# Stolen horse tortured/abused



## Minimor (Jul 10, 2009)

I hope they find the THINGS that are responsible for this, and then I wish they'd do much the same thing to them!

Abused horse in South Dakota


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## Bassett (Jul 10, 2009)

OMG. They should do worse to them.




The poor horse was innocent and trusting. They are worse than scum. Hope the horse will be okay.


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## ~Dan (Jul 10, 2009)

HOLY CRAP!!! Thats horrible that someone could do that to a horse. I hope he can recover, even if he cant compete again, but to live.


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## Hosscrazy (Jul 10, 2009)

I'm speechless...


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## Denise (Jul 10, 2009)

It just amazes me what people can do to animals. These people actually live among us and can seem normal!



Hope they catch who did this, but sad thing is, if they do they will probably get a slap on the wrist. The law does not take animal abuse seriously enough. Praying for a full recovery for Dually.


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## osu_barrelracer (Jul 10, 2009)

Dually is an amazing horse. I have ran at a lot of rodeos against him, and boy does he have heart. We are all hoping and praying that he will be able to pull through this. It is a really horrible thing to go through, and its even worse to know that fellow rodeo people did this to him. I just can not believe that they have not made any arrests, even though they know who did it.


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## minie812 (Jul 10, 2009)

Makes you think that someone didn't want to have to compete against him so they ruined him by tearing up his legs



Hope they drag them and suspend them between two trucks when they find the ones that did this


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## Miniv (Jul 11, 2009)

Before I finished reading the entire story, it was a NO BRAINER. And then the quote from the sheriff---

"The sheriff said he doesn't know if the abuse was intentional, or the outcome of bad judgment."

UMMMMMM........DUH........... Okay Mister Smart POLICE.........WHO THE HECK WOULD BOTHER STEALING A WINNING BARREL HORSE BUT A COMPETITOR??????? Seems rather interesting that the poor horse had injuries to his LEGS?????

UMMMMM DUHHHHHH!!!! Where do these police people grow from? Under a turnip leaf???? Good Grief!!!!

It shouldn't take much to interview the different competitors the horse and rider had.

(Sorry, but I don't have patience with Stooopid.)

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Okay......I'm calmer. And I realize the police are NOT the guilty party. I should be angry at the idiot who stole the poor horse in the first place. Hopefully the police will be SMART enough to put two and two together and be able to narrow the possible suspects down........and then NAIL the guilty Party TO THE WALL.


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## dreaminmini (Jul 11, 2009)

Oh, that is just horrific! I pray the poor guy fully recovers and prayers to his owner too. What a sad statement of human behavior that someone could do this for the sake of competition. I hope they punish this guy to the fullest extent and then some. I know what I'd do but I can't publish it!


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## krissy3 (Jul 12, 2009)

Reminds me of the dueling ice skaters , and the blunt force to the competers knee.... Yep, I d be interviewing all the competeters alright... This sicko needs to spend serious time in jail, I imagine once in jail the others will do the "payback" for us animal lovers. I hope his name is printed all over the web so we can verbally abuse him for the rest of his life .. because you know the police wont do anything serious about it. I think just getting his name out there will be enough to ban him from the rodeos . I wouldnt want a bunch of cowboys hating me . Not only is this guy cruel and inhumane , but he is STUPID !!! I think the cowboys will take care of him.


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## Miniv (Jul 12, 2009)

Minimor -- If you hear of an UPDATE on the story, please share it.

Today we took in three horses that WERE neglect cases......... Two are Thoroughbred and one is a Warm Blood..........All are big gentle giants. They need some pasture and we have it, so they're going to spend some time "plumping up". The Rescue Ranch was given our name by the county authorities.

All of these horses are beautiful, highly bred, and originally high dollar..........But the original owners were too proud to seek help until the authorities stepped in. Just don't understand that.


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## iowa (Jul 12, 2009)

In the paper today was an article about a horse turned loose in Nevada with the brand cut out of its hide - a 6 x 8 piece of hide gone and lert raw and bleeding!


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## Minimor (Jul 12, 2009)

I've heard no real updates--I just did another search & came up with nothing new--I'm hoping osu barrelracer might get more info on Dually's condition & come back here to post again.

I was hoping to see an update from one of the news sites that an arrest had been made. Sounds like "they" have a good idea who is responsible (the one news article I found said that when the deputy found the horse tied to a tree in a residential neighborhood there was somebody on the horse. The article didn't say anything further, nothing about whether it was thought that person was one of those responsible for the horse's condition or if this was more likely someone that had come across the horse & decide to climb on) but I suppose "knowing" and proving it are two different things.

I just hope they do end up making an arrest & getting a conviction--and that the persons involved will get more than just a slap on the wrist.


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## osu_barrelracer (Jul 12, 2009)

I know a few of you were wanting an update, so I can give you what I know.

There have still been NO arrests. The guys that are responsible for Duallys abuse, are STILL ENTERING PRCA RODEOS! If they don't arrest them soon, I'm sure there will be some cowboy justice at the next rodeo they are dumb enough to show their faces at!

Dually is still at the vet and Wendy is driving 180 miles every day after work to see Dually.

If you would like to send a card, you can send one to this address:

Ron & LuEva Halweg

Attn: Wendy and Dually

26180 403rd Ave

Mitchell, SD 57301

Also, if you want to make a donation (they aren't really worried about the vet bill right now, I'm sure that will be settled in court, but the long drive every day takes a toll) here are a couple options:

Dakota Large Animal Clinic

27199 475th Ave

Harrisburg, SD 57032

First National Bank South Dakota

Wendy Halweg-Duallys Benifit Account

210 N Lawler

PO Box 1366

Mitchell, SD 57301

Paypal-> [email protected]


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## Minimor (Jul 12, 2009)

This sure goes against "the code" that I thought rodeo people had.



I guess there's some in every group though. Stupid, stupid, stupid, to do this to a horse.

What goes around comes around & I hope they get theirs. I also hope that Wendy can get her vet expenses back in court.

I will continue to pray that Dually recovers well.

Thank you for those addresses.


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## Filipowicz Farm (Jul 12, 2009)

Hugs sent to the horse and owner. I hope the horse recovers.My next hope is they dont give the guilty party a slap on the wrist. I hope they put this person or person away for a long ,long time.


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## osu_barrelracer (Jul 13, 2009)

Latest Newspaper update as of today

By David Montgomery

Capital Journal staff

Published/Last Modified on Monday, Jul 13, 2009 - 03:01:39 pm CDT

FORT PIERRE — Dually, the rodeo horse which was found injured July 5 after being taken from his pen at the Stanley County Fairgrounds, is still alive and slowly improving, owner Wendy Halweg said Monday.

“He’s recovering,” Halweg said. “The horse is not going to die. But his ability to ever perform again is in question.”

Halweg said Dually is still under veterinary care after suffering rope burns and cuts on his legs and face. Dually’s legs are still slightly swollen, Halweg, said, making it difficult

to tell how severe the damage is. Halweg said she remains hopeful Dually will be able to fully recover and compete again.

“It’s going to take some rehab, and then we have to go from there,” Halweg said. “It is going to take a lot of time, just like a person.”

No arrests have yet been made, Stanley County Sheriff Brad Rathbun said Monday morning. Rathbun said he is waiting for a judge to sign arrest warrants after giving his department's investigation to the state's attorney Friday.


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## Minimor (Jul 13, 2009)

It sounds like the wheels of justice are turning, if slowly--arrest warrants are good--can't wait to hear that they've actually made the arrests, and I hope the names get plastered all over the internet.

Good to hear too that Dually is improving.


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## muffntuf (Jul 14, 2009)

OMG! Someone must have really wanted her horse out of the competition circuit up there to do that to it. How horrible! How disgusting!

On a sidebar - You know we will have to answer for our actions someday, not just here on this planet, but someday we will have to answer for our actions (including the treatment of animals!)


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## sdmini (Jul 19, 2009)

I know one of the kids supposedly involved and was shocked, he was a real likable kid. He was somewhat of a "no account" but had lots of personality. There is another from a "big wig" family that had part in it.

The reason this is one of those worst kept secrets is because this was done AT A PARTY, there was something like 40-50 people there and NO ONE stepped up, even if it was to call the police quietly. I mean what 20 something doesn't have a phone tattooed to their ear.





I've talked to several people and Dually wasn't picked on purpose, sadly that part was random. As far as Cowboy's having a "code" well most of us do, just as I think most people are decent but there are some that always prove to be the exception.


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## Minimor (Jul 19, 2009)

If there were that many people present & not a one of them could call police then it's a really sad statement about how stupid and unfeeling people are. In my world out of a group of 40-50 people there should have been 10 of them that would step forward and yell stop this right now--but of course I know about mob mentality too. IMO all 40-50 people should be charged with the same charges as the "principals" in the case.

I'd heard tell that one rodeo rider now has a bodyguard (hired by daddy) to accompany him to the rodeos--don't know if that's true or not. I'd have more respect for daddy if he'd used the bodyguard's wages to pay for Dually's vet bill instead.

Last I heard the sheriff was saying they'd soon be making some arrests, but then the state attorney later said he had yet to decide what charges if any would be laid...that's starting to sound to me like this will be all swept under the rug.

I realize some states don't have much in the way of animal cruelty laws & maybe SD is one of these, but even if animal cruelty laws have no teeth, couldn't this be treated as theft?

Perhaps pro-rodeo people should pull out of SD completely now--and if this wasn't a case of a disgruntled competitor trying to get even or remove the competition, and Dually was just chosen randomly, wow, that's even more scary. If this deed is going to go unpunished then ALL horse people should boycott horse events there. Really, who wants to go to a show or rodeo in a place where something like this can happen without punishment? Money talks, and officials need to be made to take notice.


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## osu_barrelracer (Jul 19, 2009)

The warrents are still waiting to be signed.






Dually however, is doing better. Wendy was able to lead him outside, and he was dragging her to patches of grass. However, he still has a long way to go, and it is still unsure if he will ever be able to compete again. Last I heard several different rehab places had offered their help, and they were looking into them, though far from home.

It is nerve wrecking at the big shows, where there are 500+ barrel racers. I HATE leaving our horses there, and we take every precaution you can, but in the end, you have to trust everyone else. The big shows usually have decent security, but when it comes down to it, if you act like you're supposed to be there, no on will say anything to you! Walk around the WBR, PAC West, AQHA World, the WPRA Futurities and races....you will notice that several of the "bit time" girls set up wireless security cameras and several hire security guards. With the money in those horses, you can't afford not to. But its really sad that it has come to that.

Rodeo is a tight nit community. . . and its really hard to believe that there are people out there that can do things like this.


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## basshorse (Jul 19, 2009)

Wish I hadn't read that, but did. Thoughts and prayers are with this special horse and her owner... There better be some arrests in this case and soon! No way an accident, I can see why people are outraged. :arg! :arg! :arg! Maybe law enforcement is just being extra careful. If they don't do everything by the book...then they could lose the case. And you want these folks off the streets!

Very sad equine events have come to this...with hiring security and such.



But, you can't blame them if this kind of stuff is going to happen.

Get well soon Dually!


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## muffntuf (Jul 20, 2009)

In my neck of the woods, I have seen 20 somethings chase down and deer and her fawn over a river bridge and then just run them down. I was too far back on the road to stop it. But let me tell you, I saw several cell phones hit peoples ears as we were behind the kids that did it. But by time the sheriff got there, the kids were gone.

It is really frightening to see our youth behave as if life had not meaning, even animals can feel pain.

Dually & his owner have my thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery, and the judge to sign the warrants, but to go further, to make a huge case out of it to send a message to our younger population.


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## River Wood (Jul 20, 2009)

Hopefully when caught and charged......they will do do what they did to Tonya Harding......ban them for life from the sport.


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## krissy3 (Jul 20, 2009)

I can imagine people feel pretty uneasy about leaving their horses over night at a competition, I do thats for sure. How many security guards are there for a big event like this one ? Shouldnt there be some kind of pass for people entering after hours? Is there a way to lock a gate with a pad lock that only the security gard and other owners of horses in the pen have ? I lock all my gates at night at home, because the mountain kids drink , and do stupid things like destroy other peoples property. I also keep my whip by the front door waiting for the first kid i find harrassing my ponys in the night. I lived at a 70 horse barn and watched over the horses at night....you wouldnt believe the idiots that drove up in the night, and this was a private equestrian center. Thank goodness at the time my husband was large , and when he told people to leave they did. I think I will be sleeping in my trailer at the next over night show. I find it impossible to believe that out of 50 people at a party no one knew this abuse was wrong. If this took place at a private address then fine the owners as well, and I would be all over the parents of the kids that did this... It will be great once the names are out in black and white. I would also agree that the whole lot should be punished.


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