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SANPETE, COUNTY — Horse owners in Utah are trying to stop rumors that a horse's tail is worth hundreds of dollars on the black market after reports of two horses having their tails cut off.
Jerolyn Smith's horse's tail was cut off just above the bone sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. It takes years for a horse to grow its tail. Smith's horse Benny is like family to her.
"Well she is 27 years old. We have had her since she was 10," Smith said.
You could see clearly a pair of scissors someone grabbed her tail, whack whack and that was the end of that.
–Jerolyn Smith
And Benny has had a distinguished career as a show horse.
"She has won enough trophies and tack and awards to fill a barn," Smith said. "She is one of those horses that everyone wants to have but not very many people get to have."
Benny's tail used reach almost to the ground, but now her tail is shorter than it has ever been. Smith says looking at what's left of the tail, it's clear someone took a pair of scissors to it.
"You could see clearly ... someone grabbed her tail," she said. "And that was the end of that."
And for horses, a tail isn't just for looks — it protects them from flies and mosquitoes.
It's happened in other states and maybe they thought there was a higher black market than there is. A tail like this might be $10 to $50-- if you get anything out of it I would be surprised, it is not like scrap metal or copper.
–Sheriff Brian Nielson, Sanpete County
"And now it is a health issue for her, especially at her age; she will never live long enough to grow her tail back," Smith said. "It takes four to five years for a tail to grow the length hers was."
Sheriff Brian Nielson of Sanpete County says his department is investigating the crime. He fears the person who cut Benny's tail mistakenly believed a horse's tail was worth its weight in gold.
"It's happened in other states and maybe they thought there was a higher black market than there is," Nielson said. "A tail like this might be $10 to $50. If you get anything out of it I would be surprised; it is not like scrap metal or copper."
But to Benny, the tail is her livelihood. Now Smith fears it will make the last years of her life much more uncomfortable — especially during the hot, dry summer months.
"It just really makes you angry that someone would come on your property and violate your animals," Smith said.
The state agriculture department is cautioning horse owners to keep an eye on their animals and to promptly report anything suspicious to local police.
