if they know anything at all. They say America’s Most Wanted (aka national exposure) sometimes helps unearth the criminals.[/QUOTE]
America’s Most Wanted is no longer on the air. But John Walsh has a new show similiar to AMW called The Hunt. I’m not sure he’d take on a case like this though. I think his show is for bigger cases like rape, human murders, etc. But Nancy Grace talked about it so who knows. The best way for them to get more exposure is to go to the major new outlets like GMA, Today Show, etc and try to get them to air the story. I don’t know if they’d be interested in it.

Just a thought, I am thinking this horse was flown into and quarantined in Miami. Could he have been put on the butcher list there? It seems like a long way to go and such a risky target but… As others have said, it doesn’t seem like he was picked randomly.

It is possible that when he was handled down in Miami when he first came in someone decided he would be an easy horse to handle and of good weight (ugh) and they found out here he was headed after that and they made a phone call or 2 to people in the area that the horse was going to. That’s all it would take.

[QUOTE=BaroquePony;8381786]
It is possible that when he was handled down in Miami when he first came in someone decided he would be an easy horse to handle and of good weight (ugh) and they found out here he was headed after that and they made a phone call or 2 to people in the area that the horse was going to. That’s all it would take.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that’s possible. Someone had their eye on him. The Stevens keep saying he was killed because of his size. I’m sure a lot of horses come and go at any quaratine facility all over the country, probably horses of all sizes and weight too. Why not pick any horse that is of good weight/size? I’m sure they could have loads of horses to choose from!

Stalled horses are used to comings and goings, but I wonder if it makes less noise, that is, provokes less vocalizations from the other horses if a newcomer is taken away, as opposed to a horse which has been there for a while. My pastured horses are very bonded and raise a loud ruckus when one is taken out of the pasture and led away.

Sadly it isn’t just horses that this is happening too. It’s a problem with cattle here in Alberta and I’m guessing other areas as well. Essentially modern cattle rustlers are butchering them in the field, taking the prime cuts, and leaving the rest of the meat to waste.

[QUOTE=Secret Dove;8382058]
Yeah, that’s possible. Someone had their eye on him. The Stevens keep saying he was killed because of his size. I’m sure a lot of horses come and go at any quaratine facility all over the country, probably horses of all sizes and weight too. Why not pick any horse that is of good weight/size? I’m sure they could have loads of horses to choose from![/QUOTE]

They are doing this for profit.

The market is in FL, the sellers and buyers are regional, and once you get past a certain distance even a backyard butcher needs to begin to invest in short term refrigeration, at the bare minimum 200 qt Igloo Coolers and a lot of ice. The meat has to be chilled quickly to a certain temperature to avoid bacterial growth, granted these aren’t chickens that pretty much carry salmonella all the time.

Then there is the fuel, the drive time, going through Ag inspection stations or avoiding Ag inspection stations . . . why chase after a nice big show horse being transported out of quarantine in Boston where there is (so far) no market and possibly no one local to call and alert to do the deed?
I agree with DMK, that this did not go quite as planned for the horse butchers.

How would the bad guy know that the horse was not full of drugs, or do they care?
I feel so bad for the owners that had to go through this.

I apologize for not reading thru the 11 pages but has anyone broached the subject that maybe this was retaliation for something? The owners of the horse pissed someone off? Or maybe this happens more than I know. :frowning:

[QUOTE=Underthebridge;8382294]
How would the bad guy know that the horse was not full of drugs, or do they care?
I feel so bad for the owners that had to go through this.[/QUOTE]
Oh, they don’t care if the horse is full of drugs! All they care about is the profit that comes from the meat they take. It’s not their problem if whoever eats the meat gets sick because its full of drugs.

[QUOTE=ReSomething;8382279]
They are doing this for profit.

The market is in FL, the sellers and buyers are regional, and once you get past a certain distance even a backyard butcher needs to begin to invest in short term refrigeration, at the bare minimum 200 qt Igloo Coolers and a lot of ice. The meat has to be chilled quickly to a certain temperature to avoid bacterial growth, granted these aren’t chickens that pretty much carry salmonella all the time.

Then there is the fuel, the drive time, going through Ag inspection stations or avoiding Ag inspection stations . . . why chase after a nice big show horse being transported out of quarantine in Boston where there is (so far) no market and possibly no one local to call and alert to do the deed?
I agree with DMK, that this did not go quite as planned for the horse butchers.[/QUOTE]

I understand what you’re saying. Lets say someone put this horse on the butcher list at the Miami quaratine facility he was at. I’m sure there are tons of horses that are of good weight that they could’ve chosen. Why pick this paticular horse? Especially a horse going to Tampa. I know they could’ve had someone in Tampa do the dirty deed but wouldn’t it have been easier and more profitable to do it locally?

[QUOTE=Secret Dove;8383278]
I know they could’ve had someone in Tampa do the dirty deed but wouldn’t it have been easier and more profitable to do it locally?[/QUOTE]
At the quarantine facility?? I would think there would actually be some security there.

Since the horse wasn’t insured I’m hearing are the Stephens out an expensive horse plus all that money. Yet another awful thing because I don’t think this was a cheap horse and so there wallet must be taking a huge hit. Did they pay for him yet?

“Did they pay for him yet?”

Seriously? What European sellers let you take one on trial to the U.S.??:rolleyes:

Edited to add: this thread is growing tedious due to the participants not reading through the posts before adding their two cents. Yes, the horse was paid for, yes the horse was 6 figures … No the Stevens’ did not have any known enemies. Read through the thread.