Last week, 70 horses were killed in Oklahoma after eating what their grieving owners believed to be tainted feed.
The tragic and deadly effects occurred quickly after the dinner at the Beutler & Son Rodeo near Elk City.
“We had no idea what was going on, we just got some food and started feeding them like we normally would,” said Rhett Beutler, co-owner of the company. He told KFOR-TV.
“Then all of a sudden I looked up and saw the horse collapse and die.”
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Friday The ministry was investigating the “tragic loss” after receiving reports on August 23 that the mass deaths may be linked to a large order of feed.
Inspectors traced the feed to an unnamed manufacturer in Kansas but have not yet determined whether the order was contaminated. Samples of the feed eaten by the dead horses are being analyzed by two state-certified laboratories.
Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. is a nearly 100-year-old company that supplies livestock for rodeos, including the National Finals Rodeo.
“We've had world champions that have passed away, and we've had horses that could have been the next world champion that have passed away,” Beutler said.
The deaths of dozens of horses are more than a financial loss for the owners, who say the horses were more than a source of income.
“All those horses are like my babies. I've raised them since they were born,” Beutler said. “To lose one of them is just too hard.”
Many of the missing horses were scheduled to take part in the Elk City Rodeo of Champions, which begins Friday night and includes bareback riding, saddle bronco riding, bull riding and bull wrestling.
The show will go on as scheduled.
