“Hurts You to the Core”: Equestrian Community in Shambles as a Shocking Incident Involving the Black Market Comes to Light

The Colorado Police have once again sprung into action as a series of horsetail thefts have rocked the equestrian community. Colorado is known for its love of horses and its thriving equestrian culture. But since the last decade, horse owners in the state, especially around Denver, have faced a rising number of horsetail thefts. In the midst of all this, the owner of the most recent victim of these attacks spoke about the impact of such an act.

Megan Morrison is a passionate rider and loves to spend time with horses. She owns a 5-year-old Holstein named Eleanor, whose tail was robbed by these criminals. Morrison expressed her deep sadness and explained how this loss affected herself and the horse.

A devastating loss for the equestrian rider and the mount

Megan Morrison is a showjumper and has been participating in local competitions with Eleanor. They specialize in the hunter-jumper discipline, where the length of the horse’s tail determines a huge point of the total points. Morrison kept Eleanor at the Ken Caryl Equestrian Center for her safekeeping. But that did not save the poor horse from the thieves, who used the cover of the night to slice off Eleanor’s tail. The rider was even more disappointed at this selfish act because she had spent countless hours grooming Eleanor’s tail.

She explained that horses rely on their tails for many important functions that, includes communication and protecting against attacks from pests. Speaking to Fox 31, she said, “Horses, they communicate by their behaviors, and mostly their ears and their tails, and you’re taking that away from them”. Eleanor will not be able to compete in future competitions till her tail grows back, “so it just hurts you to the core,” stated Eleanor. Morrison said that the hair is sold in the black market, where it will be used to make jewelry and even violin strings. The police are baffled by the nature of these thefts and are working tirelessly to apprehend the culprits. In spite of this, the thefts still continue to plague this tiny equestrian community.

Equestrian community struggles as horsetail robberies persist

These robbers had attacked the Ken Caryl Equestrian Center in Colorado at least eight times in the previous week. According to complaints made on an online forum, another riding facility in the metro area had five tails cut. The robbers have found a way to bypass the security measures in these facilities for their nefarious purpose. The Ken Caryl Equestrian Center will be adding more security protocols to the already stellar surveillance system.

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Other equestrian centers have started implementing the best practices, like regular patrolling and CCTV cameras, to protect the horses. The Jefferson County Sheriff has pleaded with the victims to register a police complaint. He has assured that the guilty individuals will face tampering and mischief charges. In the meantime, the community has banded together to increase vigilance in order to prevent further incidents.

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