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Horse tail thieves sweeping through Colorado
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Horses attacked in the middle of the night.
Picture: L.A. Times
Horses in Elbert County, CO are the victims of a bizarre series of crimes. Their once long, beautiful tails are being chopped off in the middle of the night by thieves.
The crime spree is leaving ranchers in the area wondering why someone would do this to innocent animals and worrying if their horses will be the next casualty. The first tail mutilations began last week with three Belgian draft horses that are widely used in the county in shows and parades. One horse named Prince had 30 inches of his magnificent tail cut off.
Then a half-dozen horses and ponies belonging to Jim Hoff and Tom Johnson had their tails docked with a sharp jagged blade. Thieves hopped the fence surrounding the property, during the night and shredded their tails. Hoff reported the horses, which he uses in his business called Happy Trails Horse Drawn Rides, were not injured. But he is angry that someone trespassed on his property and attacked his animals.
“It makes me so mad,” said Hoff. “If they were mean horses, they would have never gotten away with it.”
Several other ranchers in the area have also reported the strange crime, as well. The mutilation is not just an issue of beauty; horses need their tails to shoo away flies in the summer and to keep them warm in the winter. A horse’s tail only grows 3-4 inches a year, so it will be 10 years before many of these horses are returned to their natural state.
Residents in Elbert County have heard many rumors about the horse tail thieves. Some believe they are stealing the tails as part of a cult ritual while others think the hair is being sold for profit. Horse hair is used to manufacture violin bows, hat bands, belts and other items. But to make a profit, the hair is typically sold in large quantities so ranchers are in a quandary over why their livestock is being victimized.
In the meantime, some of the owners are looking into hiring security guards for their horses. If the thieves are arrested they face charges of animal cruelty and trespassing. However, as of this date the sheriff’s department has no leads on the case.
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