When Arielle Phillips tucked her beloved mare named Detail in the stable for the night last Friday, she doubtless thought her horse would be getting some much-needed rest ahead of the next morning’s fierce barrel racing competition.
But by the time the sun rose, she and her tight-knit group of competitors awoke to a horrifying scene: Detail and two fellow horses, Rocket and Sully, had been attacked in the dead of night.
Worse, the violence was allegedly committed by one of their own.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested a 17-year-old girl Saturday morning on charges of animal cruelty and destruction of property. The teen had been slated to compete in the NBHA Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show alongside the barrel racers whose horses she allegedly attacked.
The teenager, who has not been publicly identified because she is a minor, had access to the barn and ‘may have used a knife’ to stab three horses multiple times each, police said.
The act of violence rendered the injured horses unable to compete in the rodeo event – and sent shockwaves throughout the equestrian community.
‘You don’t just go in and hurt horses,’ barrel racer Alicia VanderGriend, who was not involved in the competition, told the Daily Mail. ‘Nobody does that. Nobody does something like this.’
‘I don’t think in the history of barrel racing, or even horse showing, has any competitor ever done this level of violence to somebody else’s horse,’ she added.
Arielle Phillips is one of three barrel racers whose horses were stabbed at an equestrian racing event in Las Vegas over the weekend
Alicia VanderGriend, a barrel racer and founder of Cowgirl Life Co, explained to the Daily Mail the profound impact the horse stabbings have had on the tight-knit barrel racing community
Barrel racing is a fast-paced rodeo event in which an agile horse and rider weave around three large barrels arranged in a triangle as quickly as possible without knocking them over.
Phillips, 34, whose horse, Detail, was stabbed six times ahead of the competition, revealed on Facebook that she knew of the teen suspect, describing her as ‘a crazy obsessed stalker’ who frequently sent messages on social media that she ignored.
The barrel racer called Detail her ‘best friend,’ and wrote in the lengthy social media post that she ‘burst into tears’ every time Detail recoiled from her approach because the animal was traumatized from being attacked.
‘Imagining my sweet Detail seeing this monster walk in her stall, when Detail is so trusting, and probably thought it was an innocent person coming in to handle her, and then being brutally attacked, the pain and fear Detail probably felt and I wasn’t there by her side makes me want to literally throw up,’ Phillips wrote.
‘Envisioning her bolting out of the stall and running around the barn gushing blood, scared for her life is one of the most painful torturous thoughts that will haunt me for a very long time.’
Grisly images show Detail with multiple wounds. ‘Thank God she finally bolted out of her stall,’ Phillips added.
According to the owners, all three horses are healing and expected to make a full recovery. Sully’s injuries, however, were nearly fatal – though a miraculous twist of fate saw the horse survive.
‘Seeing the ultrasound on his jugular and how close the stab wound was is horrifying,’ his owner Hailey Krahenbuhl wrote on social media.
‘I think God was on his side that night. Every other puncture was severely close to his major joints which would have been career ending, one even being 1/2″ from his cervical spine.’
VanderGriend, who is in her 40s, said she ‘can’t even imagine’ how upset and angry she would be if she was in the competitors’ shoes.
Phillips’s horse, Detail, was stabbed six times. She shared photos of the animal’s injuries online. Police suspect a teenage girl who was slated to compete in the event is responsible
Detail is pictured recovering from her stab wounds on Monday after returning home from the event
Phillips (pictured) said that Detail had been traumatized by the attack
‘I didn’t know of them, but when you see something like this and read about it, you just automatically want to send your heartfelt love and sincerity,’ she said.
‘To have this happen – it’s just a ripple effect across probably every single organization out there because if this could happen at one of these shows, what else could happen?’
The violence committed against the horses was highly personal to their owners.
According to VanderGriend, the founder of the coaching company Cowgirl Life Co, equestrian sport competitors have incredibly deep bonds with their horses, ‘a relationship that you just don’t get with another animal.’
‘If you have that established relationship, they’re there for you through whatever it’s going to take to get you back to feeling confident and happy again,’ she added. ‘I don’t know of any other animal that actually does that.’
As such, the incident has sparked widespread outrage. Although the suspect has not been publicly named, many within the community have identified who they believe to be the culprit through word of mouth, plastering her picture and screenshots of her Facebook account online.
Phillips is among those online who have named the suspect, claiming on Facebook that the teenager ‘came to Detail’s stall twice because she was waiting for me to leave’ and ‘would come up with weird comments as an excuse as to why she’s in my barn aisle.’
The stabbing, she added, is ‘the epitome of sick and evil.’
The online frenzy has also forced at least two women with the same name as the suspect to clear their names and implore people to stop leaving hateful comments and sending threatening messages.
Even the teen suspect’s former farrier, a specialist who provides hoof care, was caught in the cross-fire, writing on social media, ‘I hope she is punished to the fullest… I had no idea that she had mental issues and would ever harm a horse.’
Others have pushed to pressure the Clark County District Attorney to pursue the maximum punishment for the suspect and ensure she never owns horses nor competes in equestrian events again.
Rocket, a horse belonging to competitor Keira Weisbart, was also stabbed multiple times. He is pictured getting stitched up by a veterinarian
Barrel racers and other equestrian athletes have deep bonds with their horses. Hailey Krahenbuhl, whose horse, Sully, was attacked, is pictured with the animal
Krahenbuhl said that her horse Sully’s injuries were nearly fatal. She shared an ultrasound of the stab wound right next to his jugular
On Monday, after the teen’s first court appearance in Clark County Justice Court, prosecutors announced they are seeking to charge her as an adult.
‘These allegations involve deliberate acts of extreme cruelty against defenseless animals and have had a significant impact on the victims, the owners, and the broader equestrian community,’ Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement.
‘Nevada law allows certain juvenile offenders to be prosecuted as adults when warranted by the seriousness of the conduct. We believe this case meets that standard.’
The teenage suspect currently faces 12 counts of malicious intent to maim or kill an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail. The competitors whose horses were attacked and the Clark County District Attorney did not reply to the Daily Mail.
But the act of violence, VanderGriend said, could have a ripple effect beyond Las Vegas, poisoning the trusting environment and camaraderie among the entire equestrian community.
‘We are all depending on each other to take care of each other’s horses. Like if you do see a stall door open, you just automatically take care of that person’s horse,’ she said.
‘You see their horse is out of water, you put water in the bucket. And so now it’s like, if you put water in the bucket, are you going to be called out for trying to help somebody else’s horse?’
She put it bluntly: ‘This changes everything.’
